#4 Tom Osborne - Top Coaches of the 1980s

Osborne entered the decade very much maligned by the Cornhusker's fan base, a large part of it had to do with not being able to win the big games, something that was the norm for the hall-of-fame coach Bob Devaney.

Nebraska fans thought the tide was turning in 1978 when Osborne secured his first signature win against rival and top-ranked Oklahoma. But the twist of fate saw the two lock up again in the Orange Bowl where the Sooners took a commanding 31-10 lead and Nebraska was not able to complete the comeback.

In 1979, the Cornhuskers started 10-0 and had aspirations to play for the national championship, but those were again dashed by Oklahoma and then losing to No. 8 Houston in the Cotton Bowl soiled a once-promising season and gave the critics the fuel Osborne needed.

After playing eventual national champion Clemson close in the 1982 Orange Bowl, expectations were high for Osborne and Huskers to do big things in 1982. The offense was led by quarterback Turner Gill, running backs Roger Craig and Mike Rozier, and All-American offensive lineman Dave Rimington.

The Cornhuskers' first bout of hard luck came against Penn State in 1982.

In one of the biggest regular season showdowns of the decade, the heavyweight fight lived up to the billing and as the clock began to dwindle, most Nebraska fans thought they would continue the momentum of a young season with a signature road win, this building on the 68-0 and 883 total yards accumulated on New Mexico State and a 42-7 against Iowa, who was defending Big Ten Champions who was in the Rose Bowl the season prior to open the season.

As Penn State drove down the field, a controversial ruling giving Penn State tight end Mike McCloskey a catch on the sideline left the Huskers irate, and as time was expiring, Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge connected with tight end Kirk Bowman who had his second touchdown reception of the day as time expired.

The loss was the only one on the season for Nebraska and the Cornhuskers would exact revenge on Penn State in the next season's Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford, New Jersey 44-6.

The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers were offensively dominant and dubbed "The Scoring Explosion," scoring 50 or more points in seven contests and averaging 52 points per game in the regular season.

Having won 22 consecutive games dating back to the 1982 Penn State game, most felt the Cornhuskers' coronation as national champions would be certain in the 1984 Orange Bowl against an upstart Miami Hurricanes program that had its most successful season in program history under head coach Howard Schnellenberger.

Miami got up to a 31-17 lead going into the fourth quarter and the Cornhuskers defense stifled a Hurricanes offense that moved the ball through the air with ease.

Nebraska started to gain momentum with their triple option as running back Jeff Smith had two fourth-quarter touchdowns to close the gap to 31-30 with under a minute to go.

Osborne to his credit, knowing overtime wasn't yet implemented in college football, decided to go for the win, a tie would have assured Nebraska at minimum a share of the national championship.

The courage to put it on the line in that situation when he didn't have to forever would endure Osborne to football fans because he believed a championship should be decided on the field.

As Miami knocked away quarterback Turner Gill's two-point pass attempt, many around Nebraska began to question if Nebraska could win the big game.

During the mid-1980's Oklahoma had caught back up to Nebraska and the Huskers would have awkward losses to mediocre Syracuse and Colorado teams that derailed championship aspirations.

In 1987, Nebraska returned to the forefront of college football with a 9-0 start, averaging 43.5 points per game, outscoring the opposition 392-109, and averaging over 524 yards of total offense per game.

The clash against No. 2 Oklahoma would be dubbed "Game of the Century II" as nearly 15 years after their iconic first "Game of the Century," the two would meet up again.

Nebraska got up to a quick 7-0 lead and it was all Oklahoma after that, as the Oklahoma defense would not surrender another first down until the five-minute mark of the third quarter. The 17-7 defeat stung Nebraska and another Orange Bowl loss, this time to Florida State just left Nebraska faithful beside themselves.

While the 1980s weren't kind to Osborne, a lot was made up for in the 1990s. 

While Nebraska did not win a national championship, they did play on their schedule or in bowls five teams that played for the national championships and really close affairs. 

There is something to be said about being in a position like Osborne had in Nebraska in the 1980s and that is why he is in my Top 5.