Is Nebraska the Best 3-3 Team in the Country?

1 comment so far October 17, 2008 by Steve Hanway

Not to give away the ending too soon, but probably not. Still, the Huskers are rated no worse than second to Oregon State by Sagarin’s ratings. The Beavers beat USC and destroyed Washington State and Hawaii at home but lost badly at Penn State, and narrowly at Utah and at Stanford.

Another contestant in a 3-3 beauty contest might be Wisconsin who lost narrowly to Ohio State and Michigan and got stomped by Penn State. They also have a narrow road win over Fresno State. Illinois gave Missouri a much better game than Nebraska did, but they barely squeaked by Louisiana-Lafayette at home and lost at home to Minnesota as well. Mississippi won at Florida, but lost at Wake Forest, at home to Vanderbilt, and at home to South Carolina. They were in every ballgame.

You could also throw teams in the mix like Clemson, Miami, Virginia, and Colorado. Arkansas, Baylor and East Carolina are 3-3 as well. Not that there’s any glory in saying you’re the best 3-3 team, but rather when you look at some of the schools that have lost three games (and look at some of their wins), most of them don’t look that bad. This is parity.

It also tells us not to hang our head as NU fans that our team is .500. These 3-3 teams have shown that while inconsistent, they can play with the big boys. Give the Huskers time to get back to playing .800 ball. For now, recognize that 3-3 doesn’t mean your team can’t beat a good team. Oregon State and Mississippi are proof positive that records can be deceiving. It may also serve as a reminder not to take Iowa State or Baylor lightly. Even teams that lose, can score a big win.

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