As I tuned into Sound Off,Œ Channel 13¡s weekly sports call-in show hosted by Keith Murphy, last Sunday night, I was shocked at what I saw.

Nobody was giving Nebraska a shot this weekend against Iowa State.

Believe me, they have a shot, and the Cyclones know it.

The fact that Nebraska is coming off a 40-7 loss to Penn State means nothing.

It doesn¡t change the fact that just five years ago, the Huskers pounded Iowa State 77-14 in Lincoln.

It also doesn¡t change the fact that the final score hasn¡t really been close since the upset of the decade in 1992 when the Cyclones beat Nebraska right here at Jack Trice Stadium.

As Dan McCarney said Tuesday, the fact that the Huskers are coming off a loss, and have had a week off to evaluate Iowa State, is one of the worst scenarios possible.

Last season, coming off the first bowl game in over 20 years, the situation was similar.

Iowa State was 3-0 and had drubbed Northern Iowa and Baylor by a combined score of 86-0.

Nebraska was 5-0 after handling TCU, Troy State, Notre Dame, Rice and Missouri.

Everybody said this was the year, this was the chance to beat Nebraska. That game got out of hand quickly and the Huskers had a 41-0 halftime lead en route to a 48-14 victory.

For the ISU fans who are optimists out there, this year has had a different feel to it so far.

Penn State has already proven that the Huskers are not invincible, something that wasn¡t known last season until Nebraska took on Colorado.

Another difference is the absence of Eric Crouch.

Jammal Lord takes over the reigns from the Heisman Trophy winner, and so far hasn¡t proven that he¡s able to fill Crouch¡s shoes. He had three picks in the loss against Penn State

What isn¡t different is the tradition Nebraska boasts.

The figures are jaw-dropping: 40 consecutive winning seasons, 33 straight bowl appearances, 32 consecutive years ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, 34 conference championships ¢ the list goes on.

Then there¡s the series record between the Cyclones and Huskers. Nebraska leads 80-14-2.

If you need yet another example, Iowa State had 27 wins in the ¡90s. Nebraska had 108.

With all this data, it¡s ironic that a Nebraska win against the Cyclones is technically an upset.

The Cyclones are favored by one point by some services, but then again three out of five expertsΠfrom cbs.sportsline.com give the Huskers the edge.

If the Cyclones have a chance to win this game, they can¡t let any of that tradition enter their minds.

One thought about how it used to be, and it could be over quick. Now is the chance to prove the Cyclones¡ motto this season: Taking it to another level.

I¡m not going to say the Cyclones have nothing to lose in this game, but it sure seems like Iowa State is rising at a faster rate on a national scale than Nebraska is.

In some people¡s eyes, Nebraska and powerhouse are two words you won¡t hear together in the future.

It¡s hard to imagine, and it¡s all I¡ve ever known, but anything can happen.

With an ISU win, the change could start Saturday.

Picking apart the tradition the Huskers have in place will take time, but a loss for the Huskers would most likely drop them from the rankings for the first time in three decades ¢ and that¡s one more thing Husker fans won¡t be able to shove down opponents¡ throats every year.

Iowa State can someday have the tradition Nebraska has.

It begins with recruiting and training, and a few upsets along the way always help.

Improvement in those areas has been underway for some time now.

Since McCarney took the job in 1995, he¡s brought confidence and enthusiasm to a program that was vacant of those two aspects before him.

No doubt a victory over the Huskers in front of a national audience will open some more eyes and only further the process that McCarney has started in motion.

Jeff

Raasch

is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Odebolt. He is the

assignment sports editor

of the Daily.