bcwgoskers

Is that still possible? I thought the NCAA changed the ruling that you had to win your conference championship game (if one exists) in order to play in the National Championship game - or maybe I just heard that it was the way things should be after NU played in the National Championship Rose Bowl after not playing in the Big XII Championship game. I think this is accurate -- but rather it's the BCS folks that concocted this rule; not the NCAA. If I'm not mistaken, the BCS has said IF a championship game exists in a conference then the team must win it to play in the NC BCS 1 versus 2 game. It's up to leagues to decide how they crown their champion, championship game or not; and teams must win their league to play in BCS 1 vs. 2. BTW -- all I've been trying to point out is that IMHO their is no back door. All North Teams had 8 conference games to win or lose. CU won 5, everybody else only won 4 or less. If NU, ISU, or KSU wins 5 next year, even if they lose their last 3; and everyone else only wins 4 or less; the team with 5 wins takes the North. There are not style points, bonus points for margin of victory, location of victory, or when you win. Ties aside, win the most out of 8 and you win your side of the conference and get into the B12 Title Game.

Let's keep it simple, CU won 5 of 8 Big 12 contests to win the North division -- nobody else won 5. CU did not back into the Big 12 Championship game -- all the other teams had the same number of opportunities to win games; but they did not. It's not very complicated.

I don't know about that. Oregon lost to Stanford at home that year. Colorado had lost to Fresno State and Texas in the regular season. Oregon is arguable but Colorado was not even considered for going. A two-loss team playing in the NC? I don't think so. NU also had a convincing win when they played #1 or was it #2 Oklahoma? Either way that was HUGE A two loss team playing in the National Championship is about like a 4 loss team thinking they should be playing for the Big 12 title game. Should not happen.

Doesn't CU get the Big 12 2nd spot by virtue of playing in the Championship Game? I thought that the North / South winners were automatically Big 12 1 and 2?

I've been to both stadiums and both campuses a lot -- the demographics in Boulder are entirely different; much younger; that plays a huge role in the fan base and behavior -- I figure the average age on a Saturday at Memorial Stadium is at least 10 to 15 years older than Boulder. Most of us were a hell of a lot rowdier and obnoxious at 25 than 38. Doesn't excuse it, only helps explan it.

Right or wrong, the strategy worked -- McCartney set the bar at NU, a strong national program in his conference, and said, "we have to be that good." The strategy took CU from a doormat to at least a top 30 to 40 program every year thereafter.

While an aplogy might not have made the story go away entirely, the point is that it would have defused the story significantly. More than likely, the Big 12 could have said "we accpet his apology and have moved on" Plus, BC and all the rest could have simply stated, "I apologized for my behavior, I'm ready to move on" and the story dies. The lame denials, the Big 12 reprimand, and all of the rest simply gave the story more legs and it lasted all week long. It went national for well over a week, an apology and a public reprimand from SP would have kept the story regional and ended the media interest quickly.

People in leadership positions that have some PR savvy and training don't give writers ammo -- they know how to avoid providing ammo, and they know how to control stories. These guys (SP, BC) have no skills; and I would not be surprised if the PR professors in Lincoln use throatgate as "what not to do" in the future. Later

I don't disagree with that sentiment. What I do beleive is that you don't make those types of statemetns in the midst of this particular season if you want to raise money. My first reaction, "Boyd's disappointed, heck, Husker fans ARE disappointed" -- it's just poor publicity and public imagery. He should have said something like, "hey, this year's team is struggling a bit, but the future is bright. Building facilities is about the future, not wins and losses today" -- something more positive and neutral. SP and the whole staff down there need some PR coaching; they do a poor job on publicity related matters.

Not a huge NU fan, but occasionally visit this board cuz it is relatively objective and friendly. My point tonight is that this year has gone South, but the poor PR makes it worse. It's well covered territory, but throatgate was completely mishandled by BC, SP, and the entire athletic department. They should have taken over the issue by issuing an apology and a reprimand right away, the story would have died quickly. Instead, after BC's lame denials, the story lasted all week long, even during halftime of many games this weekend. Then today, brother Boyd is quoted as saying he is disappointed in the fans donations to the new facilities. In the midst of a losing streak, barely a 500 team over the 2 year BC reign, you don't break out with how disappointed you are in the local giving to build more facilities. Last thought, if the performance on the field continues on this trend, the home sellout streak will end -- if I'm not mistaken, 6,000 or more seats will be available next year. That's a lot of seats to fill with a product that is not getting better. Bottom line to me right now, bad record, little heart or passion on the field; arguably getting better, but very hard to see; and awful public relations. No wonder Husker Nation is unsettled and anxious.

Slow down a bit on the top rated offense of TT -- Texas Tech A = 87.59 6 0 56.99( 138) The 138 in this line is TT's Strength of Schedule from Sagarin - http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt05.htm Texas wins by 21, at least. TT drops to 14th in the polls.

I'm assuming most difficult to the easiest, so here goes 1) @CU 2) @MU 3) KSU 4) OU 5) @KU The CU and MU games will be the toughest left on the schedule because they are away, and both teams possess the ability to beat NU. However, the MU games is a toss up because who knows which MU team will show up. They've been so inconsistent the last couple of years that it could be a great game or a blow out. KSU and OU are at home, and we should win both of these games. However, both possess the ability to make the game tough with a turnover here or there by NU. I don't care whether or not KU is home or away, they stand no chance. Their offense is just pathetic. If CU wins out, they will be ranked in the top 25 at the end of the season. They are the only team left on the schedule that stands a chance at being ranked. This will be the toughest game left on the schedule, and they have the high altitude to fall back on as well. It will be an interesting game it both sides keep remaining players healthy. Agree with this post - though I might flip flop OU and KSU. I think it's ironic that back a few years Osborne and Solich used to talk about the danger of over relying on a passing attack late in the year due to inclimate weather. Apparently we have all hopped right off that bandwagon preferring the vapor of West Coast kool aid. Won't it be wierd if NU and CU play in a blizzard in Boulder this year? IMO Big 12 North Champ has 2 losses minimum; NU, CU, MU all lose at least once more -- gonna be on tie-breakers and won't matter anyway, Texas rolls right on to National Championship game.

Misery 24 NU 21 NU rushing 138 NU passing 205 Flame away, but I see NU turnovers in my crystal ball.

While NU can certainly beat any team left on their schedule ( and with turnovers and sloppy play could lose to anybody left too) I don't think they can play with anyone in the nation. The Huskers have certainly improved since week #1, but remember all these games have been at home, and that's worth at least 10 points per game. With luck NU goes 4-2 the rest of the way landing at 8-3 -- but on a national basis that 8-3 won't look that good because the Big 12 is so soft this year. Not one Big 12 North team has a marquee non-conference win (does ISU over Iowa really look that great now?) and Texas is the only South team winning against nationally tough teams. NU, and the rest of the Big 12 North, would lose 80-90% of games against teams like USC, Va Tech, Ohio State, FSU, Miami, LSU and Georgia -- they might surprise a few with hypothetical home wins, but on the road, IMO, forget it.