Does the Big12 facilitate parity in the North?

[glm09]

It seems to me that Nebraska was at their peak during the big 8. Since the inception of the big 12 we have been falling. This might be more due to the coaching change that happened at the same time as the beginning of the big 12 than anything, but it seems to me that all i ever read about is the struggle we have pulling the big recruits in from Texas now, and how we are a second tier team, very similar to KU, MU, and CU. I wonder if the big 12 has accidentally caused parity in the North. Several reason I think so are outlined below.

 

Recruiting Battles.

 

When we were in the big 8 we were the main attraction. We were hated by everyone else and were always at the top. If you were a top tier player in any of the surrounding states, then it was either us, or OU at times. When the Big 12 was formed the recruiting world of the area got turned upside down. Now the biggest recruits are being spread out, and most of them are staying closer to home. This didn't hurt us before, because those recruits weren't with in the conference, so we were able to constantly be on the national stage by competing against programs that couldn't recruit like we did. It was easier for us to win the conference and be in the national spotlight. When the big 12 formed we were battling schools that had recruiting advantages and will always have those advantages. Now we compete with every other school in the North for lesser talent. Therefore, all of us up here come out fairly similar in recruiting. Recruiting is the main reason for all of this, and it seems that we have been battling hard for 2nd tier talent with more schools, and less successfully, since the big 12 began. We compete in conference with the best recruits in the nation. During the big 8, those best recruits that went to Texas and other big 12 schools made us little difference for being in the national spotlight. Now they kill us. And this is a dumb one, but how many times on rivals they talk about athletes having to get the winter coats out to make visits up to see us and if that hurts our chances or not?

 

 

Population.

 

Nebraska has one of the lowest population bases in the conference. Therefore we don't get some of the media coverage of other schools. Also, our population base is probably in the middle to bottom of the North. This puts us at a disadvantage for getting national exposure in a profit-driven media. In the big 8 days, there was a lot more equality in population bases around the conference. Sure, we were still near the bottom, but most schools were very similar to us and our fan support out weighed what we lacked in population directly in the state of Nebraska. It just isn't as profitable for media to cover us as to cover more populated bases.

 

 

Competition.

 

We have to beat ISU, KSU, KU, MU, and CU every year to win. That is easier than what they have in the south, but headlines that read: "Nebraska clinched the north with a win over colorado" just doesn't do the same as the red river rivalry, the playstation offense of Mike Leach, or the tradition of A&M. We should compete for the North every year with the competition up here, so not winning the North is a dissappointment and not nearly as awe-inspiring to win. Down there it is complete glory if you come out on top. We don't have that high level of competition up here. Sure, that bodes well for us in terms of making it to the big 12 championship game, but it doesn't serve us nearly as well in returning to prominence. Playing the big guys from the south every 2 years helps, but we lack that big rivalry game we had during the days of the big 8. With out it, it is hard for us to be as relevant as we used to be.

 

Not winning the Big 12 North is a big deal.

Obviously, we aren't going to win it every single year. And years that we don't are big because the other schools in the North simply don't have the tradition we do. Therefore, when they win, it is much bigger deal to them and a bigger deal nationally. It is sort of like the playing a super, super pudd schedule before the conference in basketball. If you lose, it kills your chances of making the NCAA tournement, but if you win it doesn't really help you all that much either as far as national prominence.

 

 

I know there are a lot of other factors, and that the coaching shake up at Nebraska has made a huge impact on everything around here, but i don't think that our slip from a national powerhouse and the formation of the big 12 is a complete coincidence.

[HuskerJen]

It seems to me that Nebraska was at their peak during the big 8. Since the inception of the big 12 we have been falling. This might be more due to the coaching change that happened at the same time as the beginning of the big 12 than anything, but it seems to me that all i ever read about is the struggle we have pulling the big recruits in from Texas now, and how we are a second tier team, very similar to KU, MU, and CU. I wonder if the big

 

Parapharsing Mark Twain, the rumors of Nebraska's death have been greatly exaggerated. Nebraska was THE team to beat in the Big 12 when the conference was formed. The Huskers started to fall under Frank Solich and the utter collapse came under the previous incompetent coaching staff. The tide has turned, Bo is the right guy and the future is bright indeed.

