re: Are the days of the undefeated national champions over?

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nd at the same time, you use them for Nebraska as a way to lower their rankings. In 1995 K-State finished 6/7, not #8.
Kansas was 9/10, not #10
Colorado was 4/5, not #7

Florida did still finish #2 in the AP.

So again, if the LSU case is so strong why do you need to create fake stats to make the argument?

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One thing I believe is lost in some of these comparisons of ranked opponents is that the talent in college football was more heavily concentrated in the top teams around 2020 than it was in 1995.

The 1996 NFL Draft only featured two first rounders that played for or against 1995 Nebraska - and both were busts, incidentally. The 2020 Draft consisted of 18 first rounders who played for or against 2019 LSU - and many of those guys are among the best in the league today.

Leading up to the Fiesta Bowl in 1995, no one really talked about Nebraska as a GOAT team because they always beat the hell out of the Big 8 except for when OU was rolling. Osborne was literally 50-0 against Kansas and Kansas State in his 25 years. (He was 5-12 against Barry Switzer, BTW.)

Nebraska got ahold of a young (nearly every significant player returned in 1996), pass-oriented Florida team and manhandled them physically in ways they struggled to do when guys like Brian Bosworth, Tony Casillas, Cortez Kennedy, Derrick Brooks, Ray Lewis, and Warren Sapp were on defense.

1995 Nebraska was a great team. No question. But they had an easier path to an undefeated season than nearly all of Osborne’s teams.

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They beat the hell out of four teams coached by guys who are, will be, or should be in the CFB HOF.

Easy peazy, right?

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Tell me about the players, not the coaches.

ETA: Osborne struggled in three areas in breaking through to win a national title:

1. Oklahoma had some damn good teams in the Switzer era. Osborne was 5-12 against him. Oklahoma was rock bottom in 1995.

2. Osborne struggled in bowl games (damn near losing eight in a row prior to 1995) against the strong defensive fronts of Miami and Florida State. The Florida team they played in 1995 was finesse-oriented and lacked physicality up front, as well as familiarity with the Nebraska scheme.

3. Osborne lost several OOC games to teams like Alabama, Washington, and Penn State when those teams were strong. 1995 Nebraska did not play an OOC opponent with more than six wins.

1995 Nebraska did not really have anyone better than other players in the Osborne era. Turner Gill, Mike Rozier, Roger Craig, Tom Rathman, Corey Schlesinger, Irving Fryar, Dean Steinkuhler, Dave Rimington, Will Shields, Zach Weigert, Brenden Stai.

Those guys could beat up on Kansas and Kansas State too. They just also had to play prime OU and bowl opponents that could match them physically, shutting them out a couple of times.