Tom Shatel

[np_husker]

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1921

 

Earlier this summer, on a slow news and football day, I happened to stop by the office of Jeff Jamrog, Nebraska's assistant athletic director for football. He asked me in.

 

"I want to show you something," Jamrog said. "What do you think?"

 

He showed me a list of college football schools. Most of them were Bowl Championship Series members, some were from the Mountain West or Mid-American conferences. Some were highlighted. Some were crossed out.

 

Jamrog has been fishing for future NU nonconference opponents. This was his pool. I was somewhat stunned when he asked me to grab a fishing rod.

 

"Who would you like to see us play?" he asked.

 

Where to start? The obvious one: Bo Pelini vs. Ohio State. Or Bo vs. LSU. Florida. Michigan.

 

Wait. What about Wisconsin? That's a natural. Can't Tom Osborne and former Husker Barry Alvarez make that happen?

 

"Interesting," Jamrog said.

 

The obvious one is Miami. Yes, the power formerly known as the Hurricanes. The green and orange, in downtown Lincoln. Finally, after all these years.

 

"We're working on it," Jamrog said. "It's a possibility."

 

Holy Ibis, Batman. What in the wide world of sports is going on here?

 

Nebraska is taking on all comers. Pelini's Huskers have yet to take a snap or send a blitz, but the new sheriff is already sending a message out to the college football world: Bring 'em on. Bring 'em all on.

 

There's irony here. The Pelini Era is all about swagger. But the new guy will get his brass knuckles out for Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State.

 

Pelini, Jamrog and Osborne want to change that. They don't necessarily like the nonconference schedules they've inherited from Steve Pederson and Bill Callahan, which include Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas State in 2009 and Western Kentucky, Idaho and Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) South Dakota State in 2010.

 

"It looks like they wanted to schedule a bunch of wins," Jamrog said. "We can't do anything about it. We can't do anything about the guarantees that were set, unless you want to cancel the contracts. But we aren't interested in doing that."

 

What they can do is no longer schedule Championship Subdivision teams. Jamrog said Osborne and Pelini no longer want to go that route, if possible.

 

That's the problem.

 

Swagger is one thing. Reality is another. That's reality, as in money, as in finding seven home games a year to feed all of the mouths in the athletic department.

 

"Bo, Coach Osborne and myself are in agreement that we want to play the best schedule possible," Jamrog said. "We also want to have seven home games a year, to support the program. There aren't many away games if you want seven home games."

 

Here's the given: To schedule a fellow BCS team, you have to agree to a home-and-home. My place this year, your place next year. That's not new.

 

What's new is that schools in the Mountain West, WAC and MAC suddenly have attitudes.

 

It used to be easier to get Wyoming or TCU to come to Lincoln for a one-time game. Now, they want Nebraska to return the trip. If NU already has a home-and-home with a BCS-level team, you run the risk of two nonconference road games (and six home games) in a season.

 

"There are some non-BCS teams that I've contacted that want home and home," Jamrog said. "One is BYU."

 

Another is Wyoming. Jamrog thought he had a three-year deal with Wyoming set, with the Cowboys coming to Lincoln twice and Wyoming "hosting" the Huskers at Invesco Field in Denver (three hours from Laramie, Wyo.). But Wyoming has since decided that it wants NU to come to Laramie. So Jamrog is working on a longer contract with Wyoming, to get more home games out of the deal.

 

Why the attitude? Economics. The non-BCS teams are in hot demand by BCS teams that all want seven home games. So the BYUs and Wyomings can command a deal because there's going to be a BCS team desperate enough to give it.

 

Then there are the outlandish guarantees. The current NU football brass is not happy that Pederson offered an average guarantee to nonconference opponents of more than $700,000, which led the Big 12. But that seems to be the price of doing business these days. Ohio State is paying Navy $1.4 million to come to Columbus. Wisconsin will write Northern Illinois a check for just less than $1 million to visit Madison.

 

The prices don't figure to come down anytime soon. Blame it on the BCS. When the strength-of-schedule component was taken out of the formula to pick the BCS rankings, that gave the BCS contenders license to lighten their load. The loser is the fan, who will see fewer blockbuster games like the Ohio State-USC game set for next month.

 

"That's what the fans want to see," Pelini said. "That's the shame of the BCS. Fans aren't seeing the games they used to see in September. We want to play those games. I don't want to shy away from anyone."

 

It's good news that Pelini wants to land some big fish. But he and Osborne had better load up on the bait.

[np_husker]

Another reason to be excited about the future of Husker football! Just the possibility of big names coming into Lincoln is awesome!

[Huskerballz]

Yes! Bring 'em on. Enough of this Northern South Dakota St. Community College Bullsh*t on our schedule. That makes me puke.

[bbhusker]

Typical Pederson and that other guy. schedule cupcakes and "hopefully" make a bowl game. That almost bit them in the arse with Ball St. last year. Kinda need to know what you are doing as a coach before you can guarantee anything.

[papersun87]

Very interesting article, and great news. I hate seeing Kansas State-style opposition on our schedule.

[huskernumerouno]

I would love to have the canes in Lincoln

[bbhusker]

Yes, Miami AND Florida State. I still hate them from the screw job we got in '93. Should have had a three peat.

[typ3kal]

I'm from South Dakota, born and raised there.. I plan on selling my ticket to that game.. It is going to be a blow out waste of a game. The Jack's are garbage and not even worth my 65 bucks, will probably give my ticket to someone younger in my family so they can see a game for cheap. South Dakota.. lol

[Axl_sued_me]

I want USC again.

[Spartness]

Let's schedule Miami for the last game in the season with sub-freezing wind chills.

[bbhusker]

I want USC again.

 

Yeah, them too. Carrol and Pelini, old buddies battling it out.

[Huskerballz]

It would be nice to get USC again, but sadly, I think we had our chance.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I would love for our non-conference schedule to bring the wow out of people. I want the LSU's, the Auburn's, the USC's, etc. I'm tired of people talking about how easy our non-conference schedule is.

[HuskerTrucker]

These outlandish guarentees to nobody schools is part of what is driving up ticket prices.

I would love to see Miami come into Lincoln and deal with our noise from our home crowd like we have had to do for some many years down there, let's see how they handle it. I would also love to see them come in late int he season, but that will never happen because of conference schedules of both.

 

I would love to see Michigan come to Nebraska so we can finally shut them up after having to split the NC with them. Yeah, they have a good program, but they need to learn a little respect...and I would love Bo to teach it to them. Michigan: Meet the real BO!!

[np_husker]

There are many teams I would love to see us play in Lincoln:

 

Miami

FSU

Florida

Georgia

Michigan

Ohio State

USC

UCLA

Penn State

Boston College

South Carolina

Wisconsin