Nebraska-Wisconsin

[Paul in WI]

Trust me, while on the surface they look similar, telling the difference is very easy when you see the teams on the field. I had to do a double-take a couple of times when I moved here, but after that it was easy.

[BarronCoBucky]

We could go back to the classic helmets to add a more distinctive flair but they eerily remind me of Speed Racer...I don't enjoy that.

 

 

[husker98]

We could go back to the classic helmets to add a more distinctive flair but they eerily remind me of Speed Racer...I don't enjoy that.

 

 

 

you may not like that jersey but i think it is totally awesome.

[GSG]

Wisconsin calls dibs on Nebraska's new Big Ten 'rivalry'

By Matt Hinton

 

Geographically, Nebraska and Wisconsin are separated by Minnesota, Iowa and the Mississippi River, but they still have a lot in common: They're both synonymous with hearty, humble Midwestern stock; they're both cold; they're both predominantly Catholic and/or Lutheran; they're both leading exporters of industrial machinery; they're both decked out in red and white; their capital cities are both named for 19th Century presidents; they both claim Barry Alvarez (Nebraska Class of '69, Wisconsin head coach/athletic director 1990-present) as one of their own.

 

With the Cornhuskers moving into the Big Ten, then, I guess it's only natural that Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema would move to claim Nebraska for the Badgers:

 

Suggested name for the rivalry: The Red Dead Redemption. It's not Paul Bunyan's Axe or the Slab of Bacon, but it'll do in a pinch.

 

Wisconsin-Nebraska is a rivalry that goes back more than 100 years, technically, to the teams' first meeting in Milwaukee in 1901, though they've only played four times in the intervening 109 years, in 1965-66 and 1973-74. The Badgers' other "trophy games," with long-time Big Ten rivals Minnesota and Iowa, have been staged almost every year since 1892 and 1894, respectively. The 'Huskers and Badgers haven't met since Bielema, now 40, was four years old.

 

Next door, however, Minnesotans of a certain age can remember when the 'Huskers were an annual menace out of the old Big Eight. Nebraska and Minnesota met 33 times in 43 years from 1932-74, and kept playing on a semi-regular basis through 1990, when Penn State's admission to the Big Ten forced the Gophers to reluctantly scuttle the series. (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that Nebraska had taken 14 in a row from Minnesota by an average score of 40-7 since 1963, including consecutive finals of 49-0, 48-7, 54-0, 84-13, 38-7, 48-0 and 56-0 over the last seven games of the series.) For some reason, Minnesota coach Tim Brewster's Twitter feed has remained suspiciously quiet over the new addition to the conference family.

 

The only other Big Ten outfit with any claim on a "rivalry" with Nebraska is (predictably) Iowa, once an annual opponent for the Cornhuskers until the mid-forties. But even the Hawkeyes, sitting just one state away, have only met the Big Red twice in any current player's lifetime, in 1999-2000. Unless they're still upset in Iowa City about the pilfering of the name "Cornhuskers," Bielema's opportunism may carry the day.

 

Yahoo! Sports Link

[BarronCoBucky]

However the rivalries develop is fine, just please don't anyone invent up some stupid meaningless contrived trophy for teams to fight over just for the sake of having a trophy. If an item happens to become the centerpiece of a rivalry that's cool and it only enriches the game but to force it on teams is just annoying and unauthentic. You can't invent tradition.

 

No "Land Grant" trophies

 

[Captain K]

Wisconsin's rivalries now are Minnesota and Iowa. It isn't hard to figure why Bielema would do this. His program is already at the level, or above, what is necessary to play with those two schools. Without any extra effort, he can excite a fan base, motivate his players and make it a bit easier to recruit (due to that excitement). Teams should be lined up.

[knapplc]

Wisconsin would be a natural rivalry. We could play them the day after Thanksgiving, and Barry Alvarez would be the trophy. Winning team gets Barry for the year.

[funhusker]

I, for one, would love it.

 

My brother-in-law is from Wisconsin. He and my sister (born/raised Neb) live right on the MN/WI border now, and I'm in Omaha. It would be great to alternate Thankgivings according to the Wisc/Neb schedule. Maybe even make it to a game if we had the time.

 

p.s. Family gatherings will be much more complicated now. This could put a new meaning to "Black Friday" at either house!