What are we wanting out of the University of Texas and Big 12?

[CornBall]

A question that i asked in another thread and got no answer: What does NU get from the Big 12 that makes it worth staying in. We've had a list of what it cost us. What do we get in return?

Short answer: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$+ another 12 million. Last year alone. When your budget is 74.8 million, that is a huge donation.

That includes TV, although that is ran through the B12 as far as I understand it.

If that's the short answer, then we ought to join the Big 10. They generate a lot more revenue for their schools than the Big 12 does, according to this blog post.

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/20...e-sharing-funds

yeah that is from 11 teams spread equally. If you take those numbers and divide it by 12 teams (assuming revenue stays roughly the same) we would then get 12.8 million. according to the annual report, that would be a 900,000 per year raise. Not a small chuck of change.

In our athletic budget, that's lunch money.

That $900K number isn't right. It assumes Nebraska doesn't bring any new revenue to the Big 10, which it would with a conf champ game and probably another bowl, plus any other revenue it brings; and it compares $12M for Nebraska in the Big 12 now (source unknown) against the Big 10 money from the report I quote which claims $9.1M for Nebraska now in the Big 12.

There's no way the Big 10 adds a team if it doesn't increase the size of the pie they split. I think you could assume we'd add as much as we take, so we'd get $14M using the report I posted, vs $9.1M. That's ~$5M, it's not lunch money, it's dinner and drinks at least.

You're making a huge assumption: That Nebraska remains competitive.

The recruiting landscape would be forever changed, and NU would be sailing into completely uncharted waters. We would lose a hefty chunk of our southern states recruits, and we'd have to pick them up somewhere else. The question is, where?

 

[knapplc]

You're making a huge assumption: That Nebraska remains competitive.
The recruiting landscape would be forever changed, and NU would be sailing into completely uncharted waters. We would lose a hefty chunk of our southern states recruits, and we'd have to pick them up somewhere else. The question is, where?

Programs like Nebraska, Michigan, Penn State, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, etc, all have too large of fan bases, too many boosters and too large of organizations to not remain competitive for too long. It's not just one part of the system that would have to break down, it's several parts, over the course of years. And that's unlikely to happen.

Also, I don't see any reason why southern recruits would go elsewhere if we left the Big 12. Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State successfully recruit out of Florida, Texas and California. Why couldn't we?

 

[VA Husker Fan]

You're making a huge assumption: That Nebraska remains competitive.

The recruiting landscape would be forever changed, and NU would be sailing into completely uncharted waters. We would lose a hefty chunk of our southern states recruits, and we'd have to pick them up somewhere else. The question is, where?

Completely uncharted? We've only been in the Big 12 since 1996. Before that we didn't have a Texas school in the conference. We did just fine recruiting nationally. There are plenty of great HS players in the rust belt.

We weren't all that competitive for a few years while in the Big 12. Staying in the Big 12 and being surrounded by Iowa State, Colorado, Kansas State, etc, is not helping. Maybe the Big 12 North will recover, maybe not. I think the Big 10 is overrated by the national media, but it's not as bad as some of you are saying. They had 3 teams qualify for BCS bowls. The Big 12 had 1. Was this just a down year for the Big 12, or is it slipping?

I'm not advocating a move to the Big 10 even if we were offered, but I'm not buying these arguments about why the Big 12 is so much better for us.

 

[VA Husker Fan]

I also don't see where I made any assumption at all about Nebraska remaining competitive. I was just putting out financial numbers. It's a fact that we would bring in at least some extra revenue to the Big 10, especially since even if we didn't play in the CCG, adding a 12th team would create that game and the revenue with it. And the Big 10 would probably pick up another bowl tie-in that we or some other qualifying team would use, unless the Big 10 isn't filling their games now--I haven't bothered checking that.

As I said, those losing seasons show that being in the Big 12 doesn't guarantee competiveness. And I don't see how moving to the Big 10 would make us less competitive. But it's unrelated to the points I was making.

 

[CornHOLIO]

You're making a huge assumption: That Nebraska remains competitive.
The recruiting landscape would be forever changed, and NU would be sailing into completely uncharted waters. We would lose a hefty chunk of our southern states recruits, and we'd have to pick them up somewhere else. The question is, where?

Programs like Nebraska, Michigan, Penn State, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, etc, all have too large of fan bases, too many boosters and too large of organizations to not remain competitive for too long. It's not just one part of the system that would have to break down, it's several parts, over the course of years. And that's unlikely to happen.

Also, I don't see any reason why southern recruits would go elsewhere if we left the Big 12. Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State successfully recruit out of Florida, Texas and California. Why couldn't we?

Those teams do get a few recruits from the "Big 4" states..But not the majority like we probably do..or will soon.

Don't qoute me but I seem to remember someone posting something last year listing the rank of the states that produce the highest # of Div.1 athletes.

1)TX

2)Cal

3)Fla

4)Oh

The reason we'd lose most of our Southern recruits is the unlikely probability of playing any games near their backyards..Where the folks (and friends) back home can watch them in person onced or twiced a season.

 

[knapplc]

The reason we'd lose most of our Southern recruits is the unlikely probability of playing any games near their backyards..Where the folks (and friends) back home can watch them in person onced or twiced a season.

Kids from the South play in the Big 10 all the time. It depends on the kid, and if that kid wants to play in front of friends/family, they're not coming to Nebraska whether we're in the Big 12 or the Big 10.

