Do you want Northwestern to win tomorrow?

Alabama and A&M are far from rivals. You mentioned social media in your post and I think you're on to something but you need to reign it in a little bit. Social Media but even more so Sports Media especially ESPN, are responsible for overselling everything including the faux-rivalry games.

For Bama it's:

1. Auburn

2. Auburn

3. Auburn

4. Tennessee

5. LSU (not reciprocated)

That's it.

They've played TAMU seven times in the past 100+ years of football. The whole "they-had-a-close-game-last-year-and-they're-competing-for-the-division-so-this-is-a-bonified-rivalry-game" act is just ESPN fluff to pull more viewers, they did the same thing with Arkansas even though they, like TAMU, don't really have SEC rivals.

...and K State should have viewed you all as rivals, or at least something close to it...getting shilacked 77/95 times isn't really a rivalry but it isn't a normal relationship, there ought to be a lot of one sided hatred there. But remember that the only thing K State and Northwestern have in common are their colors and names. People care way more about football in Manhattan than they do at NU. Most of them are too busy studying in their mahogany libraries to really care.

I think I understand where you're coming from though, you want Nebraska to develop rivalries and so do I but I want them to be real and historic and those develop over decades on their own. I don't see you having an OU-esqe rivalry with anyone in the West...UW and Iowa included. I'd most like to see one develop across divisions with either OSU or UM. Those would be great games. Don't try to force anything though or we end up with PSU vs MSU type shenanigans.

 
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Technically no because the higher rated Ohio state is when we beat them in the CCG the better for us. Still my dislike for their program makes me kind of root for Northwestern. Not so much dislike for their program, but more so the dislike for the dirty ****-sucker they have for a head coach.

 
I really don't care who wins between NW (sorry- can't use NU for them) and tOSU. Whatever outcome makes the B1G look better is what I'm for.

I think some people are confused about some of us who want Nebraska to earn their way to the ccg and deserve to be there. I just would rather we only go if we can do it without embarrassing ourselves. Sure we might earn the bearth with a couple divisional losses but that would indicate to me that we likely don't belong in the game and the chances for a poor showing would be higher than if we leave no question and control our own destiny. I.e. 2001 NC game. We didn't deserve to be in it and it showed.

 
Bucky said:
1995 Redux said:
Im not saying they are a true rival yet. But two years in and weve both beaten eachother in dramatic fashion o eachothers home fields. This is a good start to a series that has some real potential.
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I don't think you understand how Northwestern works. Husker fans may come to view Northwestern as a rival but they will never return that sentiment.

B1G schools have been playing each other for more than a century. It would take decades of close games between relevant teams to make this even close to a rivalry. That and or geographic proximity are what combine to make rivals in the Big Ten and I can't picture Nebraska annexing Iowa anytime soon. Don't be like ND where they play a team twice and "OMG we're rivals now!"
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I agree with the proximity but I think OSU vs PSU could be considered a "Rivalry"

I would say its a #2 on the OSU fans list and a #1 on the PSU fans list(since they stopped playing Pitt). We've only been playing that game consistently for 20 years and it was a huge game starting out back in the 90's when it was just starting out.

success and memorable games build rivalries more so than proximity. Iowa vs PSU is considered a looked forward to game(a budding rivalry) because of the memorable games between the two schools.

Now Northwestern is a special case. No one cares about them. Even their own people. Chicago has more ND and scUM fans than NU fans.

 
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JJHusker1 said:
I really don't care who wins between NW (sorry- can't use NU for them) and tOSU. Whatever outcome makes the B1G look better is what I'm for.

I think some people are confused about some of us who want Nebraska to earn their way to the ccg and deserve to be there. I just would rather we only go if we can do it without embarrassing ourselves. Sure we might earn the bearth with a couple divisional losses but that would indicate to me that we likely don't belong in the game and the chances for a poor showing would be higher than if we leave no question and control our own destiny. I.e. 2001 NC game. We didn't deserve to be in it and it showed.
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What do you do when we deserve to be there and still get blown out ala 2012 Big Ten Championship?

 
@Woody: Yea I mean there are plenty of games I would label as "interesting" or "looked forward to" that aren't rivalries yet, they have to transcend a generational gap first. I look forward to playing OSU and Michigan State but don't consider them rivals. Not like U of M and Iowa.

Out of curiosity how would you rank OSU's games? I know the top one but would you place PSU above Illinois?

 
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Bucky said:
1. I can't be certain but I'd be willing to bet that a poll of Northwestern fans about their top rivals would show Nebraska pretty low. Your top answer would be none, followed by Chicago and then Illinois. After that then a few votes for UM, UW and Purdue. Two years sharing a division does not a rivalry make.

2. Some of you make it sound like NU wasn't playing well before Nebraska joined. That's simply off. They've been ruining B1G campaigns pretty consistently since 08.

3. I don't think it's fair to compare them to KU back in 07. The stars really aligned with that team and Mangino turned out to be a one hit wonder. NU is different, they'll be competitive as long as Fitz is there.

Anyhow I'm rooting hard for the Cats this week, I've always kind of liked them much like how SEC fans, other than UT, seem to all secretly love Vandy and UW needs them to beat the Bucks to have a chance. If they lose this week and we win out we're a lock (see Purdue-OSU rule).

I think either OSU wins big (14+) or NW wins close.
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Two things.

Northwestern doesn't have the Defensive line to hang. Bucks win Big.

I might go to the OSU vs Turdue game. The one time I went in 2007 we won :P . 2000,2004,2009 and 2011 won't be repeated. :lol:

 
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Bucky said:
Yea I mean there are plenty of games I would label as "interesting" or "looked forward to" that aren't rivalries yet, they have to transcend a generational gap first. I look forward to playing OSU and Michigan State but don't consider them rivals.
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I agree but 3 years into the OSU vs PSU game and it was already the second most important game on the schedule(a distant one but still). so it CAN happen under the right circumstances

Why It probably won't work for Northwestern with Nebraska comes down to three things.

1. Northwestern fans don't exist

2. I'm sure they are somewhat like-able if they did exist

3. Northwestern won't ever be a consistent top-15 team.

PSU was in the top 10 every freaking year in the 90's, Huge fan-base and they are easy to hate.

 
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I have to agree with Woody on all three counts there. He elaborated on/articulated the argument better.

In unrelated news the quote button no longer works for me and I just noticed Woody and I joined on the same day, weird.

 
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WoodyHayes1951 said:
Bucky said:
Yea I mean there are plenty of games I would label as "interesting" or "looked forward to" that aren't rivalries yet, they have to transcend a generational gap first. I look forward to playing OSU and Michigan State but don't consider them rivals.
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I agree but 3 years into the OSU vs PSU game and it was already the second most important game on the schedule(a distant one but still). so it CAN happen under the right circumstances

Why It probably won't work for Northwestern with Nebraska comes down to three things.

1. Northwestern fans don't exist

2. I'm sure they are somewhat like-able if they did exist

3. Northwestern won't ever be a consistent top-15 team.

PSU was in the top 10 every freaking year in the 90's, Huge fan-base and they are easy to hate.
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Yes, when I went to Chicago for the B1G Bar Crawl in August my favorite fans to talk to were Illinois and NW

 
The con is better-off with an OSU win and NW is a division rival but my natural tendency is to root for the underdog and if we can somehow manage 10-2 we may be better-off not taking the division and getting an at-large BCS bid like Mich got in '11.

 
the winning argument, i think, was that we want divisional teams to lose. but then again, are we ready to return to india?

 
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