As people want to keep bringing up the record for the last few years at OSU, lets take a look at those seasons and records. Rankings are the rankings at the time the game was played, remember that the PAC12 plays a 9 game conference slate. Here is all of it during Pelini's tenure at Nebraska.
2014 - Not a great final result, at 5-7, though that is a pretty tough sched.
Wins
Portland State, @Hawaii, San Diego in the non-con, @Colorado, #6 Arizona State.
Losses
@#18 USC, #20 Utah in 2OT, @Stanford, Cal, WSU, @Washington, #2 Oregon.
2013 - 7-6, with the ugly FCS loss to open the season. The fact that there is a game AT San Diego State says something about where OSU is positioned.
Wins
Hawaii, @Utah, @San Diego State, Colorado, @WSU, @Cal, vs Boise in the bowl game.
Losses
Eastern Washington, #8 Stanford, USC, @21 Arizona State, Washington, @12 Oregon.
2012 - 9-4. Same record we had that year, but I would say a better overall result.
Wins
Nichols State, #13 Wisconsin, @#18 UCLA, @ Arizona, WSU, @BYU, Utah, Arizona State, Cal
Losses
@Washington, @16 Stanford, #5 Oregon, vs #19 Texas in the bowl.
2011 - 3-9. The year that will scare people the most.
Wins
Arizona, WSU, Washington.
Losses
Sacramento State, @8 Wisconsin, Ucla, @25 Arizona State, BYU, @Utah, #4 Stanford, @Cal, @9 Oregon.
2010 - 5-7. Another rough record, but that sched is brutal.
Wins
Louisville, Arizona State, @#9 Arizona, Cal, #20 USC
Losses
VS #6 TCU, @#3 Boise, @Washington, @UCLA, WSU, @#7Cal, #1 Oregon.
2009 - 8-5.
Wins
Portland State, UNLV, @Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA, @#23 Cal, Washington, @WSU.
Losses
#17 Cincy, Arizona, @#4 USC, @#7 Oregon, #12 BYU in the bowl.
2008 - 9-4.
Wins
Hawaii, #1 USC, WSU, Washington, Arizona State, @UCLA, Cal, @ Arizona, vs Pitt in the bowl.
Losses
@Stanford, @#19 Penn State, @#15 Utah, #19 Oregon.
There are a number of take aways. One is that Oregon has been something they have not been able to get past, but over the same time frame, Oregon has pretty much had the PAC12's number in general. There are a crapload of ranked teams on those scheds. They have tended to have a schedule that dramatically outspends and out recruits them. There are a number of those years where they dramatically outperformed their talent level, and some where they were right inline with what their talent level said they should finish with. The run is highlighted by bigger wins than we have seen here since 2001, and some lows that we have never experienced. It's full of positives and negatives in general wins and losses, and it will be interesting to see what happens when Riley is not at the bottom of the talent levels. Of the regular conference teams through this run, almost all of them, historically recruit better than OSU.