When head coach Bill McCartney took over the Colorado Buffaloes in 1982, he set a simple goal to for his team to accomplish during Big 8 play. To beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers. And not just beat them once. Beat them every year, no matter what the circumstances. McCartney wanted to use the annual matchup against the powerhouse as a barometer to judge his program's success. If they could knock off the Huskers, then the Buffs would be having a pretty good year. Four short years later, McCartney’s barometer would become one of the fiercest rivalries in college football today. Colorado's Vaka Manapuna sacks Nebraska QB Zac Taylor When McCartney took the reins of the Colorado football team, the Buffs were riding a 22-year losing streak against the Huskers on Folsom Field, going winless since 1960. But that all changed on October 25, 1986. In front of a full house, the Buffs stunned the third-ranked, undefeated Nebraska, 20-10. The Nebraska offense, ranked fourth in the nation, could muster just 123 yards rushing and 246 total yards. The Huskers were stymied on almost every offensive, while the Buffs found the end zone on two trick plays – a flea-flicker pass and a wide receiver reverse. With 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the South goalposts were already torn down. As time ran out, fans stormed the field and carried McCartney and some of his players off the field on their shoulders. After the game, Nebraska’s Broderick Thomas said the immortal line: “I promise as long as I play at Nebraska, Colorado will never ever beat us again. I raise my right hand and promise you, that they will never beat us again as long as I’m with Nebraska.” And the rivalry was born. Since 1986, the matchup has gathered more and more intensity. As Colorado became more prominent nationally, the CU-NU games got closer and closer. After a tie in 1991, the Huskers rolled off nine close wins. The last five of those years were decided by a total of just 15 points. But 2001 would see one of the defining years of the rivalry. On the way to the school’s first Bowl Championship Series Berth, Colorado blew out Nebraska at Folsom Field, 62-36. Colorado shredded Nebraska’s defense, racking up 582 total yards, 380 on the ground. Future Tennessee Titan Chris Brown ran for 198 yards and six touchdowns, as the No. 14 Buffs nearly ended the national title hopes of the No. 2 Huskers. “I feel badly for the players and for everyone associated with the program to have our season end this way,” Nebraska head coach Frank Solich said after the game. The creation of the Big 12 was also a shot in the arm for the rivalry. In 1996, the Big 8 absorbed the former Southwestern Conference teams in 1996. CU's Thaddaeus Washington tackles Nebraska’s Marlon Lucky Nebraska’s traditional rival, Oklahoma, was moved into a new South division, which meant that an annual Nebraska-Oklahoma game would be impossible. Since the formation of the Big 12, the Buffs and Huskers have become major rivals. They usually face off in a day-after-Thanksgiving game on ABC. Traditionally, during rivalry week, the Buffs scout team practices with Nebraska uniforms. They wear red pants, tape their helmets white, and stick on the Nebraska N’s. And the tradition has apparently caught on with the Huskers.