I found this post on the Huskermax site and it pretty much hits the nail on the head for me:
bilsker:
1. Anyone who thinks UNO basketball will have any effect on Creighton basketball is high as a kite. I don't say this because I'm a CU basketball season ticket holder/fan. I say this because I UNDERSTAND exactly what UNO will be. The Summit league is a TERRIBLE basketball conference. Ranked 21st as of yesterday. Teams in the Summit League are "buy game" fodder for major and high mid-major programs like CU, NU, KU, ISU, etc. That is not changing anytime soon. I understand Darren Hanson is probably excited about the move to D1 but he and his recruits will soon learn that their typical season will include a 10-12 game road trip to start the season. They will typically enter conference play at about 3-12 after scheduling a few NAIA teams at home for wins. They will then play a conference season that means nothing. And THEN their 3-4 game season will begin. The basketball program will exists to a) turn a profit by whoring itself out for those first 15 games and then B) taking a shot at "glory" by trying to win 3-4 in a row at the end of the season. Nobody with any understanding of college basketball would think that THIS would have an impact on CU or UNL or anyone else. The Missouri Valley is one of the top Mid-Major leagues out there. They (CU specifically) don't compete with the likes of S. Dak. St. for recruits. That's just fact. Another fact is that nobody will be going to their games. Someone early in the thread suggested UNO bring KU and some other big programs in to play at the Qwest. CU has spent the last 15 years trying to make that happen. NO CHANCE. And UNO won't be playing at the Q. They will be at the Civic until they get a place of their own as Hanson alluded to on the radio the other day. They will generally be playing in front of friend and family. CU has nothing to worry about. They take care of their own business (i.e. don't hire a Rick Johnson) and they'll be just fine. I already know what fRed is thinking..."CU IS WORRIED!" Simply not the case. Name a local CU basketball player (Dotzler, Young, Jones, etc.) that would consider UNO over CU. ONE.
2. Dropping Wrestling is a joke. Alberts said that they would have to triple the budget to compete at the national level. Roughly speaking the wrestling budget was about $400K. So what's his answer? Well, he's going to start a GOLF program at about $300k and a Soccer program at probably roughly the same figure. Why not try to FIND a way spend another $600K to COMPETE at a national level when Alberts SPECIFICALLY said that they have no intention of truely competing in Golf or Soccer? Telling this NATIONAL CHAMPIONS over the freaking phone is simply Bush League. Get your a$$ to the tournament and tell Denney like a MAN.
3. Football. One of the arguments i've seen made here is that nobody was going to UNO games/supporting UNO football. As for attendence..kinda seems logical that people don't go out of their way to attend DIVISION II football. If you are all of a sudden playing UNI or Youngstown or former rivals like S. Dak St., etc. in a higher level of football then the support (attendance) would increase. Much of the extra cost of football could be made up by taking guarantee games that are paying upwards of $1M a year these days. One major FACT here is that those in Lincoln (regents and Admin) have wanted UNO football gone for a long time. Obviously, budgetary reasons are part of that. But the Tom-father himself said "I wouldn't exactly be jumping up and down." about the prospect of UNO going D1aa. I will translate that for you: OVER MY DEAD BODY! In this state if Tom says no to something like that then the answer is NO! UNO going D1AA would absolutely have SOME impact on NU football. Not in terms of fan support or dollars. But think about guys like Ohanlon or Cassaday ( I say "like" not specifically them). Walk-ons that may pass up a DII offer to walk-on at NU may more strongly consider a 1AA offer instate...that's simple logic. And if NU loses a few nice walk-ons....well, that's just not acceptable to Tom.
4. Since when did going D1 become a cost cutting measure? Hockey is already D1. No need to bring the rest of the program really. You aren't going to be competitive in basketball, golf, soccer, baseball, or any other men's sport. Probably not in any women's sports either. So what's the point? Cutting costs? Hell, why not just cut football and stay DII? You still crap on a good football program, save a bunch of money, preserve wrestling and balance the budget. Poof! Problem solved. This makes very little sense? If the standard is "nobody cares about football based on attendance...or wrestling!" Well, no crap! Then go ahead and drop the whole athletic program because the "give a damn" for sports at UNO is, in order: Hockey, Wrestling, Football, basketball and then NOTHING else. Anyone gonna care about golf? Answer: Nope.
5. The usual jock sniffers wouldn't for one second question the God that is Trev Alberts. The fact is you BETTER start to question him. He lost his job at ESPN because he is an egomaniac. Anyone catch his presser? "I got the summit offer"...."I couldn't afford football"....he's speaks in the first person quite a bit on this issues. He lacks integrity. Up until Saturday night when all the football coaches showed up to the hockey game in support of their game against Bemidji they thought they were part of UNO's future. When the fact is, according to Alberts, the football program's fate was sealed in November. He SCREWED the new assistant hires. He really SCREWED the 20 guys that signed to play at UNO. Pat Behrns and Denney deserved better. Lack of integrity, huge ego, ambition. Does that remind anyone of a former AD at NU? It should. And this likely replacement for TO should scare the crap out of you. For the love of god, I hope Paul Meyers is the real AD in-waiting.
