Roundball Shaman

There is a school and football program with a long history of great success. It has a passionate fan base. The program has been considered one of the elites. However, for years they’ve been down and floundering. Fans have become angry or disinterested. There are constant debates about where things went wrong and about how to fix it. And, as always, the Coach. There are debates about what to do with the Head Coach. Do you keep him, or get somebody new? So, do they keep the same Coach or not? They decide not to. They go out and hire Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma. And then there’s Texas and Nebraska...

Someday, Husker Nation will more fully understand what was taking place these past four years. Looking from the outside... there is just something about all this that just doesn't make sense. There is a piece (or pieces) to the Frost at Lincoln story that are just missing from the puzzle right now. Too many strange and bizarre happenings. Too many weird game endings and odd decisions along the way. Frost being so uptight and forgetting how to have fun on a football field. It's football man, not a funeral. The Huskers mean too much to the State of Nebraska that even as frustrated as fans are right now... this program will come roaring back quickly once some real signs of hope and progress show up on the field. This doesn't mean that the Husker Dynasty years will return. College ball and recruiting have changed too much for that to happen like things were in the 70s and 90s. But there us no reason that the Huskers cannot contend in whatever league they are in and find a way to get into the Playoffs -- especially if they go eight or twelve teams. Husker Nation's expectations have changed now and the bar is not quite as high (for most fans?). I hope Frost realizes in the off season that he has nothing to lose next season. It's house money for him. Go for broke, have some fun, and maybe somehow still find a way for this Frost at Lincoln thing to work. And if it doesn't... life will still go on. For him, and for the Huskers.

What do the 2021 Huskers and 25-cent gas have in common? Except for last year’s short season, the last time the Huskers ended the season with 3 wins was... 1961. 1961. Gas was 25 cents a gallon. A new car was about $2,500. A new house... around $12,500. JFK became President. World population was 3.1 billion. The Houston Oilers won the AFL title (pre-Super Bowl years). And the Huskers won 3 games and finished 7th in the 8 team Big 8. And Scott Frost would be born 14 years later. But now of course, The Red could just go ahead and get another win.

Let's add a Definitive Question... What may we definitively conclude about the recent Husker history of woe? Joe Orduna... Jeff Kinney... Roger Craig... Tom Rathman... Mike Rozier... I. M. Hipp... Johnny Rodgers... Think of the guys who USED TO line up behind the Husker quarterback. Who knew the day would come that we’d have to wonder if there’ll ever be another one like them? In the Golden Age of Husker football, there was always that one really great back. Sure, the aerial game is all the rage now. But... How can the Huskers ever succeed without that one great Husker back?

Husker Failure is not being tolerated very well by anyone who cares about the Big Red. Nor was it tolerated very well in places like Arkansas and Tennessee and USC and other once-strong powers that have experienced a recent history of problems after riding high for years. By design, we play and watch sports for instance gratification. And failure never mixes well with that. Our level of interest will rise and fall with the success of the team. That is just natural. No one wants to invest time, energy (and money) in a losing cause. Patience is not seen as much of a virtue any more. Both Husker Nation and at the Big Ten corporate level hopes to see the Husker legacy restored to prominence to build excitement (and ratings). But the other Big Ten programs have no reason to want that. They are more than happy to let the Huskers languish which provides a clearer path for their own success. And Ohio State and Michigan and Michigan State will always view Nebraska as an outsider late-comer. Any sports team owes their fans a good faith effort to be successful. It is a contract of faith that goes both ways. And when fans detect that their team’s efforts are lacking or missing the mark, then that faith has been breeched. The last twenty-plus years has been an unintended test of endurance for Husker fans. And not a test that anybody wanted.

The dilemma goes away quickly this way: (1) If you can get a “better” coach than Frost, you get him. (2) If you can’t get a better coach than Frost, you keep him. And that goes for when his contract is up, too. Additional note: Nick Saban was not successful as an NFL head coach. Bill Belichick wasn’t always the guru many people think he is now either. Lesson? You have to find your lane and grow into the role in a certain spot. The question for the Huskers: Is the Husker job the best lane for Frost? And can he grow into a better coaching version of himself? Question for Frost? Does he want to keep trying here or go for a fresh start like other coaches needed to become what they are today?

