A Harvard student and Lincoln native may have discovered another reason to root for the Huskers.

Alex Blankenau studied personal earnings and employment figures in years following standout Husker seasons from 1969 through 2005. Then he compared them with figures following lackluster Husker seasons.

His conclusion: There was a bigger economic boost following standout seasons.

The average annual increase in personal net earnings in years following seasons where the Huskers finished in the top five was 7.7 percent, compared to about 5.2 percent in years following seasons when they did not.

Following the Orange Bowl loss in 1983, per capita earnings rose about 14 percent, compared to 3.3 percent after the 1985 season when they were ranked tenth.