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Nebraska football has a rich tradition and is considered a blue-blood program by many around the country.

Five national championships, 46 conference championships, 11 undefeated seasons, the eighth-most all-time victories among FBS teams and the longest sellout streak in the country will do wonders for a program.

But let’s face reality.

Nebraska’s last national championship was in 1997. Students currently attending UNL weren’t even born yet. The Huskers’ last conference title appearance was in 2012. That was 12 years ago.

Nebraska started its season 2-0 for the first time since 2016 after victories against UTEP and Colorado. That year was also the last time the Huskers made a bowl game. That was eight years ago.

It was just announced on Monday that Nebraska was ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll, its first appearance since 2019. That was five years ago.

It’s been over a decade and a half since Nebraska was last relevant in the college football landscape, and the current students at UNL have never experienced a winning football team…. until now.

After five head coaches since Tom Osborne retired in 1997, it appears that the Huskers have finally found their guy in Matt Rhule, and he has the program heading in the right direction.

Following the Huskers’ 28-10 win over Colorado on Saturday night, fans and students stormed the field after finally beating its rival after three straight losses. It was a therapeutic and much needed field storming. The fan base needed it. The students needed it. The program needed it. There is finally light at the end of the tunnel.

The game garnered national attention, and people are finally starting to pay attention to the once formidable program.

There hasn’t been this much excitement around Nebraska football since Scott Frost took over in 2018. The difference, however, is the visible improvement from last year and the top-tier talent on the team, something this program hasn’t seen in years.

The Huskers’ No. 23 ranking isn’t just a number. It is a small step in what Rhule is trying to build one game at a time, and students and fans alike are bought in and excited for what’s to come.