I keep going back to the very beginning of Frost’s head coaching career in Lincoln. There was that bad lightning storm and the game had to be cancelled. I wondered at the time if this was an omen. Now we know. Yes, it was. A big storm was coming alright. And it has now lasted for years.

“...how or why Nebraska football was so important. ‘It's just that it's all you've got’ said by the outsider was often met with ‘that's just part of it, there's something else and you'll never understand what that is.’” People outside of Nebraska just don’t think about Nebraska. Since football is America’s true game of choice, football gave the World a way to identify and think something of the State. And because the Huskers were GOOD for so long and had that yearly monster game matchup with the Sooners... people paid attention to Nebraska due to the football team. That answers for outside the State boundaries. But what about inside the lines of Nebraska? Why did this State come to love this team so much? That’s a different conversation. You can be good and still not become so beloved. There is something about the game of football and the acclaim that the Huskers brought to the State that came together and made the Huskers all members of people’s families. And once you’ve become part of the family it’s hard to ever find a reason to let you go. There is something about the teamwork and toughness of football that Nebraskans admire. Maybe it’s the rural farm culture at work here because teamwork and toughness is what family farming is all about. “It seems uncanny how the trail-off in wins beginning after Dr. Tom left has been fairly steady...” You’re only as good as your Leader. He (or she) sets the culture and tone and standards of an organization. And once that Leader goes, things will decline rapidly if you can’t find a replacement of the same high competence. Everyone has seen this in the business world with bosses and CEOs. It doesn’t take much to drive the highly-tuned machine right into the ditch if you don’t know what you’re doing. “That steady decline in wins may be somewhat connected to the steady loss of a generation (or two) as they (we) age and die.” What about Alabama (and others)? They went just the opposite way. They went from largely in the pack years ago to the top of the heap and have stayed there for a long time. They go through the same change of generations as everyone else and yet they (and others like Oklahoma) just keep staying on top of the World. It’s all about who is driving the bus and where are they driving it to. “We're gradually losing that specialness that took us away from the realization that we're a sparsely populated state in the mid west that has just a college football team to believe in. We love Nebraska football because we love Nebraska, but we're seeing Nebraska change as a state and we're seeing the Huskers change, too.” It may seem trite to say that ‘Everything has a Season’. Trite maybe, but also true. Nothing is promised to anyone. Success, especially. Teams and programs that used to be great (like USC, like Texas) have done nothing but struggle and can’t find their way back up the hill. Nebraska has had success over the years that VERY FEW programs have ever had. Programs like an Illinois or Vanderbilt or Kansas or a hundred others would love to have had the success that the Huskers have had. They have to live with the mediocre legacies that most football programs already have that are not in the favored-program class of teams like the names on top we all know. The old Huskers are never coming back. The move to the Big Ten has forever changed the trajectory of this team and program. Instead of the Huskers being a big dog in the Big 8, they are just another program in a league that will always favor the Michigan to Pennsylvania region. “... we see a couple of previous generations die off and their grandchildren playing football in ways that Tom Osborn and Bob Devaney would not have allowed.” You made some very perceptive and valuable points. Younger Husker fans will not have such a perspective on how the program and State have changed because they only know the recent past. Be thankful for what the Huskers have meant to you and the State and for all the great times they have given so many people over the years.

In the 122 years of Big Red football... any Husker fan can name the two best coaches in Nebraska history (by far)... Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. More than one thing went into making them both successful. But there is a personal quality they share that is an important one to their success: Both of them were ‘Father Figures’. (And both became 'beloved' by the fans). Major college football coaches for years now are more than just guys who coach football. They have become Father Figures for their program, their fan base, and their State. In many States, they are the highest paid and highest profile persons in the State. They come to represent the State on the National stage. Like Dr. Tom, they can transit into high profile positions away from football. Nebraska has not had a ‘Father Figure’ coach since Dr. Tom. Can Scott Frost become a Father Figure in the mold of the two Husker legend coaches? Is that in his personality? If not, can he find ways to have a winning program without that? And if a new person is in the Husker future, do you go with the hot young coach who seems on his way up like Frost was? Or do you find that already established Father Figure to return the program to glory? What personal qualities should the next Husker coach have?

