No one — certainly not after wins — complained about a diluted product because he or she might be labeled a downer or a traitor. No one dared tell the truth: The Emperor had no clothes.

Learning to earn it

Now the main attraction is pomp and circumstance. Now the chief commodities are hype and hope. They can’t fix the fact that Nebraska has forgotten how to build football teams. That Nebraska has gotten so full of itself — so spoiled — that it forgot how to earn its place.

The main problem isn’t getting stuck in the ’90s; the main problem is forgetting how badly everyone wanted to win in the ’90s. How many stars aligned. How many facemasks were broken.

Now we assume that greatness is inevitable. We delude ourselves to seeing greatness when it’s not there.

Geographic isolation exacerbates the problem. In Oklahoma, you’re conscious of Oklahoma State and Texas. In Ohio, you’re always aware of what Michigan is doing. They pressure you. They push you.

In Nebraska, it’s all Nebraska. The longer you look at the depth chart in May, the more you’re convinced it’s stocked with players. Never mind NU’s ordinary recruiting rankings. Never mind NU’s mediocre track record with player development.