Perlman and Dr. Tom Knew in may when we were going to the big ten

[knapplc]

In some ways Nebraska is at the top. In other ways it is at the bottom. Nebraska was a better expansion candidate than Missouri or Kansas. I happen to think Nebraska was a lesser expansion candidate than Notre Dame or Penn State. I don't think there's anything disrespectful about holding those opinions in a discussion about Big Ten expansion.

Maybe you missed my question up there - which team do you root for?

I'll take Penn State for 1,000, Alex.

I'll bet it's Minnesota and he's not going to admit it.

 

[knapplc]

In some ways Nebraska is at the top. In other ways it is at the bottom. Nebraska was a better expansion candidate than Missouri or Kansas. I happen to think Nebraska was a lesser expansion candidate than Notre Dame or Penn State. I don't think there's anything disrespectful about holding those opinions in a discussion about Big Ten expansion.

Maybe you missed my question up there - which team do you root for?

All of them. Will you answer my question about Jim Delany now?

I must have missed it. What was the question?

I asked you to remain neutral and put yourself in Delany's shoes. Make up a list of benefits and drawbacks of inviting Nebraska. The benefits are obvious but there might be some I'm not aware of. You were having some trouble admitting there were any drawbacks at all.

And do you expect me to give you an honest answer, or will you settle for a copout answer like the one you gave me?

 

[biggie]

In some ways Nebraska is at the top. In other ways it is at the bottom. Nebraska was a better expansion candidate than Missouri or Kansas. I happen to think Nebraska was a lesser expansion candidate than Notre Dame or Penn State. I don't think there's anything disrespectful about holding those opinions in a discussion about Big Ten expansion.

Maybe you missed my question up there - which team do you root for?

I'll take Penn State for 1,000, Alex.

I'll bet it's Minnesota and he's not going to admit it.

I happen to think Nebraska brings more to the Big Ten than Minnesota and less than Penn State.

 

[biggie]

In some ways Nebraska is at the top. In other ways it is at the bottom. Nebraska was a better expansion candidate than Missouri or Kansas. I happen to think Nebraska was a lesser expansion candidate than Notre Dame or Penn State. I don't think there's anything disrespectful about holding those opinions in a discussion about Big Ten expansion.

Maybe you missed my question up there - which team do you root for?

All of them. Will you answer my question about Jim Delany now?

I must have missed it. What was the question?

I asked you to remain neutral and put yourself in Delany's shoes. Make up a list of benefits and drawbacks of inviting Nebraska. The benefits are obvious but there might be some I'm not aware of. You were having some trouble admitting there were any drawbacks at all.

And do you expect me to give you an honest answer, or will you settle for a copout answer like the one you gave me?

That's about the response I expected.

 

[knapplc]

I happen to think Nebraska brings more to the Big Ten than Minnesota and less than Penn State.

That's just marvelous. It still doesn't answer my question. Nobody roots for an entire conference. 'Fess up. What's your team? Is it the Golden Gophers? You can admit it. It's OK.

 

[knapplc]

And do you expect me to give you an honest answer, or will you settle for a copout answer like the one you gave me?

That's about the reponse I expected.

That wasn't my response. I'm still willing to give it to you, I just want to know what you expect. Do you expect your question to be taken as seriously as you took mine, or do you expect a real answer? That's a legitimate question. After all, if you're not going to take this conversation seriously, why should I bother with you?

 

[kchusker_chris]

courtesy of biggie...this thread is starting to suck THIS much...

...and that's a lot.

 

[jaws]

I think I have lost track of the point of this discussions and what is being asked. Are we trying to determine if UNL is >= to PSU?

 

[knapplc]

I think I have lost track of the point of this discussions and what is being asked. Are we trying to determine if UNL is >= to PSU?

I'm not sure either. And I don't know how you would really quantify that. I've provided some numbers showing that Nebraska is a big TV draw nationally, and that we are ranked now about where PSU was ranked when they joined the Big Ten. But again, I really don't care if some non-Husker fan doesn't think Nebraska is all that and a bag of chips - and really, I don't expect them to.

 

[biggie]

And do you expect me to give you an honest answer, or will you settle for a copout answer like the one you gave me?

That's about the reponse I expected.

That wasn't my response. I'm still willing to give it to you, I just want to know what you expect. Do you expect your question to be taken as seriously as you took mine, or do you expect a real answer? That's a legitimate question. After all, if you're not going to take this conversation seriously, why should I bother with you?

Honestly I expect more blah blah vagina responses no matter what I say.

 

[jaws]

I think I have lost track of the point of this discussions and what is being asked. Are we trying to determine if UNL is >= to PSU?

