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Significant events in Nebraska football during the last 10 years

-Jan. 2, 1998: Nebraska defeats Tennessee 42-17 in the FedEx Orange Bowl, giving retiring coach Tom Osborne a share of the 1997 national championship. Osborne ends his 25-year head coaching career with a record of 255-49-3 and all or part of three national titles in his last four years.

-Dec. 4, 1999: Nebraska, under second-year coach Frank Solich, defeats Texas 22-6 in the Big 12 championship game.

-Jan. 2, 2000: Nebraska defeats Tennessee 31-21 in the Fiesta Bowl to finish the 1999 season 12-1 and No. 3 in the AP Top 25.

-Nov. 23, 2001: After starting the season 11-0 and rising to No. 2, Nebraska loses 62-36 to Colorado.

-Jan. 3, 2002: Despite the loss at Colorado, Nebraska plays in the national championship Rose Bowl game and loses 37-14 to Miami.

-Dec. 27, 2002: After finishing the regular season with back-to-back losses to Kansas State and Colorado, the Huskers lose 27-23 to Mississippi in the Independence Bowl to finish 7-7. It is Nebraska's first non-winning record since 1961 and first season with fewer than nine wins since 1968.

-Nov. 29, 2003: Athletic director Steve Pederson fires Solich after a 31-22 win at Colorado the previous day marks the end of a 9-3 regular season.

-Nov. 30, 2003: Pederson says at a news conference that Solich's firing was based on his belief that the program was slipping, and he names defensive coordinator Bo Pelini interim coach. Solich's six-year record was 58-19.

-Dec. 29, 2003: Pelini leads Huskers to a 17-3 victory over Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl.

-Jan. 9, 2004: After a 40-day search in which at least four candidates turned down the job or pulled their names from consideration, Bill Callahan is hired. Callahan had been fired the previous week as Oakland Raiders coach, one year after taking them to the Super Bowl. Callahan announces he'll employ the West Coast offense, junking the triple-option that had been used since 1980.

-Oct. 9, 2004: Nebraska loses 70-10 at Texas Tech, the worst beating in program history.

-Nov. 26, 2004: Nebraska loses 26-20 to Colorado, marking the Huskers' third straight loss and giving them a record of 5-6, their first losing campaign since Bill Jennings' 1961 squad went 3-6-1. The Huskers' 35-year bowl streak ends.

-Nov. 5, 2005: Nebraska loses 40-15 to Kansas, the first loss to the Jayhawks since 1968.

-Dec. 29, 2005: Nebraska beats 20th-ranked Michigan 32-28 in the Alamo Bowl to end the season with three straight wins and an 8-4 record.

-Nov. 24, 2006: Nebraska defeats Colorado 37-14 to win the Big 12 North for the first time since 1999.

-Dec. 2, 2006: Oklahoma beats the Huskers 21-7 in the Big 12 championship game.

-July, 23, 2007: Pederson is given a five-year contract.

-Sept. 4, 2007: Pederson gives Callahan a five-year contract that locks him up through the 2011 season.

-Oct. 6, 2007: Nebraska loses 41-6 at Missouri. Huskers fail to score a touchdown for the first time in three years.

-Oct. 13, 2007: Oklahoma State beats Nebraska 45-14, the worst home loss in 49 years and Cowboys' first win in Lincoln since 1960. The '07 Huskers become the first team in Nebraska's 118-year football history to surrender 40 points four times in a season.

-Oct. 15, 2007: Pederson is fired as athletic director. Chancellor Harvey Perlman cites declining morale in the athletic department.

-Oct. 16, 2007: Osborne returns as interim athletic director and says he will wait until after the season to make a decision on whether to retain the coaching staff.

-Oct. 20, 2007: Texas A&M routs Nebraska 36-14, marking the Huskers' third straight loss. The Huskers are outscored 122-34 over the three games.

-Oct. 27, 2007: Nebraska loses 28-25 at Texas after leading 17-9 in the fourth quarter. Nebraska's rushing defense ranks 119th out of 119 major-college teams.

-Nov. 3, 2007: Kansas scores on 10 straight possessions in beating Nebraska 76-39 and racking up more points against the Husker than any previous opponent.

-Nov. 23, 2007: Colorado beats Nebraska 65-51, eliminating the Huskers from bowl contention and giving them a 5-7 record. It's the Huskers' second losing season in four years.

-Nov. 24, 2007: Callahan fired after going 27-22 in four seasons but 15-18 against the Big 12 and 3-10 against teams ranked in the Top 25.

FanNation.com via AP