The reason is simple. It takes more than a good pedigree to win. It takes talent, plus hard work, chemistry, teamwork and a lot of good fortune. More so than in many other sports, football is a game where your heart has to be in it. It takes a lot of drive to work like a madman in the weight room all winter even though the season opener is months away.
Football asks a great deal from every individual on the team.
It asks for toughness, both physical and mental. Those are things some players simply don't possess, even if they're everybody's high school All-American. That's why Nebraska has enjoyed so much success in recent years. Sure, the Cornhuskers get talented recruits, but the NU staff has also been able to bring in the right kind of players. Then, the coaching staff and athletic performance team takes over and the results are well documented.