The most talked about move during the "realignment" period was the move that started it all. It was no secret that the University of Nebraska was unhappy in the Big 12. Suspicions mounted early on that the Big 12 only benefited the southern members of the conference, specifically Texas schools. This suspicion can be explained in many ways. One way is that Nebraska was put in a division that was "weak". That is accurate, but only if you look at the last 2 years of the Big 12. Colorado, Kansas State, Mizzou and even Kansas had their moments of glory in the Big 12 conference. Nebraska clearly was THE school in the north division, but its power in the conference was in fact diminished, but not because of the way the conference was divided.
Another way to explain the suspicion is that the north inhibited Nebraska from getting big money games- I.E. a yearly game with Oklahoma/Texas. The overall power was in the south. Texas and Oklahoma HAD to play each other every single year. Nebraska was robbed of its annual rivalry game with Oklahoma so that the Red River Shootout could take precedent. Nebraska was also losing out on exposure thanks to the Big 12 media rights. Texas and Oklahoma got a lot more in terms of national publicity much to the chagrin of Husker nation.
Suspicions are usually developed to take fans minds off of the brutal truth- that truth is that Nebraska just wasn't competitive overall in the Big 12. Fans will fire back, hey we have to play a weak schedule and that makes us weak. The 'weak because of our schedule' bit doesn't add up. Nebraska won the last 4 Big Eight championships (and some national titles) before switching over to the Big 12. The trend didn't stop there though. Nebraska won the second Big 12 championship game on the way to winning national title number 3 for Coach Tom Osborne. Under Frank Solich, Nebraska won the conference title two seasons later. Solich even coached the Huskers to the 2002 BCS Title Game where they got thumped by Miami.
Nebraska's problems began after that BCS title game. Solich was fired as head coach in 2003 after his team went 9-3 (losses to Mizzou, Kansas State, Texas). Nebraska panicked after the short success of Bob Stoops at rival Oklahoma. They needed to make a splash and abandon the the things that made Nebraska "Nebraska". They went out and hired Super Bowl runner up Bill Callahan. His arrival in Nebraska was similar to that of Billy Clyde to Kentucky. Callahan promised change. AD Steve Pederson promised that Nebraska would not tolerate mediocrity any longer. His promise was kept. Callahan only had two winning seasons during his time in Lincoln. Callahan had lost games, the fan base, and even the beloved black shirts. Callahan was fired in 2007 and Bo Pellini was brought in to right the ship.
Pellini had instant success in Lincoln. He brought back the black shirt defense of the past (and the actual black shirts) and brought some much needed attitude to the head coaching position. Nebraska's offense hasn't been terribly flashy during his tenure. The most notable names during Pellinis tenure are Ndamukong Suh and Prince Amukumara, both defensive beasts. Nebraska appeared in the Big 12 championship game 2/3 years Pellini has been head coach. The attitude was back in Lincoln.
Nebraska used to be the top dog before going through a period of stagnation. Nebraska could still be a player in the Big 12. Competitiveness on the field isn't why Nebraska left. They left for greener pastures financially. Nebraska is a mid-west state which seems foreign in the Texas dominated Big 12. The Big Ten has something that the Big 12 doesn't- the Big Ten television network. Nebraska will be given permanent exposure to a large television audience in all sports, not to mention the added revenue. Entering the Big Ten allows Nebraska to strengthen its recruiting force in the Mid-West. Head Coach Bo Pellini is an Ohio native, and often dips into Ohio to snatch recruits. Nebraska will keep its Texas recruiting ties at least for a few years until the Big 12 dries those pipelines up. Recruiting to Nebraska will be easier when you look at the schedule- Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and in 2016-2017 Tennessee. You will be playing in the largest stadiums in the nation week in and week out. The move to the Big Ten is a move that brings Big Red home.
In the end, it makes sense for Nebraska to be the twelfth member of the Big Ten. Is Nebraska the power it was in the 90's? Absolutely not, but neither is Michigan, Florida State, and Penn State. Powers go through periods of transition. Nebraska seems to be coming out of that recession. Nebraska never was at home in the Big 12. No longer will Nebraska have to worry about that. The fans too get what they want- a "tougher" schedule. The Big Ten is not the SEC, but by adding Nebraska, they easily become the second best conference in the nation. Nebraska will force the Big Ten to evolve. Michigan has a new coach that brings some west coast flare to Ann Arbor. Tressel will likely be run out of town paving the way for a young new mind to come in while Joe Pa's days in Happy Valley are coming to an end. Perhaps the addition of Nebraska will help to resuscitate the image of the Big Ten nationally. It will never surpass the SEC, but maybe one day the Big Ten can compete toe-toe with the SEC at the highest level. I guess we will just have to sit back and watch.
Beat Ohio State.
I think a move from the Big 12 to the "new" Big 12 is great for the Husker Nation, and the timing could not be better. With the big dawg, OSU, about to come under some serious fire, the Big Ten is completely up for grabs and I believe the Huskers have the best shot. Michigan is still in the process of rebuilding...again; Penn St will always be good, but not great; Iowa is going to flounder a bit with Stanzi leaving. Nebraska has a good chance to come in and take it it's first year and that would be great way ramp up recruiting in the Belt.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. The only problem I see the Huskers having is the schedule. Since they are new to the league, they had no say in the first schedule. The Huskers certainly have to walk the gauntlet, but with all of the rebuilding and turmoil in the Big Ten this year, they should be ok.
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