Because in the world of Nebraska football, it's still 1997.
Back then even half the "P5" conferences didn't put much effort toward football. 50% of most conferences were easy football wins. There is much more money put into football than 20 years ago. The US population has nearly a 1/3 more people than in 1987 and yet there are less college football players "eligible" to win a national championship than in 1987.