Husker Corner
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Nebraska Cornhuskers stand out in rarified company

By Oliver Vandervoort

November 25, 2022; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter (3) is congratulated by wide receiver Monroe Young (14) after scoring a touchdown against the UCLA Bruins during the second quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 25, 2022; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter (3) is congratulated by wide receiver Monroe Young (14) after scoring a touchdown against the UCLA Bruins during the second quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Now that the Nebraska baseball season is over, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are officially in the kind of rarified company they absolutely don’t want to be.

Yes, I’m aware that most days, the word “rarified” is supposed to be seen as a positive. It’s something that the Nebraska Cornhuskers should aim to be part of, but I submit something can be “rarified” in the complete opposite direction.

“Distant from the lives and concerns of ordinary people,” can also mean, “towards the bottom” not just “towards the top.” In this case, the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ end to the college baseball season likely puts them in the kind of rarified air that’s gonna sting to breathe in.

Sick of the suspense? You might be sicker by the answer. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are just one of two Power 5 men’s college sports programs that have not made the postseason in any of the “Big 3” sports. That’s not just for the 2022-2023 sports calendar year. it’s for the last two years.

Nebraska football, Nebraska men’s basketball and Nebraska baseball all saw their seasons come to a close before getting to any NCAA tournaments or bowl games. The only other Power 5 school that can share in that ignominy is the California Golden Bears.

Nebraska Cornhuskers’ shameful run

Cal’s baseball team finished 24-28 this season and 29-27 in the 2022 campaign. The Golden Bears men’s basketball team is quite bad. Worse than the Nebraska Cornhuskers even. They finished 12-20 last year and just an absolutely pathetic 3-29 this past year. The football team is remarkably similar to Scott Frost’s program, finishing 5-7 in 2021 and 4-8 in 2022.

What does any of this mean? It’s not like Nebraska Cornhuskers fans didn’t realize that the athletic program was on the struggle bus. But that it’s one of only two programs in the Power 5 ranks to see all three major men’s sports be that bad should be another slap in the face as Trev Alberts and his revamped AD staff try and sound the wake-up call.

By the way, it’s only the men’s programs seeing this level of embarassment. The volleyball, softball and the women’s basketball teams all made their versions of the NCAA tournment this past season. They are at least doing their part to get the Nebraska Cornhuskers into the right kind of rarified air.

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