[Enhance]

It seems to me that Nebraska was at their peak during the big 8. Since the inception of the big 12 we have been falling. This might be more due to the coaching change that happened at the same time as the beginning of the big 12 than anything, but it seems to me that all i ever read about is the struggle we have pulling the big recruits in from Texas now, and how we are a second tier team, very similar to KU, MU, and CU. I wonder if the big

 

Parapharsing Mark Twain, the rumors of Nebraska's death have been greatly exaggerated. Nebraska was THE team to beat in the Big 12 when the conference was formed. The Huskers started to fall under Frank Solich and the utter collapse came under the previous incompetent coaching staff. The tide has turned, Bo is the right guy and the future is bright indeed.

 

To expand a little, Solich wasn't as good a coach as T.O., obviously.

 

Also, to say we can't pull recruits out of Texas now is a knock on our recruiting strategy. Unlike Callahan, we are recruiting the best players for the system and not just the best players. That's what T.O. did, Solich tried to do it, Callahan didn't do it, and Pelini is doing it now. I don't care where we get recruits from, I just want them to be the best guys for Nebraska football.

[Cy the Cyclone]

I, for one, have noticed no change at all between Big 8/Big 12 results....

[Husker_x]

We'd be remiss not to mention that until Pelini came to the north (and recently with Pinkel getting his act together), there's been a HUUUUUGE coaching disparity between the two divisions. In the south you've had Mack Brown and Bob Stoops for years, guys who routinely have their programs at the top. I don't think you can go population/recruiting for everything, because Oklahoma was down for a long time, and so was SC, and right now tradition-rich Notre Dame is sucking it up all over the place.

 

Tom Osborne could flat coach. Period. He gathered a stable, talented staff, built his program on sound fundamentals, and stayed around himself for decades. That's how you breed success. I think Pelini has made all the right moves. Let's talk again in five years about landing recruits from Texas. Already we have guys like Cody Green and Chris Williams heading north, along with half our roster. Bo's only had one season to build his reputation as a head coach. In time it'll be easier if our defenses start to land near the top of the nation like it did in 03.

[HuskerJen]

I, for one, have noticed no change at all between Big 8/Big 12 results....

 

Very droll.

 

 

[Spooky Tooth]

I, for one, have noticed no change at all between Big 8/Big 12 results....

 

 

It's that damned "smoking" area around your tunnel, I tells ya.

 

 

Exhibit A:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[clone]

Tom Osborne could flat coach. Period. He gathered a stable, talented staff, built his program on sound fundamentals, and stayed around himself for decades.

 

Until the birth of the b12. The big 8 was actually the big two for decades.

 

As much as I like dr Tom, there is a HUGE difference between competing in the B8 and the B12.

 

APPLES to ORANGES.

 

BIG TIME!

[BeachBuffs]

My theory:

 

The reinvigoration of USC as a perennial national powerhouse closed the doors on SoCal recruiting that NU and to a lesser extent CU were able to tap into in the 80's and 90's.

[jayhawk]

My theory:

 

The reinvigoration of USC as a perennial national powerhouse closed the doors on SoCal recruiting that NU and to a lesser extent CU were able to tap into in the 80's and 90's.

This is a good point. Also the rise of Texas has been long in coming, they had no excuse to suck like they did for so long.

[In the Deed the Glory]

My theory:

 

The reinvigoration of USC as a perennial national powerhouse closed the doors on SoCal recruiting that NU and to a lesser extent CU were able to tap into in the 80's and 90's.

This is a good point. Also the rise of Texas has been long in coming, they had no excuse to suck like they did for so long.

 

I would say these two along with Rutgers and other East teams keeping NJ kids home combining that with the rise of USF and other Florida schools has really shut off the pipelines NU had. Pelini is starting to open some up, hopefully they can target the right guys and win some battles.

 

I'd be happier if he can actually coach the kids when they get here, which I think he can. Top 5 classes don't me sh#t unless you can develop them.

 

Underdeveloped 5* football players are still 5* High School players playing against Big 12 college players, that is not a good situation for said 5*.

[Enhance]

While it is important to have pipeline states and other little recruiting advantages, I don't think it's a big deal. Everything about sports is cyclical and doesn't stay the same forever, so when something gets closed off something else will get opened up. I have no fears in Pelini finding those other paths.