Marketing/Branding is much more about perception than anything else. We may not be nearly as dominant on the field as we use to be, but besides Alabama, maybe Ohio State, no one is where they once where. The college landscape and always has been pretty fluid. However, we are still in the conversation, and you should really ask yourself...Why?
My two cents.
- We are an anomaly, with no real resource for recruits we have a winning tradition.
- That winning tradition has always made the Huskers a team you have to beat to win the conference/division. Even in our down years I can only remember a few years where this was not true.
- Nebraska is hardly ever an easy win.
- We consistently have stadium that is packed.
- Expectations are always high.
- A season is not measured by just wins and losses, but how we win and absolutely how we lose.
- The sheer amount of support we provide to the school as a fan base drives the whole train. We show up in force around the country, we dominate in fan polls, and we generally can hold our own in a college football conversation without sounding like homers.
Add all of that together and perception of the team will always be high, but honestly, you remove the support of the fans and it all goes away.