BigTenBadger

Longtime reader, rare poster from another Big Ten West school here!

Just wanted to drop in and say that I'm looking forward to the game next weekend in Madison. Our team will be fools if they don't prepare as hard as they have all season for the matchup against Nebraska. I fully expect this to be one of the most difficult wins to pull off of the year, and would not be surprised at all to see the Huskers catch the Badgers off their game. (That being said, I hope it does not happen!)

You know, I traveled for the first time down to Lincoln back in 2012 hoping to see my Badgers pull off a win in one of the best environments in college football. I left with Joel Stave breaking my heart right at the end of the game, but only after having my expectations far exceeded from a day of fun, hospitality, and lots of tailgating at "The Rez". Husker fans were as nice as advertised and we made many friends that day. We played a ton of beer pong, a weird frisbee/pole game I had never seen, and even grabbed lunch at the Haymarket. One story I will never forget from that day happened as we were entering Memorial Stadium. You see my friend had enjoyed perhaps a few too many drinks tailgating and had somehow figured out a way to misplace her game ticket between leaving the tailgate and entering the stadium. I could not believe it. Mind you, this was about a $300+ ticket at the time for one of the most highly anticipated Big Ten matchups of the season as it was in Nebraska's second year in the conference. It was the first time Wisconsin had played in Lincoln since the 70s. 

So there we were, stranded outside of the concourses of Memorial Stadium, obnoxiously decked out in Badger gear, and my friend sobbing inconsolably near the wall of the stadium (mostly because she was so upset for having lost the ticket, but partially because of a few too many beers). All of the sudden, an older gentleman with bright white hair stuffed under a bright red baseball cap walked over to us The thing was that, in place of the expected "W" on his hat, there was a large block "N" proudly embroidered on it. We were all a bit wary, but he seemed nice enough and started asking our small group of friends what was wrong. After we realized he was not there to taunt our tease us, we sorrowfully told him our story which only made my friend cry harder. As we were finishing our story, to all of our shock the old Husker fan reached into his pocket and pulled out a crisp, red and silver ticket. He then proceeded to tell us that his wife had decided to stay at their tailgate instead of coming to the game. He told my crying friend that he wanted her to have the ticket so that she could enjoy the game and her first trip to Memorial Stadium. We all stared at him in disbelief as he smiled and placed the (very nicely seated) extra ticket in my friends hand before saying, "Enjoy the game, and Go Huskers!" With that, he walked away, having given away what must have been a $400 - $500 centerfield ticket. But, in doing so, he gave our group another chance to have the perfect game day together. With renewed excitement, we scanned our tickets, then hurried up the stairs of the stadium to our seats all together. 

That story sums up Nebraska fans for me and why I'm so glad you all are part of the Big Ten Conference, and that we get the chance to meet each other every year as members of the Big Ten West Division. Each meeting of teams comes with a game and a score, but it also comes with hundreds of stories and exchanges that build something much more important over time. I know that the dissolution of the Big 8 and the Big 12 has been awful for you all to say the least, but given the way things are shaping up (with Texas and OU going to the hated SEC) I still think you all are in the right place. The Nebraska brand and legend will always have power: not because of the national championships or Big 8 championships, but because of the Nebraska fans that I experienced nearly 10 years ago and continue to see to this day. That can never be destroyed, and while these past few years have been tough, it's merely a drop in the bucket of time of all of our universities' storied programs. The Huskers will find their way back eventually and I believe, when all is said and done, the Big Ten West will be the perfect home for us all to compete year in and year out. These end-of-November matchups between you and Wisconsin or Iowa will, at some point, be huge division and/or playoff elimination games, and we will continue to develop strong bonds between our states and wonderful flagship universities which share so much in common.

With that being said, enjoy the game on Saturday!

If anyone is traveling to Madison, have fun and know that I envy you as I'll be up here in Minneapolis watching on television. One of these years, I am determined to make it back down to Lincoln to catch a Badger/Husker game. I know it will be a blast, just as it was last time. Only this time, we'll try to keep better track of our game tickets!

Hi Huskers,

Congratulations on getting your man. Coach Frost is obviously the perfect man and perfect fit for you, and after all the years of tumult, it is just what the doctor ordered. Major props to AD Moos for navigating the process with the highest of class, and for letting Coach Frost finish his season with his team at UCF who clearly loved him dearly.

Speaking for me, and as a Badger fan who loves college football and the Big Ten Conference, I can say that I am very much looking forward to the return of Nebraska, sooner rather than later. I'm looking even more forward to the annual Nebraska-Wisconsin game becoming the kind of high-power matchup it was always meant to be.

Let the rivalry officially begin now, and we'll see you, and your new coach, next year in Madison! 

BigTenBadger

...Actually, I live in the Twin Cities, but let's roll with it.