Hot Takes? The Huskers should give up on finding a high profile coach. The job is too tough and the fan base is too needy. The Huskers should adopt a system of rotating coaches with a new one each week. All coaches must be posters to Huskerboard and everyone else is disqualified. No repeats. You get to coach the Huskers just once and that’s it. You are, however, allowed to select members of your family and friends to act as assistant coaches. You can have as many as the number of years the Huskers have been playing football. Also, you as acting coach-of-the-week get to select who is the Glamour Matchup game of the season. You can select from any major college program in the United States or Canada. It can be anyone from Alabama to New Mexico State. Your choice. Finally, home games can no longer be played in Lincoln. All games will be played in Fremont on weeks when Midland is on the road.

A few questions and answers... Can Frost still succeed at Nebraska? Still unknown. If so, how long will it take? Still unknown. How much longer will Husker Nation have patience with Frost? The scales are tipping against him with every poor performance. Can the Huskers get a coach who would be more successful than Frost? Probably. It would be hard for someone to have a worse record than that of the last few years. Is the Husker job still an attractive one? Yes and no. Yes, for the strong loyal fan base and the program-centered uniqueness of the State of Nebraska. No, because recruiting has been a problem against the Southeastern Powers and the legacy programs in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. And now, the idea that Nebraska is no longer a National powerhouse. Does Frost want a fresh start somewhere else away from the home State pressure? Part of him says no (probably). Part of him says yes (probably). What type of coach should follow Frost when the time comes? Somehow who understands the Rust Belt mentality of Big 10 football and get some top Rust Belt talent and with the knowledge to begin to really compete with the legacy Big 10 blue bloods which The Red have yet to do. How will history mark the Frost era? It was a hire that made sense at the time. He was a hot commodity and seemed the perfect fit for the Huskers. But everyone is disappointed at how things have turned out... and most of all, him. No one wants to fail at their profession. No one wants to look bad in his home State. There is no higher victory for the State of Nebraska than to be the one to return the program to its former glory. Whatever happens, everyone will carry on one way or another. But if the Huskers are to stay in the Big 10 long-term, they are going to have to learn how to win the Big 10 way. What’s that? Look at Columbus because that’s what you’re competing against. And have to beat. If you can’t compete with Ohio State and Michigan and Pennsylvania State, it’s time to look at being in some other conference and getting to the playoffs that way. Once there, take your chances. Because Nebraska (the fans and the suits) won't accept the status quo much longer. Nor should they.

Interesting ‘rollin’ that you remembered this after all this time. Sometimes it’s useful to consider what outsiders say about you. That doesn’t mean what they say is true or that you should believe any of it – just listen and consider a point of view from outside the bubble as was said in those words back then. Let’s look again at these comments: “From the Heartland of America”...“From the Land of Corn”... (Yes, it still it that.) “Lincoln. It’s something special, isn’t it?”...“Took a walk around the campus. It’s magnificent”... (Yes, it still is that.) “This Nebraska team is just an inch away from being...better”... (That’s been the problem. Two years ago... ‘just an inch away’. Some still think it’s that close now. Others see not an inch here but a mile). “I think Scott Frost thinks he’s the modern day version of Tom Osborne”...“Scott Frost is the right man to turn this thing around”... (The first part might still be the case – remember this is about what Frost thinks. And Husker Nation still wonders about the second part.) “This game today is the most important to his (Frost) program.” (This turned out to be a big NO for that game back then. But today, the most important game now for Frost is always his NEXT one.) “When the leaves begin to turn, the Boys become Men in the Heartland of America”... (The leaves still turn... Boys still become Men in the Heartland... and dead threads can magically come back to life in the magical days before Halloween.)

