samsticka

Hey there, BigTenBadger. Sometimes I do miss the Big 12, I'll admit that. I watched several YouTube videos containing clips of various Nebraska/Oklahoma games. And it sort of made me miss our rivalry with them. Ever since Nebraska defeated Northwestern on that Hail Mary in 2013, I asked how exciting it would be if we had still been in the Big 12 at the time and had done that to Oklahoma? I know lots of Husker fans would be REALLY excited and would party well into the morning. It would certainly have been a very memorable moment in college football. But I guess one can't escape the fact that being the Big 10 has been better for us financially.

I'd be okay with a conference like this: Nebraska Colorado Iowa Iowa State Minnesota Kansas K State Missouri Oklahoma Oklahoma State Texas Texas A&M There'd be 3 non-conference games and 9 conference ones. And no divisions. Oklahoma and Nebraska would play each other every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Instead of deciding the conference champion with just a single game, they do it with a post-season conference tournament just like in basketball in baseball. It would consist of the 8 winningest teams of the season. All conferences would decide their champs in this manner. And after the conference tournament is the national playoffs consisting of 16 teams. All conference champs get automatic bids while there are 5 wild card spots. The games would all be held on the campus of the higher-seeded/ranked team. The last 2 teams remaining would play in (for lack of a better name) the College Super Bowl and play for the national championship. That game would be played at a neutral site.

Most Nebraska football games air on ABC/ESPN. It's been that way for the last 45+ years. That's why I said that. And in this fantasy of mine, it wouldn't be Ed Cunningham commentating on the game. It'd be Sean McDonough and Chris Spielman.

I don't want anything. I was just giving a hypothetical "what-if" scenario. Everybody's had their own sports fantasy moments, haven't they? As for that Orange Bowl rematch on New Year's Day 1979, that was kind of unusual at the time. Usually, they don't pair up conference rivals in bowl games.

Yes, that they do. And they used to have one of the greatest rivalries, if not THE greatest, in college football. That's what drove me to ask my original question. That and the last-second Hail Mary win against Northwestern in 2013–How exciting would it be to watch Nebraska defeat Oklahoma on a last-second Hail Mary?

By that logic, maybe Iowa State should join the Big 10?

I guess it just goes to show sports and politics don't mix.

There have been rumors that Oklahoma may join the Big 10. But they're just rumors, nothing more.

Yeah, sure. If it were up to me, the Big 12 wouldn't be all about Texas, doing whatever it takes to keep them happy, etc. And they wouldn't be hated by everyone else. There would be no Longhorn Network. It would be called the Big 12 Network and rightfully so. The conference's headquarters would still be in Kansas City instead of moving to Dallas. They would acknowledge their history with the Big 8.

Of course he does. As he walks around the field, he's still in jaw-dropping shock.

Hi, everyone. This is my first post here. I like to watch the Huskers like lots of people in Nebraska do. And I've been wondering something. Ever since Nebraska defeated Northwestern on that last-second Hail Mary in 2013, I've often wondered what if Nebraska was still in the Big 12 (along with Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M) and did that to Oklahoma–Beat them on a last second Hail Mary? How exciting would that be? I could see the scenario: It's 2013, the Saturday before Thanksgiving (November 23rd) and Nebraska (still in the Big 12 along with Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M) is playing Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium here in Lincoln. The game is televised nationwide on ABC/ESPN. There are 4 seconds left in the game. The score's Oklahoma 34-Nebraska 31. Ron Kellogg tried to throw a pass to Quincy Enunwa to get into field goal range and tie the game, but he dropped it. So Nebraska decides to go for a Hail Mary. Oklahoma calls a timeout first. Then, the players all get into position, the ball is snapped, the receivers all run downfield while the offensive and defensive lineman all go at each other trying to hold the other off. Ron Kellogg throws a 51-yard Hail Mary pass into the air. As it goes down, it gets tipped back by an Oklahoma defender and caught by Jordan Westerkamp. It's a touchdown! Nebraska players all empty their benches and run out onto the field and dogpile on top of Westerkamp. Kellogg takes off his helmet and runs in the other direction. The crowd inside the stadium erupts into a VERY loud roar not heard in the stadium in a long time. The officials review the play, but eventually confirm the call as a touchdown. The game is over. Nebraska wins 37-34. For Nebraska, it's jaw-dropping excitement. For Oklahoma, it's devastating and heartbreaking. They played their butts off, played hard, had victory within their grasp and then at the last second, it was taken away from them just like that. It was a slap in the face to the players. But both sides agreed that this was Oklahoma vs. Nebraska. It didn't get any better than that. The play goes down as one of the most memorable moments in college football. Needless to say, the whole state of Nebraska is in non-stop party mode all night long, especially Lincoln. It gets REALLY busy in the Haymarket. The restaurants and bars are packed. So basically, what doesn't change: -Nebraska's last second Hail Mary win still happens in 2013, in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln -Ron Kellogg still throws it, Jordan Westerkamp still catches it -When Westerkamp catches it, it gets really loud inside the stadium and Nebraska players empty their benches and run out onto the field and dogpile on top of Westerkamp -Kellogg still takes off his helmet and runs in the other direction What does change: -Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M are all still in the Big 12 -Nebraska pulls off this miracle against Oklahoma -The game is on ABC/ESPN So anyway, how exciting would that be?