Nebraska is the best 0-6 team in the country.

For those of you thinking, “There are only three of those teams – Nebraska, San Jose State and UTEP.” You’re right. But the point is a bigger than that. Not only is Nebraska the best winless team in the country, it’s better than many teams with multiple wins. S&P+ slots the Cornhuskers at 69th nationally. That’s ahead of programs like Florida State (3-3), BYU (4-3) and Hawaii (6-2). When Nebraska finished 4-8 last season, it ended the year 103rd in S&P+.

Obviously, Scott Frost doesn’t care a lick for statistical analysis. Zero wins are zero wins. Yet Nebraska is getting better. The Cornhuskers might not have a victory to show for it, but they’re well ahead of what their record indicates. There might be panic in Lincoln and across the country – some are ridiculously writing about Scott Frost’s buyout – but things will turn soon.

“I have a ton of respect for [Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost] and how those guys are playing much better over there,” said Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald after the Wildcats’ 34-31 OT win over the Huskers last week. “After Nebraska's Michigan game, Coach Frost said they hit rock bottom and were coming out of it, and to hear the comments he made this week about how they were preparing, I think it really showed this week. They are getting better, and I think it showed a little bit against Purdue and a lot these last two week.

“They have a very talented group that's still there.”

Fitzgerald is rational man. Fans and pundits often are not. For a little perspective, let’s look at how Nebraska compares statistically in a few key categories to the worst programs of the last five years – defined as the Power Five team each season with the worst record.

After six games, Nebraska slots at 69th in S&P+. The Huskers rank 51st in yards per play and 91st in yards allowed per play. That’s not the footprint of a good team, but it’s also not the footprint of a horrible one. Outside of a loss to Michigan by 46, the Huskers have played their opponents to two possessions or less, thrice losing in the final minutes (Colorado, Troy, Northwestern).

When you consider the Huskers are implementing a new system and were without their starting quarterback (a freshman at that) for chunks of three of those games, it’s somewhat understandable to see this slide.

Is it OK to Frost for the Huskers to lose these games at the last second? Nope. But as always, perspective is important.

“There's no doubt they're better,” Frost said after the Northwestern loss. “They deserved to win that game today, and I think they know how much we've improved. That's a team that lost to Michigan by three points playing them on their field.”

Year Team S&P+ Ranking YPP YAPP Average Scoring Margin 2018 Nebraska (0-6) 69th 51st 91st -15 2017 Baylor (1-11) 106th 42nd 91st -12.4 2017 Kansas (1-11) 125th 98th 111th -29 2017 Oregon State (1-11) 127th 55th 90th -24.6 2016 Kansas (2-10) 104th 106th 109th -23.1 2016 Rutgers (2-10) 114th 128th 97th -27.3 2015 Kansas (0-12) 126th 123rd 123rd -33.4 2014 Iowa State (1-11) 100th 112th 117th -15.3 2013 Purdue (1-11) 87th 118th 105th -10.5 2013 Cal (1-11) 101st 98th 119th -5.4

As you can, see Nebraska’s six-game resume stacks up better than the Power Five’s worst in almost every category the last five seasons. And remember, Nebraska’s schedule is skewed because it’s yet to face the FCS team on its schedule (Bethune-Cookman), while every team on the list above had the benefit of playing that contest in their 12-game run.

Nebraska’s also suffered because a Week 1 matchup against Akron was canceled, giving the Huskers one less opportunity for a win other teams have had. If Nebraska won its opener, most of the conversations surrounding the program are moot. Just as notably, five of the six teams Nebraska’s faced this season made a bowl a year ago. The other, Colorado, is 5-1.

Schedules matter, and Nebraska’s strength of schedule sits at third nationally per Sagarin. Despite that, the Huskers carried a postgame win expectancy of 50-plus percent three times this season – meaning the stats say the Huskers would've won three games the majority of the time.

If you look forward, Nebraska is more than likely going to get a win. Most reasonable projections have the Huskers winning multiple games. ESPN’s FPI favors Nebraska against both Bethune-Cookman and Illinois. S&P+ does the same. None of that conjecture or the above stats change the zero in Nebraska’s win column. But they do provide an alternate viewpoint to the winless narrative.

Nebraska isn’t as bad as it looks on paper. Expect the Huskers to win soon, perhaps as early as this weekend against Minnesota.