“‘I'm still a kid at heart’," Frost says. I hope he still feels this way. “I just love football.” I hope he still feels this way. “He has a personal stake in bringing the program back to that level.” We KNOW he must feel this way. “Frost says, ‘We have to have high hopes. And it's more than a hope here—it's an expectation.’" It is still an expectation. That’s why the wide disconnect between the ‘Expectation’ and the Reality is such so dissonant and sour. And that wide gulf has been going on for so long now that confusion and puzzlement now rules the day. "‘I think the best predictor of future performance is past performance’," Frost says. So does Husker Nation. But which future from which of The Red’s pasts? The former past one of glory, or the recent one? It's time for a fresh Future Performance. “Take a stroll around Lincoln, and you can feel it.” Yes you can. But again... feeling that past or feeling the present? "... predicts the bartender at The Watering Hole, home of the best wings in Lincoln. ‘I feel sorry for the next coach that's going to come after Frost.’" So does Husker Nation. Oh there will be optimism for the new guy whenever he comes in. There always is. But it will take someone with the courage to take on huge expectations with little mood for patience or margin for error. “There is no more waiting.” There wasn’t then, there isn’t mood for it now. The Hope is always in... Tomorrow. But for now... there is STILL... waiting. And wondering. And wishing...

Are Cornhusker fans too nice? Are Husker fans just too patient and understanding and willing to accept a football product that is less than living up to the grand Husker tradition? Look, we know there’s been plenty of anger and weeping and gnashing of teeth over how things have gone for the Big Red over the past 20 years. And yet, all that angst has not had much affect on the big picture. When other big-time programs get into trouble, they turn things around QUICKLY. Not all, but many. Baylor and LSU (acting TODAY) are just two of the most recent examples. And heaven forbid that anything might happen to lessen the high perch that the likes of an Alabama or Oklahoma or Clemson or Ohio State to enrage the loud and quick-tempered fan bases of those National powers. The shockwaves from that earthquake would rumble across the continent. The high heat and smoldering ire from certain fan bases helps to create changes and improvement is quickly evident for certain programs. While others like the Big Red just rearrange desks for various Husker coaches over the years and nothing seems to work or take hold from any of them. Being “nice” is not a bad thing, especially today in a quick-tempered world full of frustration and disrespect. But perhaps, being “nice” as a fan of a proud football program is just contributing to the problem. This is not to suggest that having anger for anger sake is the answer for it is not. It’s got to be something else. But what, exactly? When the fan base of the likes of LSU and Baylor sense trouble, their Leaders perk up and respond. And their trains get quickly back on the success track. Clearly those fan bases seem to have some effect that the Husker Nation has lacked. Even programs like Purdue and Indiana are showing life again even without the same level of passionate fans. And... Cincinnati. Look where they are. And, Kentucky? Wake Forest? It’s been said that Nice Guys finish last. Well, the Huskers haven’t finished last lately... (yet). But it does seem that Nice Guys do finish lost in the pack of a forgotten division in a conference that has given way to another in having National prominence. Can we “Nice” ourselves back to National prominence? Or does it take something else that others seem to have found? And how is it that the Husker’s great rival of all time Oklahoma has remained a power all these years and The Red have not? What magic has Oklahoma got and how do the Huskers get some? And how do the great Husker players of the '70s and '90s look at what Oklahoma has done and not wonder what the (blank) is going on here?

Sympathy for a Husker... a man named Scott Frost. This is not about whether or not Frost should stay on with The Red on whether he is or isn't a good football coach. This is not about the decades-long frustration of Husker fans who have had to endure years of disappointment from seeing an elite program slide deep into the middle pack. This is not about who should be playing and what the strategies are and how recruiting is going. This is about simple human empathy and compassion for a human being — Scott Frost. The look on his face as the game ended was chilling. You could feel his deep pain from Coast to Coast even if you weren’t a Husker fan. To be teased like this – again! – only to watch the dream disappear right in front of your eyes. Just when you thought that the ‘corner’ that everyone wants so badly to turn would finally be made — just another level of agony tossed upon the already heavy weight of so much ruination. You have to feel for this man. Does anyone think he wanted to come home to Nebraska and have things go like this? Does anyone think he likes the taste of losing? Does anyone think that having your future with your home program up for debate every moment is something he longed for? Does anyone think about what losing does to the people around him? This is just about having compassion for a fellow human being whose look on his face at the end of the Michigan game says it all... ‘Oh God, not again. Why? Why? What can happen next? Can I even believe any of this any more?’ It’s just football, Scott. Sure it’s huge in this State. But it’s still just a game. And as vital as this game is to the State of Nebraska, there are things even bigger.

