The matchup was already set. Texas head coach Mack Brown was going to be standing across the field, trying to figure out how his Longhorns were going to attack Bo Pelini's Blackshirts.
Finally, the Big 12 North was going to have a competitive chance against the South in the conference title game.
Nebraska's defense would pressure UT's Colt McCoy into bad mistakes. Cornhusker running backs Roy Helu Jr. and Rex Burkhead would be alternating snaps, taking turns gashing the defense. The only real concern about Zac Lee would be the fear that his bombs to Niles Paul might be deflected by the $40 million video board in the Dallas Cowboy's new stadium.
Admit it. Two weeks ago, you were booking a flight to Dallas, Texas. Now you're trying to figure out what local attractions to visit in Shreveport, La.
No need to deny it. When Nebraska's offense woke up against Missouri, Husker fans around the state walked with their chest puffed out a little bit more.
Following the Iowa State game, those puffed out chests have been replaced by slumped shoulders.
Conversation has gone from, "What lucky school is going to hire offensive coordinator Shawn Watson after this season?" to, "How does that bum have a job?" This football-crazed red state is now very blue. With five games left on the schedule, the Huskers have their work cut out for them to make that trip to Dallas.
But a closer review shows that while being flawed, this team is still the favorite to reach the championship game. Nebraska's defense is the best in the conference. If the offense can provide some consistency with ball control and scoring, this team will be in every game for the rest of the season.
There isn't a single game on the schedule that Nebraska can't win. In this mediocre division, the Huskers still have more talent than the rest of the teams in the North. Clearly something is wrong if Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder can come out of his rocking chair and have the Wildcats in first place at this point in the season. Of course, this is the same Kansas State team that was beat by Louisiana-Lafayette and lost by 60 points to Texas Tech.
Kansas, the preseason favorite, hasn't won either of its first two conference games and still has Texas Tech and Texas looming on its schedule. Out west, Colorado followed up an upset over the Jayhawks by laying an egg against the lowly Wildcats. Colorado struggled early in the year against Toledo and Colorado State, and the Buffalo offense is still trying to find consistency. Sound familiar? ISU used up all of its luck against Nebraska last week, and Missouri still hasn't won a conference game. Plus, the Huskers have the tiebreaker.
Despite Nebraska fumbling away its early-season opportunities, the team still controls its own destiny. That was something Ndamukong Suh wanted to point out in the aftermath of the Cyclone loss.
"We can take care of business," Suh said. "We can definitely feel that all our goals are still intact, but like I said, it's within. We have to take care of our own business first."
Suh's not just paying lip service. He's been through worse. As a sophomore, he watched Nebraska's season spiral out of control in the middle of October. When he says that these two teams are entirely different, it's hard not to believe him.
For the Huskers, the superficial aspects of college football might be lost. Nebraska probably won't get back in the polls until the end of the season, if at all, and the program won't be receiving any major consideration by the best bowl sites.
Even with those goals out of reach, it's important for the future of the program that this team continues to play with passion. With so many juniors on the roster, there is a lot of improvement that can be made. These types of ruts are learning opportunities that will make many of the Huskers tougher mentally.
The 2007 ordeal did that for at least one senior.
Center Jacob Hickman describes his college career as a roller coaster. The majority of roller coasters finish with one big drop: Hickman would prefer that his ride ends on the rise, one that leads to Dallas.
"Good teams don't have to go out and win big," Hickman said. "Good teams go out and play consistently. I still feel like this is a good team."
Michael Schaefer is a senior news-editorial major. Reach him at Michaelschaefer@dailynebraskan.com
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