Buying in to our Big 10 Identity

You all should buy into the Big 10 because hopefully by now you all realize that with a chance to pummel a bunch of mediocre football teams year after year, Nebraska will always be assured of a chance at a national title shot.

The Big 10 looks good on paper. Heck, if there was a college fantasy football league around here, I would sign up as many Big 10 skill players as I could since their stats look so good in the paper on Sunday morning...but you don't play football on paper.

The Big 10 has all the things I hated about the Big 12 over the past decade...weak non-conference scheduling to assure bowl berths (as evidenced by what happened when an over-hyped Michigan team accidently ventured outside the conference to take on a legitimate opponent and found themselves humiliated and knocked out of any hope for mention in a national championship conversation), inner-conference play that allows a team to win their division without taking on top teams from the other division, inflated player and team stats and hype from taking on all the patsies in the league...and I'm not even going to mention the scandal, controversy and police reports that seem to dog the conference year after year.

In my opinion...the Big 12 finally has it right. All teams play each other and the last man standing is the legitimate champion of the conference. No divisions...no money inspired league championship games to determine who might or might not be the best team in the conference, no mathematician required to determine who might or might not be eligible to win their division...just smash mouth football. Say what you want about the Big 12 but the addition of TCU and West Virginia more than offset any lose of Missouri or Texas A&M and has vaulted the Big 12 into the national spotlight again as a conference that ranks right behind the SEC.

Anyways...the Big 10 has definately been a good move for Nebraska, the Big 10 and the Big 12. You have a conference you can dominate...the Big 10 has a legitimate football team to showcase,..and the Big 12 has added strength to the conference...and I have something to watch on TV before the Iowa State game comes on and...the best part...I never have to enter Nebraska again unless I want to go to the zoo.

 
Cy...it kind of seems like you're almost putting words in our mouths.

Don't forget that the majority of this fan base still holds ourselves to the highest standards. That's why we dream of national titles, not just conference titles. Not just "going to the Rose Bowl." So regardless of whether or not our conference play is deemed as weak, or prone to padding stats, we still dream of being the best.

We've taken a monumental slide from that level of play...but it's still the goal.

Also, you really put on the rose-colored glasses with the whole "No conference championship game ensures a true champion" thing. Reference the Big 10's ridiculousness from two seasons ago; it was pathetic. It was essentially a three-way tie. I agree with you to a point - it ensures that every game counts. But I'm guessing you understand that Iowa State's chances just got infinitely more unlikely (as if that was previously thought possible) of winning a conference title.

The nice thing about the old Big XII set up for us was something we probably took for granted - in the more recent era, all we really had to do was ensure that we beat Mizzery and K-State, and we could at least get to the conference title game. With a little luck, maybe we win that game.

Winning it outright is much harder to do.

 
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Bucky said:
This is kool-aid on a level heretofore unseen. Worse than Bama fans claiming the Tide could beat an NFL team.
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Wow. Even after the 96 Fiesta bowl, not even the most drunken Nebraska fans would have proclaimed that. I take that back...every fan base has a few idiots...

 
WVU and TCU offset Mizzou and A&M? What kind of whacky world is this? No, just no.

Anyway you want to cut it the Big Twelve lost in realignment, they dropped four large state schools three with sizable national fan bases and added a smaller public school from one of the most economically depressed states in the country and a tiny private christian school.

They lost seven national championships and added one. The schools you lost had roughly 140,000 full time students (multiply that several times to get total alumni numbers) while the schools you added have just under 40k. You lost St Louis, Denver and god knows how many viewers nation wide when the Aggies and Huskers left and added what in exchange? There are no TVs in WV, those people play with snakes for entertainment. Now the SEC has a wide open door to raid Texas, have fun with that, its not going to end well.

In the long term you will have fewer fans, fewer TVs, less moneys and fewer quality recruits.

Behold the mighty cost of bowing to Texas....that conference is doomed.

Also the idea that removing the CCG makes things less ambigious is laughable. With a championship game we know who the winner is, story over. Yes, that three way tie in the Big XII South the other year was weird but I'd much rather occasionally have a tie in a division than be left with three conference co-champions like the Big Ten had in 2010.

 
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I guess if your world revolves around the almighty dollar opposed to quality opponents then the Big 12 did lose out. Myself...I would rather have a conference with quality opponents such as West Virgina and TCU than Missouri...who has done absolutely squat except embarass themselves in a couple of bowl games lately...and Texas A&M who were world beaters way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Nebraska was a loss...Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M? Not so much.