Kids want to play for winners. They want to have a chance to win, and they want to be a contributor. If we've got a need and we're a contender, no matter which conference we're in we'll get those recruits.

We had zero teams from Texas in the Big 8, yet we had Texas kids on our roster all the time. Same goes for those New Jersey kids we had, Florida kids, etc.

It's a tough argument to say that we're going to succeed/fail at recruiting because we're in This Conference or That Conference.

This is a good conversation for fun, but it's very unrealistic. Bottom line, for me, is that this is OUR conference. We need to get our butts in gear and play better ball and take this conference to the woodshed, North AND South.

 

[NoKoolAidForME]

For the record

Players from Texas, CA, and Florida on the top four Big 10 teams

Ohio State: 10

Michigan: 14 (A recruits from the same school in Florida)

Penn State: 5

Iowa: 5

In regard to the Big 10 having alot of teams in the BCS this year:

In 2008 they were 1-6 in Bowl games. In 2007 they were 3-5. So, a cumulative record of 4-11 over the past two years.

 

[knapplc]

But if you look at where the Big 10 teams try to recruit, they barely leave their neighborhood. Some of them are realizing the error of this logic, and trying to compensate. RichRod has said publicly that it's a priority for him to recruit Florida, and he plans to hit there early and often from now on.

The fact that there are few kids from the South on those rosters is more a matter of intent than failure.

 

[HuskerMoon]

You know what I really want from Texas and the BIG XII. Nothing other than appreciation and respect! Other than that I want something from Nebraska. BEAT FACKING TEXAS ALREADY!!!! My god! Give me a break! This Longhorn magic crap has gone on long enough!

Nebraska needs to take matters into their own hands and rise above all this political crap that doesn't belong in football but is an unfortunate bane of it's existance!

Start beating the South teams consistantly and the conference belongs to Nebraska. It's as simple as that. When that happens, everything else falls into place.

 

[NoKoolAidForME]

But if you look at where the Big 10 teams try to recruit, they barely leave their neighborhood. Some of them are realizing the error of this logic, and trying to compensate. RichRod has said publicly that it's a priority for him to recruit Florida, and he plans to hit there early and often from now on.

The fact that there are few kids from the South on those rosters is more a matter of intent than failure.

I understand that but they are getting there behinds handed to them out of conference.

 

[skersfan]

I think the travel problems would be a major hurdle, although I would guess they would do it like the others, having and east and a west, north south.

But we will not get the top kids from Michigan or Ohio State and most likely PA. They keep their instate kids pretty well.

I agree with knapplc, stay where we are and start winning. We will be fine if we start winning the big games.

I would rather see changes in the Big 12 than moving to be honest. Tucking your tail between your legs and crying foul is not the Nebraska way.

 

[knapplc]

But if you look at where the Big 10 teams try to recruit, they barely leave their neighborhood. Some of them are realizing the error of this logic, and trying to compensate. RichRod has said publicly that it's a priority for him to recruit Florida, and he plans to hit there early and often from now on.

The fact that there are few kids from the South on those rosters is more a matter of intent than failure.

I understand that but they are getting there behinds handed to them out of conference.

Yes, and none of us are shedding any tears about it, are we? Warms my heart, actually. I wish they'd keep their recruiting efforts up there in the North so they can continue to devolve into oblivion.

And I figured we were on the same page. I was just pointing out the obvious.

 

[knapplc]

The ONLY thing I think we could try is to leverage a potential move from the Big 12 into a more level playing field, as in, not having to kowtow to the South teams so much, keeping the CCG moving instead of basing it at Jerrydome - things like that.

But it would have to be done the right way. We're not the kind of school that holds the conference hostage, or even wants that rep. It would be touchy to do, and it could backfire.

The best thing to do is just get better. Everywhere, in all sports. We have the program, the AD, the support system, the fans, the facilities, the coaches and the wherewithal to do it. So let's just fricken DO IT.

 

[Billyball]

I think moving to the big 10 is something we ought to consider carefully. Texas controls this conference, like it or not and that is not changing anytime soon. I think with the flap over M Brown getting 5 mil they said that the net income of Uof T's athletics was over 80 million $. They are national leaders in FB, BB and baseball. They have the largest talent pool by a margin of many times in the Big 12. They are in control and it will likely be so. Any decisions will (I'm not talking about on the field) will favor Texas.

What we have that the Big 10 may want is a long tradition of excellence in FB and good academics. Unfortunately we can't point to large media markets, but I think the football tradition may be a trump card.

Their logical choices from the Big 12 would be NU, MU and ISU. What would ISU get them? Little of nothing. MU, media markets in KC and ST louis but no tradition of long term FB excellence, better but not great BB than NU.

KU--would require jumping states and though the BB team would be top eschelon, the FB program would not be a great draw.

So it seems to me that it comes down to MU or NU. If MU were to beat us and leave, I think that leaves us in a diminished position? Who replaces them CSU or TCU? In either case I think it weakens our position and strenghten's UT.

If we jump first to the big 10 or as a group of 3--say MU NU and KU--that would give two 7 team divisions east and west in the "Big 10" and leave Texas and OU in trouble. The academic excellence of the Big 10 is hardly in dispute.

I think we don't want this train to leave us at the station. jmho.

 

[holvy83]

Why does everyone think ISU has nothing to offer the Big 12? Just b/c their FB program is less than stellar it does not mean they don't excel in other areas of athletics. From what i read elsewhere is that if the BIG 10 looks to the Big 12 it would take Mizzou. SI.com was the source of the rumor.