“Will There Be a 2020 Football Season?" Consider... “Chinese virologist who fled to the US after claiming Beijing covered up Covid-19 vows to publish evidence PROVING the virus is manmade - and claims even non-scientists will be able to verify the data.” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8722519/Virologist-claims-publish-evidence-PROVING-coronavirus-manmade.html My Comment: This is not the only such report on the web. Other reports over the weeks indicate that The Virus was man made. So... if it was man made, how does this affect our view of the Big Ten decision? Did they already have evidence that the virus was man made and thus not subject to normal rules of how natural viruses operate? And if so, does that make their decision to cancel or postpone fall football more sensible? Would they have been afraid to disclose this fact of being man-made so not to spill the beans to the general public and create panic? Maybe they were ORDERED not to disclose this? Or, are they still just a group of Doofuses who were making things up as they went along?

Thanks to THE Big Ten for showing us what Covid-19 is all about. The Definitions: “Social Distancing” - a condition where Big Ten Conference Football fans try to put as much physical distance as possible between them and Conference decision makers who make rash and ill-informed judgments resulting in the delay or loss of the Fall 2020 Big Ten season. “Wear a Mask” - when Big Ten fans cover their facial area (particularly the nasal region) to protect themselves from the really bad smells coming out of Big Ten Conference headquarters and the stench of harming players, fans, and businesses who depend on playing football. “Covid-19" - a physical malady that affects mostly elderly people and from which most people soon recover but a condition that provides a convenience scapegoat for bad decisions made by various Big Ten officials who prefer to remain in the shadows.

Sure, Husker Nation is disappointed to say the least with THE Big Ten cancelling Fall football and doing so in such a clumsy and elitist manner. But... they say there’s always a bright side to everything. Time for the Bright Side. The entire Husker Family has reasons to thank the Large Fourteen for banishing Fall football in 2020. Among the reasons are... 1. There will be NO game-action injuries sustained by any of the Husker players. Not one single player or coach or assistant will be hurt this way for the first time ever. 2. For the first time since 1997, the Huskers will NOT LOSE A GAME from September through December. 3. Husker legal scholars and legal students will have a blast this Fall spending time deciding how and when and who to sue for various misdeeds and miscalculations and breaking of rules and understandings. The possibilities are endless. 4. It’s entertaining to see people squirm when under pressure. We can watch Big Ten decision-makers choosing each day from among various excuses for not playing the fall season, such as vague and unsubstantiated scientific claims, grandiose statements about being concerned with health and safety, or seeking forgiveness for just being too hasty and ill-informed when they made their decisions. 5. Husker Nation will become way more familiar with SEC and Big 12 players and games than they would have if the Huskers were playing. Husker fans can pick and choose which team they want to root for in place of the Huskers for a few months. You never know when the Huskers might be playing these teams a whole lot more one of these years. And maybe the best reason of all... That The Big Red found its voice and stood up to The Big Bullies Of The East and staked their claim to being heard by those who are always enamored most by the sound of their own voice.

