As the weekly Nebraska Reacts poll was conducted during bowl season, the questions had to be more than just the usual “Who Gonna Win?” Since the polls opened before the bowl game but remained open for a day or more after its conclusion, it was important to ask meaningful questions that could capture the sentiment of fans both before and after the game.

One question I considered was whether Huskers and Utes fans would set an attendance record for the 34-year history of the event. They did. While it’s easy to say you knew it would happen after the fact, I believed the chances were good given the combination of New Year’s Eve in Vegas, a Husker fan base known for traveling, and a Utes group located just a reasonable distance away in Salt Lake City.

The first question I asked, however, could be answered either before or after the game—since we are generally an honorable people, mostly—and that was whether the double-blowout finish to the 2025 season, which started with much more hope and competitiveness, would sour some on watching the game. I separated those who made a conscious effort to avoid it from those who were stuck at work.

Now that the focus has shifted to the transfer portal, the second question asked everyone at which position the majority of that focus should be directed. Let’s take a closer look at the responses.

It wasn’t surprising that the majority of Corn & Husker Nation settled in front of their televisions for New Year’s Eve daytime entertainment. After all, having two bowls in a row after 10 years without is what it is. We can always wait for the new year to start addressing the red flags.

According to the poll, 24% of fans chose to sit it out. When excluding those who were stuck at work (a situation I remember feeling occasionally), that number dropped to 19%. That’s still a significant portion. Let’s put it this way—during the last three games, the team on the field looked like one that would have been a double-digit underdog against Frost’s 3-9 Huskers, who managed to keep top-10 opponents within one score that season.

When it comes to where the focus should be in the transfer portal, Corn Nation is pretty much united. They want big men, and who can blame them? Dominating the line makes skill position players look much faster.

But seriously, Husker fans, like the schools themselves, understand that you need the bigs to win. That’s why linemen are the second-highest paid players after quarterbacks. A staggering 85% of Corn Nation agreed—46% on the defensive side and 39% on the offensive.

Quarterback is at 13%, and that may deserve to be higher given the current situation, which only has one quarterback. He was very ineffective in each of the last three games. Unless both a late high school recruit AND a hopefully experienced portal QB can be acquired (and we should aim higher than ND’s Kenny Minchey, a junior with just 29 career passes), we will be looking at a very thin quarterback room in 2026.

While it would be great to have a star running back added, I feel pretty solid about Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee after the Vegas Bowl. They looked great early and can hardly be blamed for the lack of a passing game to give them space once Utah pushed everyone into the box.

If SB Nation continues making pretty pictures of these polls with football season over, I’ll keep firing the questions. Let’s move fully onto the undefeated Nebrasketball and Go Big Red!