I'm not sure either. And I don't know how you would really quantify that. I've provided some numbers showing that Nebraska is a big TV draw nationally, and that we are ranked now about where PSU was ranked when they joined the Big Ten. But again, I really don't care if some non-Husker fan doesn't think Nebraska is all that and a bag of chips - and really, I don't expect them to.

I am a fan of the UNL campus and I think it fits in well with the rest of the Big 10. Like I said before, the Big 10 saw value in the Nebraska brand or else they wouldn't have asked them to join.

 

[Caven]

And do you expect me to give you an honest answer, or will you settle for a copout answer like the one you gave me?

That's about the reponse I expected.

That wasn't my response. I'm still willing to give it to you, I just want to know what you expect. Do you expect your question to be taken as seriously as you took mine, or do you expect a real answer? That's a legitimate question. After all, if you're not going to take this conversation seriously, why should I bother with you?

I would like to see what your honest opinion is of what potential drawbacks might have been that Delaney had to convince the presidents to overlook in this whole process. I know what I think and based on this thread I have far fewer that I think of than others it appears

 

[knapplc]

Good lord, enough! Let's let it go. Come to Lincoln, we'll have a beer and talk football, biggie. Deal? :cheers

 

[jaws]

Good lord, enough! Let's let it go. Come to Lincoln, we'll have a beer and talk football, biggie. Deal? :cheers

Is that open to everyone?

 

[knapplc]

I would like to see what your honest opinion is of what potential drawbacks might have been that Delaney had to convince the presidents to overlook in this whole process. I know what I think and based on this thread I have far fewer that I think of than others it appears

Honestly? Nebraska is by itself a tiny TV market. Our population is under two million, so delivering eyeballs to TV sets isn't going to happen just via our home population.

Geographically we're an outlier. We increase travel budgets big-time, and the impact of that will be felt most by the programs that can least afford it – tennis, track, golf, bowling, etc.

Academically we enter at the bottom of the Big Ten (I believe). Even before the AAU boot we were trailing most, if not all Big Ten schools. The mitigating factor of this is that we are currently in the midst of the largest academic growth program to his this school in about 40 years.

Speaking specifically of football, we've just come off our worst decade in the last 50 years. We have a coach who's been known to go ballistic on the sidelines and we've lost some high-profile games in the last couple of years, in rather embarrassing fashion. This could be a detriment to the conference's image.

Now, the mitigating factors of those concerns are:

We are a national TV brand. We've got a bazillion fans across the country through the diaspora of our people to better climes. Only us fools stay here in the heat and cold all year. Those former Nebraskans and their family tend to stay loyal to the Huskers, and thus you have very large groups across the country – in every state – of "Georgians for Nebraska" or "Arizonans for Nebraska" and the like. Larger states, or states with larger populations, have regional groups like "North Texans for Nebraska" to which my cousin belonged when he lived down in Dallas. We have a history, both long-term and recent, of high TV ratings. That's a huge attraction to the BTN.

We are a geographic outlier, but so would anyone else be besides Notre Dame. Missouri wouldn't be, but they fall below Nebraska in every other metric, and thus were not chosen. Delany's comments during the presser introducing Nebraska that "The Big Ten is not for every school, and every school is not a good fit for the Big Ten" was pointed at two schools in my opinion – Missouri and Texas, both of whom flirted with membership, and (at least in Missouri's case) were turned down. I don’t know how deeply Texas got into the process of flirting with the Big Ten, but I think it wasn't far at all.

Academically we lag behind, but look no further than Penn State for an example of how quickly that can turn around. Within a decade PSU was in the thick of Big Ten academic rankings, and there's very little reason to believe Nebraska cannot make such a leap. The benefit to Nebraska of AAU membership was more prestige than practical use. We'll gain more from CIC membership than we ever did from AAU membership.

As for our football team, we have as good of a chance of returning to perennial top ten rankings as anyone. We have a sturdy, loyal fan base who have proven through the worst of times that they are willing not only to continue to sell out the stadium, but to buy Husker gear. That steady income, along with solid, long-term football experience throughout the program, means that although we've been down, we should (and I think will) return to prominence. Nebraska is not like Missouri, who can trace most of their success to one coach (Pinkel), or Kansas (Mangino). Once those coaches go, weaker programs tend to falter. I fully expect Missouri to take a step or two back once Pinkel moves on or retires. Nebraska has the foundation to find the right coach and reload. Look no further than Kansas for a program that cannot do this. Cincinnati is another example – once Brian Kelly left, suddenly they've returned to earth.

There are other issues, like our perennial weakness in basketball, but football is the main force in college athletics, and Nebraska is one of the pillars of the game. That makes up for deficiencies in basketball.