I wanted to drop by to say good luck this weekend as our teams meet to decide who will (probably) win the Big Ten West. It's always an honor and a thrill to watch Nebraska and Wisconsin play, and while your fellow conference brethren may tease you from time to time, all of us know that it's ALWAYS a big deal to play the Huskers. It's a big game, the fans are excited about it, and I'm positive that the players on both sides are as hyped for this matchup as any.

It's no secret that Wisconsin Football was systematically built by The Emperor to essentially replicate the design of Coach Devaney's iconic Nebraska Program: Unflinching fundamentals, a powerful run game, an even more powerful offensive line, a cool-headed, game-managing quarterback, and, of course, a walk-on program that serves as the heart and soul of the program's culture. Everything that Wisconsin is today, and has been since late 1989, is a reflection of Nebraska football and of the deep connection and respect that Coach Alvarez has for Coach Devaney and Coach Osborne. For that, we Badgers feel great kinship with the Huskers.

While I won't be making the trip down to Lincoln this year, I still remember what an awesome time my friends and I had in 2012 (the last time we lost to NU!) when we came to watch the first intraconference matchup between Wisconsin and Nebraska in Memorial Stadium. We parked our cars in the Res and tailgated for hours and hours with all the Husker fans who were so hospitable and eager to make friends. What an absolute blast we had. Many a beers were drunk together, many cheese shots (look it up!) were shared, and though we lost the game, we all knew that we would love to return again to take in game day in Lincoln. The Haymarket nightlife was great as well. I must lay down a quick claim to fame in sharing that I defeated a very husky and very large (he was about 6' 6'' in denim overalls, and I am 5'11' and 170 pounds) Corn Husker fan in a beer chugging contest. Such contests are more than a point of pride to Wisconsinites... it nears self worth!

I don't know what will happen on Saturday night. If anyone things that anyone is going to win by more than a touchdown, I think they're nuts. It's a big game. It's going to be awesome, and as far as I'm concerned, it's going to be an even matchup and an absolute slugfest until the clock hits 0:00.

So good luck to the Huskers! I can't say that I hope you will win, but do hope that it will be a good game. Given the atmosphere that will inhabit Memorial Stadium on Saturday night, I don't think we will have to worry about that. 

Dear Huskers,

I hope you're all having a great summer, though if you're impatient like me, you'd rather fast-forward through June, July, and August, and get to football season more quickly!

I wanted to say that I am really looking forward to your 6th year of membership in the same conference, and that I hope that a sense of belonging has grown deeper over the years. I was a college senior at Madison when Nebraska joined in 2011, and had tickets to the infamous Russell Wilson game. It's crazy to think that I have since graduated undergrad, gotten a Master's degree, and just wrapped up my 4th year of teaching high school history and sociology.

Nebraska being in the Big Ten seems so right to me now, and I love the West Division design where we get to play each other every year, along with Iowa and Minnesota. With that being said, I know there are still strong feelings of connection and nostalgia for many of your former Big 8 and Big XII teams, and that is totally valid and understandable. That history is an important part of who you are as a program, and no one from the Big Ten (which, contrary to what many like to think, isn't made up of a bunch of lifetime charter members) should think otherwise. You and every part of your history belong in the conference just as much as Penn State who joined in 1990, MSU who joined in 1950, Michigan who rejoined 21 years after the conference started, or even Ohio State who joined 16 years after the conference started. You are a large, land grant, public school that offers a world-class education to your state's residents, you value research and academics greatly, and you have incredible football and basketball programs. Those qualities, along with your fun-loving fan base, over-sized stadium, and geographic location make you as Big Ten as any school could be, and I, for one, hope that it remains that way for a long, long time.

Looking forward to the Badger/Husker match-up in Madison this fall! Something tells me that things will be much, much closer than usual, and I hope many of you either make a return trip to the Isthmus, or, better yet, make your first trip! We'd love to have you, and I'd personally love to repay some of the incredible hospitality that I've gotten in my trips to Lincoln in 2012 and 2015.

Consider making the trip, and if you do, hit me up with plans! I'd love to host and tailgate with you all.

Have a great summer!

BigTenBadger

Badger fan here.

From the outside, I think the torch and pitchfork reaction is understandable, but completely irrational. You have a new coach who is 9 games in to his first year. He's lost something like 4, last second games. The man may very well be a bad coach, but you've not even let him finish a single season before demanding that the entire administration of the university be fired. If that's not delusional craziness, I don't know what is. Again, I get it, losing is painful, but it's only been a handful of weeks!

Has been very surprising to see how vicious many have become as soon as the team loses. You all like to call yourselves the best fans in college football, and for often very good reason. However, to me, if that's to continue, a big part of that should include supporting your program when you're not having a good year.

One might argue that's a better measure of being a good fan.