updated 9:39 p.m. ET Aug. 21, 2009

LINCOLN, Neb. - Bo Pelini downplays the notion that maybe, just maybe, Nebraska is on the verge of recapturing its past glory on the gridiron.

Unlike his predecessor, he knows and embraces the history of the program he took over.

So he knows that what his first Cornhuskers team accomplished would have elicited little more than a pat on the back, if that, in the Bob Devaney-Tom Osborne era.

“We’re not in the business of celebrating nine-win seasons at Nebraska,” Pelini said.

Understandable, considering that the Cornhuskers strung together 33 consecutive seasons of at least nine victories from 1969-2001 and won five national championships.

After a four-year malaise under coach Bill Callahan, which followed the firing of Osborne’s hand-picked successor, Frank Solich, Nebraska fans were rejoicing in a four-win improvement to 9-4 in 2008, Pelini’s first season.

With wins in six of the last seven games, including a thrilling 26-21 Gator Bowl win over Clemson, all signs point to the Huskers becoming relevant again on the national scene.

Nebraska, the Big 12 North favorite, has its share of potential flaws — quarterback, receivers, linebackers among them. But fans, many of whom wear “In Bo We Trust” T-shirts, are convinced Pelini is the right man at the right time.

Pelini refuses to get caught up in the excitement. He’s repeated through preseason practices that the team has a long way to go to meet his expectations, let alone match the level of the powerful squads of yesteryear.

Remember, the Huskers are 5-19 against The Associated Press Top 25 since beating Oklahoma in 2001. The highest-ranked opponent they’ve defeated the past seven seasons was No. 20 Michigan in the 2005 Alamo Bowl.

“You know, we won’t be satisfied until we win them all, until we’re playing for a national championship,” Pelini said. “How close we are to that, I don’t know. I believe we have enough resources, enough talent to compete with everybody on our schedule. I think we will be a better football team. How that plays into wins and losses, we’ll see that in December.”

The schedule does get tougher this season. Nebraska goes on the road to play Virginia Tech and Missouri — teams that beat the Huskers in Lincoln last year — and trips to Baylor and Kansas could spell trouble. The Huskers also play Oklahoma and Texas Tech at home.

Rob Zatechka, a member of the 1994 national title team’s “Pipeline” offensive line, said that even though Nebraska is an improving team, that schedule has him worried.

“Nebraska is very much primed for a sophomore slump under Pelini,” he said. “I don’t mean that as having a bad year. I think if they get nine wins this season, it’s going to be a great year.”

Pelini can count on the fans’ support. They showed up en masse and had to stomach games in which Callahan’s teams weren’t even competitive. They’ll stretch Nebraska’s sellout streak past 300 games this season, an ongoing NCAA record that dates to the Kennedy administration.

Pelini will have a long leash as a result of his good first season, said Steve Glenn, an offensive lineman in the late 1970s and past president of the Nebraska letterman’s club.

“I don’t know if anyone would feel bad if we got beat this year as long as it’s by a better team,” Glenn said. “If we get beat by effort, then I think people want heads to roll. That’s how we got beat with the former regime.”

The 41-year-old Pelini is building for the future by emphasizing elements of Nebraska’s past under Devaney and Osborne.

The defense, which put up the worst numbers in program history in 2007, is attacking again and features one of the nation’s marquee players in nose tackle Ndamukong Suh.

The offense is a question mark with quarterback Zac Lee making the transition from No. 3 on the depth chart to starter.

But then there are the intangibles.

“We’ve gotten back to the basics of attitude, effort and believing in what you’re doing,” said Husker Sports Network radio commentator Adrian Fiala, a Nebraska linebacker in the 1960s. “I don’t know if that was around here the four years the other staff was here.”

Pelini said his first task was to build trust and make his players believe that they could win.

“They were like a beaten-down child,” he said.

A pivotal point came in early October, after a 52-17 loss at home to Missouri. Moments after the game, Pelini stood before the media and took full responsibility for the loss, saying that he didn’t give his players the best chance to win.

The bond between players and the coach strengthened.

“He proved he’s going to be 100 percent with you,” Suh said.

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