Part of a continuing series examining the Power 5 and top Group of 5 teams for the 2018 college football season. Other entries by conference: ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC | G5/Independents



When Mick Stoltenberg looked up during practices this spring, the Nebraska senior defensive tackle could see an almost angelic figure watching over him and his teammates.



There was Tom Osborne, the 81-year-old coaching legend, quietly taking it all in from balcony seats overlooking the indoor practice field as his disciple, Scott Frost, coached up the Cornhuskers. For Stoltenberg, a Nebraska native from nearby Gretna, it was an exciting reminder that something special is happening here.



“It’s the coolest,” Stoltenberg said. “He won’t come down. He sits up in the balcony. It’s like he’s watching over us. It’s almost like he’s this glowing...