And if you DO want to worship at the dollar alter...the Big 12 got a sweet TV deal that that only has to be split 10 ways now as opposed to 12...everybody in the conference is going to be raking in some cash for the next five years. I think somebody realizes more people are going to be tuning in throughou the nation to watch the hillbillies from WV with one of the most exciting offenses in football, take on Oklahoma State with the other most exciting offenses in football nationwide than will be tuning in to watch...say...Wisconsin take on Ohio State...if it were offered on the same day at the same time.

Again...I stand by the fact that conference championship games are weak and cause more trouble than they are worth. You mentioned the problems with the Big 10 but how about the big mess we had last year with the LSU - Alabama rematch in the BCS championship game? screwed up conference tournaments are more the rule than the exception.

But, as I said before...if Nebraska is happy with the Big 10, more power to you. Enjoy it! This could definately be your year.

 
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Bucky said:
I'm glad we added Nebraska, I think they're a perfect fit.

That spring of 2010 was an interesting one. So many schools were floated out there; Syracuse, Rutgers, Maryland, Connecticut, Cincinatti, Pitt, Texas, Missouri. Thank God none of that happened. Its great we stayed away from the East and added NU. They fit both geographically and culturally and their addition should inject new life in to our conference, hopefully as soon as this year.

Benefits for the B1G

We can claim much of NU's success in B1G record books

Addition reaffirms cultural identity and commitment to Midwest

More Moneys

Ability to divide into divisions and create conference championship game

Conference now has four CFB powerhouses. That's as many or more than any other conference depending on how you want to count

One to two more easy wins in basketball for most teams

They're supposed to be good in that baseball thing. Being a UW fan I have absolutely no idea what that sport is.

Drawbacks for the B1G

We have horribly named divisions

Academic identity slightly tarnished

Lil Red is creepy

Oh and Notre Dame, depending on how you look at it and how this continuing realignment pans out but adding NU may make it more difficult to add ND, or it may make it easier. That may be a good thing or it may not. Personally I've always wanted ND in the conference. I'd swap PSU for them.

Benefits for NU

Better Hockey (if they ever get it)

I think our volleyball and wrestiling are better?

Better Basketball (debatable)

More Academic support through the CIC

I personally think the B1G schools are in better areas to visit than those in the Big 12 but that's just me.

More Moneys

No Texas

No Colorado

Football is a wash

Drawbacks for NU

Are the roadtrips farther? I can't tell.

No Oklahoma

Ability to recruit Texas may be hindered

B1G baseball is like ACC football

Anyhow, to reiterate; I'm happy with NU. I liked them in the Big 8 and Big XII, they were kind of my team. I don't root for them near as much now since the realignment and having joined this board but I still like the program/school. Their people are alright, we're already familiar with their kind. It's as if Iowa brought a better looking sister to the party.
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Lil Red is not creepy! (OK he might be a little creepy.)

Also...Baseball still not good.

also - notre dame yes, please.

 
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The big 12 recieved a 2.6 billion dollar contract for 13yrs. That is roughly 20 mil a team. Big ten recieved a 268 mil for this year. Meaning 23mil a team and that is if they give OSU any part of it due to the big ten restrictions.

Basically big 12 is stuck for the next 13 yrs with only 20 mil unless texas can pull something from them since all the other teams are the followers.

Lets just hope for the Big 12s sake that they don't regret bringing in the two teams and regret it like the Pac12 does with Utah and Colorado.

 
MSUFAN4320 said:
I think a lot of Big Ten fans are VERY happy to have Nebraska in the conference. You guys just fit in on so many levels. We were worried for a while there because a lot of reports were indicating Rutgers was going to be the 12th team. No offense to Rutgers -- a fine academic institution, but they just do not move the needle from a football standpoint. Nebraska brings a lot more credibility to this conference which often gets blasted by pundits in the media for being weak.
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Yeah and getting waxed in bowl games by teams from the SEC doesn't help either. (Congrats to the Spartans by the way for beating Georgia in the bowl game last season and Boise State in the opener this season.)

That's one thing I don't think that teams from the Big 10 collectively understand. When teams from the SEC play teams from other conferences it's almost as if they take their game to a whole new level. For them, it's about conference pride and national bragging rights.

The Big 10 will never be mentioned on par with the SEC until we start winning bowl games andnational championship games-especially when an SEC team is the opponent.

