Big Ten media days are upon us. The festivities begin in Indianapolis on July 23. USC will be there. It’s time for the Trojans to get to know their Big Ten neighbors, even the ones which only recently moved into the neighborhood. Nebraska has not been a longtime Big Ten school, so the program’s greatest football moments naturally occurred long before Big Ten membership existed.
Nebraska was an elite college football program from the early 1960s through the 2002 Rose Bowl against Miami, a period of roughly 40 years. In that 40-year period, which moment was the biggest?
There are three candidates. One is the 1994 national championship victory over Miami in the 1995 Orange Bowl. That moment carries emotional weight in Nebraska because coach Tom Osborne, after more than 20 years of trying, finally won his first national championship. That might be the most meaningful moment in Nebraska football history.
The 1996 Fiesta Bowl win over Florida confirmed the 1995 Huskers as the greatest college football team in modern times. Only 2001 Miami rivals Nebraska in terms of juggernaut-level talent. Anyone who saw that 1995 NU team knows it is one of the greatest teams ever assembled.
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Yet, the greatest moment — both profoundly satisfying within the Nebraska family yet resonant and important on a national scale — might be the 1971 Thanksgiving game against the Oklahoma Sooners. In a back-and-forth classic, the Huskers had the final say, winning 35-31 against their storied rival on the prairie. The game is still talked about more than 50 years later. It was called a “Game of the Century,” as were a select few other college football games of the era. This one lived up to the billing more than any other.
Having defeated Oklahoma in an epic battle, the 1972 Orange Bowl was comparatively easy for NU. Nebraska crushed Bear Bryant’s Alabama team 38-6 to complete a 13-0 season and win the national title. The 1971 Huskers were back-to-back champions. A program which was irrelevant 10 years earlier had truly become a colossus under patriarch Bob Devaney, who then handed the reins to Osborne to continue Nebraska’s long reign as a college football power.
You can’t really go wrong choosing any of those options, but we’ll take 1971, if only because that moment established Nebraska football at an elite level. Osborne’s successes might have been more spectacular, but they stood on the shoulders of what Bob Devaney started in Lincoln.
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Nebraska has added a secondary commitment to the 2027 class, safety/cornerback Brennan Drummond. Drummond, from Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day School, made an official visit to Nebraska on June 12 and to Georgia this weekend. He is a three-star recruit and the No. 118 safety in the country, according to the Rivals Industry ranking.
Drummond’s style of play in the secondary is a great fit for Nebraska’s new defensive coordinator, Rob Aurich. Drummond wants an aggressive defensive approach that will bring pressure from multiple spots on the football field.
“This Nebraska staff wants to attack blocks, stop the run, and create confusion with pressure, movement, and multiple fronts, and my game is a natural fit,” Drummond said.
Another reason Drummond is a great fit for Aurich’s defense is his versatility. Drummond played cornerback last season, which he admits is out of position, but he does have the ability to cover, which could lead to getting a look at nickel as well as safety.
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“I’m a downhill, physical strong safety who can play near the box, support the run, and rotate into coverage when needed,” Drummond said. “My strengths are versatility and physicality. I played out of position last year at corner, but it helped with my coverage ability.”
Drummond is the 20th commitment for the Huskers in the 2027 class. Nebraska has commitments from four-star safeties Tory Pittman of Millard North in Omaha (Neb.) and Corey Hadley of Sandy Creek in Tyrone (Ga.).
The Nebraska Department of Revenue, Property Assessment Division (DOR), reminds property owners that the Nebraska Homestead Exemption Application, Form 458, and all required forms and documentation must be filed with their county assessor on or before June 30, 2026.
The homestead exemption provides relief from property taxes by exempting all or a portion of the taxable value of the residence.
The State of Nebraska reimburses counties and other governmental subdivisions for the property taxes lost due to homestead exemptions.
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In Nebraska, a homestead exemption is available to the following categories of property owners:
Persons age 65 or older before January 1, 2026;
Qualified disabled individuals; or
Qualified disabled veterans and their surviving spouses.
Some categories are subject to household income and residence valuation limitations. The income limitations are on a sliding scale based on filing status and homestead exemption category.
Homestead exemption forms and information are available at revenue.nebraska.gov/PAD/homestead-exemption. For more information on the homestead exemption program, please contact your county assessor or DOR at 888-475-5101.
