Nebraska football: 5 best seasons in program history

Nebraska beats Alabama in the Orange Bowl to go back-to-back.

Apparently that tie on the road in Los Angeles the year prior got to the Cornhuskers. While the 1970 team became the first group in school history to win a national title, you always have that, “well, they tied” demerit working against them. To be fair, tying on the road against a national power like USC should be viewed as commendable. How many teams won in the Coliseum then?

Regardless, Bob Devaney’s team in 1971 was something else. The Cornhuskers went 13-0 (7-0) en route to back-to-back national championships. Though they only played three ranked teams that year, all three were ranked inside of the top 10, including two in the top two. This team was an absolute buzzsaw, as it held 12 of its 13 opponents to 17 points or less.

The offense wasn’t too shabby either, as Devaney’s team scored at least 31 points in all 13 contests. To add it all up, the 1971 Cornhuskers outscored 12 of their 13 opponents by at least 24 points. The only close game they had was the “Game of the Century” at the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners. Nebraska narrowly won 35-31 in Norman but prevailed to 11-0 on the year.

After beating Oklahoma in Norman to win the Big Eight, as well as defeating No. 9 Colorado a little bit less than a month earlier, the Cornhuskers took their perfect record to the Orange Bowl. Awaiting them was the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide. Nebraska handed Alabama a 32-point loss, as the Cornhuskers were named national champions in both the Coaches and the AP Polls.