I was two so I will take your word for it.
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Best Non-Title Team
- Thread starter Mr.Bennett
- Start date
This is a really tough decision. For me it's between 1982, 1983, 1993, and 1999. (Duh, I just looked closer at the poll and I see that those are the top 4 finishers).
1982 - Robbed of the title by the refs against PSU.
1983 - The defense was too weak and defense wins championships.
1993 - Robbed of the title by the refs against FSU.
1999 - Self-inflicted wounds doomed them. So many fumbles!
That leaves me with 1982 and 1993 because both teams already earned the national championship but were just robbed of it by the refs. I'm going to bet on Tommie Frazier and our AD Trev...
So then my answer is 1993 Nebraska. The 60-3 run started with that team.
1982 - Robbed of the title by the refs against PSU.
1983 - The defense was too weak and defense wins championships.
1993 - Robbed of the title by the refs against FSU.
1999 - Self-inflicted wounds doomed them. So many fumbles!
That leaves me with 1982 and 1993 because both teams already earned the national championship but were just robbed of it by the refs. I'm going to bet on Tommie Frazier and our AD Trev...
So then my answer is 1993 Nebraska. The 60-3 run started with that team.
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I said the 83 team because of how they dominated everyone except Oklahoma State and eventually Miami. Having the triplets together at one time was the most talent I ever saw on an offensive team at Nebraska. The more I think about it though the more I agree with you that that 93 team was more balanced and very good both offensively and defensively.
I feel like a kid when I can't talk about the '65 team.
But the '93 team was a missed 2-pt PAT away from losing to KU. No "best" team does that. Ever.My vote is for the 1993 team. In the national championship game ('94 Orange Bowl), +17.5 point underdog & then undefeated #2 Nebraska was the better team most of the game. The Huskers still had an opportunity to pull it out on the final play of the game but a 45 yard FGA was wide left. As much as anything, poor officiating (phantom flag negating Corey Dixon's punt return TD; no call on the goal line fumble on William Floyd's TD) allowed #1 FSU to escape with the 18-16 scoreboard win. #1 FSU was led by Hyped-man Trophy winner QB Charlie Ward, who decided he was better suited for the NBA rather than the NFL. Good call.
1999 -- The team lost at #18 Texas 20-24. Yes, it avenged the loss with a win in the Big XII Championship but keep in mind the Longhorns finished the season with 3 straight losses, ending up a meh 9-5. In other words, a bad, bad loss. In addition, the Huskers needed overtime to eek out a 33-30 win at unranked Colorado (7-5). Enough said.
1996 -- 2 losses (at ASU, Texas in the Big XII Championship), including 0-19 at Arizona State. Texas finished the season with an even more meh 8-5 record. NFW -- you know, Not Friggin' Worthy, or something like that.
1983 -- No "best" team trails 0-17 in a game. Ever.
1982 -- Good argument for this team being the best non-title Nebraska team. Had replay been around, the Huskers might have held on and defeated Penn State (and perhaps played Georgia in the Sugar Bowl for the NC). Alas, this team barely beat LSU in the Orange Bowl (21-20); the Tigers had lost to Tulane (4-7) -- in Baton Rouge -- the prior game. Tulane. Yikes.
1972 -- 2 losses (at UCLA, home against Oklahoma) and a gift tie (at Iowa State). Remind me why is this even an option?
1965 -- Outside of Missouri and perhaps Colorado, Nebraska played a very weak schedule. A 28-39 loss to Alabama in the Orange Bowl doesn't help.
Lol, fair enough. That being said, let the record reflect '93 Nebraska beat Kansas 21-20, while '83 Nebraska trailed Miami by 17 points in the 1st quarter (0-17) and again in the 4th quarter (17-31) before ultimately losing the game 30-31. As great as the '83 team was on offense, the Husker defense was average at best and slow.
Prior to the Orange Bowl the '93 Husker's had a laughably weak schedule. Outside of FSU everyone had at least three losses, and CU finished as the highest ranked team at #17.
In addition to almost losing to 4 win KU (which everyone remembers) the 93 squad almost crapped the bed against a three win OSU team too. We trailed at the half and didn't take the lead until the 4th quarter (on a blocked punt of all things). We ended up winning by 14, but it was a very close game. At least the close games in 82 and 83 were against good teams.
NOTE: Love the '93 squad. But if we are splitting hairs, let's split hairs!
If we'd have won the PSU game the bowl season would have been a bit of a cluster. Us, Georgia, and SMU (1 tie) would have been unbeaten. We were actually locked into the Orange Bowl, I don't think there's a way they would have let us out to play UGA, and SMU was locked in the Cotton Bowl. Georgia likely still would have played PSU, with PSU hopping for us to lose in the Orange. Based on the final regular season AP rankings we likely would have played Pitt (who actually played SMU in the Cotton Bowl), Texas, or Washington.
For just one play would have liked to have had the Heisman trophy winner in the back field on the 2 point extra point attempt.
The 1987 team is a bit underrated in these narratives. I know they lost 2 games but so did the 1972 team plus a tie. The defense played pretty well especially the shut out in Stillwater with Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders in the back field. The Fiesta Bowl loss to Florida State was by three points and it did not help when Tyrese Knox (God rest his soul) dropped the ball on the 4 yd line in the fourth quarter leading by 4 at the time. Even when FSU came back and took the lead the Huskers got it down inside the ten yard line but called back for illegal formation. Believe the wideouts got mixed up as to who should have been on the line and off of it.
The Huskers lost to UCLA not USC in 1972 on the Herran field goal. The NCIS man was the QB for UCLA and then returned to Lincoln the next year in Osborne's first game as head coach 40-13.
The 1983 schedule was even more laughable than the 1993 schedule. Until the Orange Bowl, every Husker opponent during the '83 season ended up with at least FOUR (4) losses. Minnesota finished with 10 losses -- in an 11 game season. Speaking of crapping the bed, what about the Huskers 14-10 escape at OK State? While the Cowboys finished 8-4, they lost at home 3 times -- including to 3-8 KState -- and were unranked in the AP Top 20 Poll at the end.
In the final regular season AP Top 20 Poll, only Oklahoma -- tied for #20 -- made the cut. Penn State, the preseason #4 team, started the year with 3 consecutive losses enroute to an 8-4-1 season (unranked final or post bowl in AP Top 20 Poll). In the final AP Top 20 Poll after bowl season, only Miami (FL) made the poll.
Not just in the bowl game; Ia St lit us up pretty badly.The 1983 Scoring Explosion was a great offensive team. However, the defense was lacking mightily in the bowl game against a team that could air it out and keep you off balanced.
That is why I went with the 1999 team since I feel they were a better “overall” team.