 
Cy the Cyclone said:
I guess if your world revolves around the almighty dollar opposed to quality opponents then the Big 12 did lose out. Myself...I would rather have a conference with quality opponents such as West Virgina and TCU than Missouri...who has done absolutely squat except embarass themselves in a couple of bowl games lately...and Texas A&M who were world beaters way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Nebraska was a loss...Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M? Not so much.

And if you DO want to worship at the dollar alter...the Big 12 got a sweet TV deal that that only has to be split 10 ways now as opposed to 12...everybody in the conference is going to be raking in some cash for the next five years. I think somebody realizes more people are going to be tuning in throughou the nation to watch the hillbillies from WV with one of the most exciting offenses in football, take on Oklahoma State with the other most exciting offenses in football nationwide than will be tuning in to watch...say...Wisconsin take on Ohio State...if it were offered on the same day at the same time.

Again...I stand by the fact that conference championship games are weak and cause more trouble than they are worth. You mentioned the problems with the Big 10 but how about the big mess we had last year with the LSU - Alabama rematch in the BCS championship game? screwed up conference tournaments are more the rule than the exception.

But, as I said before...if Nebraska is happy with the Big 10, more power to you. Enjoy it! This could definately be your year.
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Just as an example lets look at the first major conference to add a championship game against the Big Ten

Tied/Controversial Championships

SEC

1992 - Tie between UF & UGA for East. UF beat UGA for head to head. NO CONTROVERSY

1993 - No Division Ties

1994 - No Division Ties

1995 - No Division Ties

1996 - No Division Ties

1997 - Tie between AU & LSU for West. AU beat LSU for head to head. NO CONTROVERSY

1998 - Tie between MSU & Arky for West. MSU beat Arky for head to head. NO CONTROVERSY

1999 - No Division Ties

2000 - No Division Ties

2001 - Tie between LSU & AU for West. LSU beat AU for head to head. NO CONTROVERSY

2002 - No Division Ties

2003 - Tie between UT, UF & UGA for East, UGA beat UT for head to head and ranked higher than UF. Tie between LSU & Ole Miss, LSU beat Ole Miss for head to head. Slight Controversy.

2004 - No Division Ties

2005 - Tie between LSU & AU for West, LSU beat AU for head to head. NO CONTROVERSY

2006 - No Division Ties

2007 - Tie between UT & UGA for East, UT beat UGA for head to head. NO CONTROVERSY

2008 - No Division Ties

2009 - No Division Ties

2010 - No Division Ties

2011 - No Division Ties

Big Ten

1992 - UM has best record

1993 - OSU & UW tie for best record. SPLIT CHAMPIONSHIP

1994 - Penn St. has best record

1995 - Northwestern has best record

1996 - Northwestern & OSU tie for best record. SPLIT CHAMPIONSHIP

1997 - UM has best record

1998 - UM, OSU & UW tie for best record. SPLIT CHAMPIONSHIP

1999 - UW has best record

2000 - UM, Northwestern & Purdue tie for best record. SPLIT CHAMPIONSHIP

2001 - Illinois has best record

2002 - Iowa & OSU tie for best record. SPLIT CHAMPIONSHIP

2003 - UM has best record

2004 - Iowa & UM tie for best record. SPLIT CHAMPIONSHIP

2005 - PSU & OSU tie for best record. SPLIT CHAMPIONSHIP

2006 - OSU has best record

2007 - OSU has best record

2008 - PSU & OSU tie for best record. SPLIT CHAMPIONSHIP

2009 - OSU has best record

2010 - UW, OSU & MSU tie for best record. SPLIT CHAMPIONSHIP

So for the Big Ten with no CCG that's nine split championships versus ten outright championships while the SEC had just one somewhat controversial championship. To argue that the 2011 SEC championship was controversial is being chronologically dishonest. At the time, in November of last year, there was no question that LSU had beat Bama on the road and deserved to go to Atlanta. Arguing otherwise is just silly.

I will take a championship game over the frustration of shared championships any day.