“The Big Ten Reportedly Thought The ACC And SEC Would Cancel Football Once It Did But Notre Dame Screwed Everything Up” “...the Big Ten was banking on the ACC canceling and the Big 12 canceling because of the ACC and finally the SEC would cancel because they’d be all alone. The article suggests it was Notre Dame which threw a wrench in the plan and got the ACC to play alongside the SEC which gave the Big 12 confidence to make sure the season happened... Notre Dame really wanted to play and was willing to enter into an agreement that could lead to something down the road...” https://brobible.com/sports/article/report-big-ten-thought-acc-sec-would-cancel/ My Comment: You may or may not like Notre Dame. (Huskers fans do have a habit of turning South Bend, Indiana very RED on game day when they play over there). But they may just be the ones who exposed THE Big Ten for what they did with this Covid-Fiasco-19/20. The idea set forth above pretty much nails the whole idea in a nutshell. THE Big Ten thought everyone else would be afraid to go against them. THE Big Ten would grab the moral high-ground and look like national leaders to the rest of the World. They would look like they cared the most. They would look like they had the best science and information to make a decision. So They pushed all their chips in on this idea and went all-in on this bet to the Nation. But there was one problem. There were others seated at the National table that weren’t ready to take orders from THE Big Ten. People from other proud programs. People that just didn’t see the risks foreclosing the season. They had ideas of their own, and did not fall over in submission to the Great Ones From The Rust Belt. Oh God, now what? They aren’t following us? We have no more chips left? Everyone is mad at us? Even our own coaches? And parents who have helped to prepare their sons for this moment for the last twenty years? THAT’s not what we figured on! Oh snap... What do we do now? Narrative! WE NEED A NEW NARRATIVE!

“Reports Linking 30-35% Of Big-Ten Athletes With COVID To Myocarditis Were Inaccurate... the Big 10 conference has already announced that it would be postponing fall sports as a result of the coronavirus. A conference spokesperson said: ‘As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall.’” https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/reports-linking-30-35-big-ten-athletes-covid-myocarditis-were-inaccurate My Comment: It has become abundantly clear that there is no uncertainty regarding risks to all of us coming from the Big 10 conference, the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee. Is there a useful medical treatment for THAT? And are all you guys getting your regular pay checks on time OK?

What do those who lead THE Big Ten say now to Husker fans who now have to watch the SEC steal the Nation's football heart? Everyone knows where the problems for this fiasco of a non-football season come from, and they’re not coming from Lincoln. Everyone knows the Huskers have led the push-back against the Big Fourteen’s decision to cancel fall football and Husker faithful have made their displeasure fairly clear. Everyone knows why the Huskers got hooked up with this Conference Of Confusion that will never be as much fun or as much home as the Old Big Eight was. Who thought we would miss playing Kansas so much? And OH for a home game with Iowa State! And what about Husker fans? What about all the people and families around America (and the World) who have lived and died with this football team for generations? What about all the businesses that risk disappearing because our Fall ritual each week has been erased by those who hide behind excuses and vague and conflicted “Science”? What about our State’s Identity that is more tied to its Big State University than any other State in the Union being so trivialized and devalued? Perhaps, these words... “From all of us in the Big Ten...” “Dear Husker fans, we’re truly sorry for what has transpired this year with regard to your University, your sports programs, and your entire educational lives. We’re sorry that we give your opinion so little importance and that we prefer to make decisions shrouded in secrecy and in a haze of Rust Belt confusion and Old Steel Mill fog than listening to some its proud members like you. We’re sorry to all you Husker fans who won’t be packing The Sea of Red and striking fear in the hearts of Husker opponents. And to all the young men and women who are being robbed of their game-day experience that they will never get back. We’re sorry to all those courageous farmers in your State who are fighting off financial ruin to keep your farms operating and our bellies fed and who listen to Husker games while toiling out in your fields. You do something with corn, right? Or is it wheat? We’re sorry to all you business owners who may never be able to keep your doors open. And to all who are losing a small fortune and the great impact that has on your community and your families. In short, from THE Big Ten to Husker Nation, we’re sorry. We still won’t listen to you, but you can’t say we didn’t apologize! And in conclusion, what would YOU as a Husker fan want to say to THE Big Confused Ten?

“Michigan reverses course, moves high school football from spring back to the fall” “High school football is back this fall in Michigan. In response to an executive order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan High School Athletic Association voted Thursday to reinstate all sports according to the Detroit Free Press.” https://www.maxpreps.com/news/vRVuwkHf9kiX23o8SlJ0uQ/michigan-reverses-course,-moves-high-school-football-from-spring-back-to-the-fall.htm My Comment: Option #3 is looking better and better.

