Greetings from a Wisconsin Badger

[BigTenBadger]

Dear Huskers,

 

I hope you're all having a great summer, though if you're impatient like me, you'd rather fast-forward through June, July, and August, and get to football season more quickly!

I wanted to say that I am really looking forward to your 6th year of membership in the same conference, and that I hope that a sense of belonging has grown deeper over the years. I was a college senior at Madison when Nebraska joined in 2011, and had tickets to the infamous Russell Wilson game. It's crazy to think that I have since graduated undergrad, gotten a Master's degree, and just wrapped up my 4th year of teaching high school history and sociology.

 

Nebraska being in the Big Ten seems so right to me now, and I love the West Division design where we get to play each other every year, along with Iowa and Minnesota. With that being said, I know there are still strong feelings of connection and nostalgia for many of your former Big 8 and Big XII teams, and that is totally valid and understandable. That history is an important part of who you are as a program, and no one from the Big Ten (which, contrary to what many like to think, isn't made up of a bunch of lifetime charter members) should think otherwise. You and every part of your history belong in the conference just as much as Penn State who joined in 1990, MSU who joined in 1950, Michigan who rejoined 21 years after the conference started, or even Ohio State who joined 16 years after the conference started. You are a large, land grant, public school that offers a world-class education to your state's residents, you value research and academics greatly, and you have incredible football and basketball programs. Those qualities, along with your fun-loving fan base, over-sized stadium, and geographic location make you as Big Ten as any school could be, and I, for one, hope that it remains that way for a long, long time.

Looking forward to the Badger/Husker match-up in Madison this fall! Something tells me that things will be much, much closer than usual, and I hope many of you either make a return trip to the Isthmus, or, better yet, make your first trip! We'd love to have you, and I'd personally love to repay some of the incredible hospitality that I've gotten in my trips to Lincoln in 2012 and 2015.

Consider making the trip, and if you do, hit me up with plans! I'd love to host and tailgate with you all.

Have a great summer!

 

BigTenBadger

[Redux]

Very well said and greatly appreciated.

 

It's becoming much more normal as we enter year 6 of Big Ten play. It's hard not to look at the Big 12 and think "what if we stayed?", yet winning the Big Ten now feels much more important at least for me.

 

Good luck on your season!

[C N Red]

[Kiyoat Husker]

... I know there are still strong feelings of connection and nostalgia for many of your former Big 8 and Big XII teams...

 

Just a small correction. Great post otherwise!

[BIGREDIOWAN]

<<<<< looks over shoulder waiting for attack!

 

Seriously though, thanks for the kind words and good luck in the upcoming season!

[VectorVictor]

 

... I know there are still strong feelings of connection and nostalgia for many of your former rival Oklahoma Big 8 and Big XII teams...

 

Just a small correction. Great post otherwise!

 

 

Corrected your correction. For correctness.

 

Welcome to the boards OP, and hope you stay around. We always welcome outside perspectives on our team and love discussing college football en masse.

 

But yeah, the Big XII can go eat a bag of Richards, the whole lot of them. Recent print confirmations of rumors regarding how our former Big 8 members sold us down the river to appease Texass during the formation of the Big XII don't really help to endear us to them anymore.

[Redux]

I miss OU, KU, ISU and that's pretty much it. Mizzou, KSU and CU could go winless this year and nothing would please me more. Okie State just never really registered on my radar as a conference foe for some reason.

 

The Texas schools can suck it.

[RunMickeyRun02]

What a great post!

 

I've felt pride in being in the Big Ten since we joined. With the Big 8/12 I never really felt any pride for being in the conference as a whole I'm not sure why, it was more of a geographical inevitability. With the Big Ten it's more than just "you're in this conference because these teams are near you" sort of deal.

[Swiv3D]

I miss OU, KU, ISU and that's pretty much it. Mizzou, KSU and CU could go winless this year and nothing would please me more. Okie State just never really registered on my radar as a conference foe for some reason.

 

The Texas schools can suck it.

Personally isu can go pound sand. Growing up in Des Moines I've always viewed their fans as p.o.s.'s

[huKSer]

So BigTenBadger

 

What is the feeling for next year in Madison as far as the Badgers, West division and CCG?

[Bowfin]

But yeah, the Big XII can go eat a bag of Richards, the whole lot of them.

 

Wait, What? You're saying that there's still a Big XII conference?...Why??...

[Kiyoat Husker]

 

I miss OU, KU, ISU and that's pretty much it. Mizzou, KSU and CU could go winless this year and nothing would please me more. Okie State just never really registered on my radar as a conference foe for some reason.

 

The Texas schools can suck it.

Personally isu can go pound sand. Growing up in Des Moines I've always viewed their fans as p.o.s.'s

Only towards Squawkeye fans. Husker fans were treated pretty well at "The Jack". I will miss the tailgating there.

 

On that note, for those of you that have been to Camp Randall, how does the tailgate/ atmosphere/ fan experience rate compared to other conference destinations?

[Red Dead Redemption]

I wanted to say that I am really looking forward to your 6th year of membership in the same conference, and that I hope that a sense of belonging has grown deeper over the years.

In the big 8, Osborne was almost fired for Nebraska becoming Oklahoma's bitch. In the big 12, Solich was fired for Nebraska becoming Texas' bitch. In the big 10, Pelini was fired for Nebraska becoming Wisconsin's bitch.

 

Yeah, I'd say we belong where we are...

[BigTenBadger]

So BigTenBadger

 

What is the feeling for next year in Madison as far as the Badgers, West division and CCG?

 

Not good.

 

Our first 6 conference games are:

 

at Michigan State

at Michigan

Ohio State

at Iowa

Nebraska

at Northwestern

 

I will be jumping for joy if we manage to emerge from that stretch having won half of the games. After that, we get to end the season with Illinois, @Purdue, and Minnesota at home. I would think that going 7-5 sounds about right with 8-4 being possible if our team is as decently solid as is being reported.

 

In seasons like this, where things look bleak, my one expectation is that we continue to beat Minnesota on Senior Day, and if we do, this year will extend our winning streak over the gerbils to 13 years. This is particularly important to me as a Wisconsin fan who lives in the Twin Cities.

 

Oh yes...

We also play LSU at Lambeau Field to kick off the season if you haven't heard. Winning that game would do wonders in perking up my expectations. It would be amazing.

 

As far as the West Division and the CCG, quite frankly I don't give a damn what happens if it doesn't involve my team. If it's between Nebraska and Iowa, I hope you all win it for sure. If the CCG is something like Northwestern vs OSU, I say GO WILDCATS. I never subscribe to the whole "cheer for MSU and OSU as National Championship contenders" if such a school gets to the playoffs. Wisconsin lifted its national profile in the last 15 or so years while Michigan and Ohio State were down as programs. It doesn't help schools like Wisconsin (and honestly, I think Nebraska and Penn State) when OSU and Mich do well... though that's the message that they fellate Big Ten officials to tell everyone.

 

If you haven't figured it out yet, when the media says, "The Big Ten is having a down year." It means that UM and OSU are having a down year and other schools are getting the chance to win some games. Badger fans even hear it in basketball... even when we make the Final Four two years in a row. "Well... looks like the Big Ten is down because Indiana didn't win the conference."

 

[2ndNnine]

"Come to Madison" they said. "It'll be fun" they said.