I'd be more than willing to bet that tOSU v. UW will draw more viewers than OSU v. WVU after its first season. OSU and WVU are both peaking. UW is peaking and tOSU is (read "was") in a slump. If all four programs were peaking UW v. tOSU would smash OSU v. WVU

UW v. Oregon - ~11.8 million viewers

OSU v. Stanford - ~11.1 million viewers

WVU v. Clemson - ~ 5.2 million viewers

OSU v. UF - ~ 2.4 million viewers

Ohio - 11.5 million residents

Wisconsin - 5.7 million residents

Oklahoma - 3.8 million residents

West Virginia - 1.8 million residents

Ohio State - ~64,000 students

Wisconsin - ~ 42,000 students

Oklahoma State - ~23,000 students

West Virginia - ~ 29,000 students

Top 100 TV Markets within states

Ohio & Wisconsin - Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Columbus, Toledo, Cleveland, Dayton, Cincinnati

WV & OK - Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Charleston

 
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Cy the Cyclone said:
I guess if your world revolves around the almighty dollar opposed to quality opponents then the Big 12 did lose out. Myself...I would rather have a conference with quality opponents such as West Virgina and TCU than Missouri...who has done absolutely squat except embarass themselves in a couple of bowl games lately...and Texas A&M who were world beaters way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Nebraska was a loss...Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M? Not so much.
And if you DO want to worship at the dollar alter...the Big 12 got a sweet TV deal that that only has to be split 10 ways now as opposed to 12...everybody in the conference is going to be raking in some cash for the next five years. I think somebody realizes more people are going to be tuning in throughou the nation to watch the hillbillies from WV with one of the most exciting offenses in football, take on Oklahoma State with the other most exciting offenses in football nationwide than will be tuning in to watch...say...Wisconsin take on Ohio State...if it were offered on the same day at the same time.

Again...I stand by the fact that conference championship games are weak and cause more trouble than they are worth. You mentioned the problems with the Big 10 but how about the big mess we had last year with the LSU - Alabama rematch in the BCS championship game? screwed up conference tournaments are more the rule than the exception.

But, as I said before...if Nebraska is happy with the Big 10, more power to you. Enjoy it! This could definately be your year.
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This is interesting. I think a majority of big ten fans have the same feelings about the big 12. I'm sorry but I don't think the bid 12 is any better than the big ten. You have had two major teams in the spot light over the past decade that have done anything notable in Texas and ou. OU consistently gets thumped in bowel games, and we played Texas in 06 and 07 and went 1-1 and we should have beaten them when we played them in the shoe if not for Vince young. And no offense to NU, I am a big fan, but they found out last year that the BIG is not going to be easy to win.

Also, the big ten has a much larger viewing population than the big 12 so trust me, plenty would rather watch tOSU-Wisconsin than WVU-OSU. The BIG has more money, more tradition, more iconic stadiums, and more stability than the Big Twelve and it only got better with the addition of NU. Just my opinion though.

 
'SkersRule said:
MSUFAN4320 said:
I think a lot of Big Ten fans are VERY happy to have Nebraska in the conference. You guys just fit in on so many levels. We were worried for a while there because a lot of reports were indicating Rutgers was going to be the 12th team. No offense to Rutgers -- a fine academic institution, but they just do not move the needle from a football standpoint. Nebraska brings a lot more credibility to this conference which often gets blasted by pundits in the media for being weak.
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Yeah and getting waxed in bowl games by teams from the SEC doesn't help either. (Congrats to the Spartans by the way for beating Georgia in the bowl game last season and Boise State in the opener this season.)

That's one thing I don't think that teams from the Big 10 collectively understand. When teams from the SEC play teams from other conferences it's almost as if they take their game to a whole new level. For them, it's about conference pride and national bragging rights.

The Big 10 will never be mentioned on par with the SEC until we start winning bowl games andnational championship games-especially when an SEC team is the opponent.
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Well no doubt, but what conference is as good as the sec? None. They are a great conference full of great coaches and surrounded by the best recruiting grounds in the country. We do beat them every now and again though.. We beat Arkansas, Michigan beat Florida, etc. etc.

 
Ya Bucky. And Columbus is the 4th largest sports market in the country, look it up. Also 50% of the population of the US lives within 500 miles of Columbus.

 
Whoa!!! How awkward is this! Today I find myself wanting to cheer, and cheer loudly, for both Missouri and Texas A&M. How strange is this thing called fate and conference re-alignment. Never thought I'd see the day.

 
grandpasknee said:
Whoa!!! How awkward is this! Today I find myself wanting to cheer, and cheer loudly, for both Missouri and Texas A&M. How strange is this thing called fate and conference re-alignment. Never thought I'd see the day.
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Funny.. I want A&M and Missouri to lose.

 
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