Available options: Option #1. “We were wrong. Dead Wrong. We relied on the wrong information. We took the easy way out. We should have played this fall. We look pretty foolish right now. We’re sorry for ruining all our lives...” Option #2: “We were right. We ARE right. We rely on good information. We made a tough decision in a tense environment. We should not play this fall. Everyone will see that we were right and everybody else was wrong. Our brilliant decision has saved many lives...” Option #3: “We really don’t know what we’re doing. We don’t have a clue what the right decision is. We were hoping that everybody else would follow us and shut their seasons down like we did. But they didn’t. So it’s THEIR fault that we look bad. Don’t blame us. We’re the victims here...” Option #4: Hey, Cornhuskers. You’re the new kid on the block around here. Know your place. Keep quiet. We know better about these things than you do. We come from the land of steel workers and auto workers and big tall office buildings with rich donors working in them and big programs that use “THE” before their names. What do you guys do? Something with... corn? You mean that stuff cows eat? Just keep your place and everything will be fine. Option #5: Hey Cornhuskers. You opened our eyes. We took a second look at this thing and now we see we were hasty and made a bad call. We’re going to make it right and begin playing on Halloween Night. You were courageous and took a stand even though it went against us. We have even greater respect for you now and we hope you’ll forgive us for being so heavy-handed and elitist and tone-deaf to how much football means to you. To show you how sorry we are, we are awarding you the Big Ten West crown and automatic bid in the Big Ten Championship game which will be played this year in Fremont, Nebraska to allow for reduced stadium capacity and because it's in the State of Nebraska. Please forgive us and thank you for your courage and vision.

Omaha fan: “It matters what all those very talented players in the southeast think along with their parents and coaches who influence where those kids go to school. The big 10 is going to be continually blasted nationally when these 100s of college football games are being played.” Talented players in the Southeast will just go on doing what they always do: Consider the Big Ten and others... and then go join up with a Southeastern powerhouse like they wanted to anyway. Most players and fans in the South don’t think The Ten or anybody else is the equal of Southeast football. And they have plenty of good reasons to think so. Southern talent will go somewhere else if it’s a numbers game at their position and another conference would be best for their career. But that's not where their heart is. The Big Ten now fully has a reputation of being out of touch, not transparent, arrogant, and dismissive of athletes and parents and fans. But this does present a great opportunity for the Huskers. If they continue to challenge The Ten’s powers-that-be and offer pushback and stand up for the rights of players and parents and fans, they will gain some good-will traction nationally. It might even get them a top recruit or two down the line who was impressed with the Huskers’ stance on this Big Ten dysfunction. There might also be another Big Ten program or two silently cheering the Huskers on with their pushback. There is stress on the Big Ten member programs right now and an eventual divorce is likely, and the Huskers can use this to their advantage if they play their cards right.

“Texas Athletics announces department budget cuts, layoffs amid pandemic. Thirty-five staff members were laid off and nearly 300 took salary reductions in the wake of sports cancellations.” https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/texas-longhorns/2020/09/01/texas-athletics-announces-budget-cuts-layoffs-amid-pandemic/ “Michigan's athletic department eliminates 21 positions in cost-cutting measure” https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2020/09/01/michigan-wolverines-layoffs/5682537002/ “FSU athletics department lays off employees due to coronavirus pandemic” https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/fsu-athletics-department-laying-off-employees-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic College sports in football-as-religion States like Texas, Michigan, and Florida will never go away. But that doesn’t mean that it won’t shrink down and end careers of many dedicated professionals due to permanent changes in the college sports world. Right now, planners are sketching out possible futures for college athletics in a changed world. Options are being game-theory’d out. The biggest game ever in college sports is going on right now. It’s not going on at a field or court but in paneled offices and Zoom meetings. The future of college sports is on the line, and some programs are going to make it and some are going to slowly fade away.