84HuskerLaw said:
The fault lies ultimately back with "Dollar Bill Byrne" who helped engineer the Big 12 to begin with. The Big 12 sucks and always has really. It really should have been named 'The new and improved Southwest Conference Starring Texas" as that was what it was intended to be and became. The best decision Nebraska ever made was getting out of that cluster. The departure of Nebraska basically sent the conference into a long slow death spiral. Frankly, in my view, the Big Ten has been reborn with the addition of Nebraska as well. The Big Ten was the weakest of the power conferences before we joined and we are now a rival to the SEC which was easily the 'top' conference. Nebraska football carries enormous political and image weight if you will in collegiate football. If Nebraska were to suddenly withdraw from the Big Ten and join the PAC 12, that conference would rise up and become the new rival with the SEC. It is rather amazing. There seems little argument on this fact as we know the Rutgers and Maryland didn't transform the conference 'power image' from mediocre to championship level.
Ohio State benefited as much as anyone from Nebraska's joinder as it legitmized the entire conference in terms of gravitas and strength.
Dude, I love Nebraska as well, but this is absurd.
What have we done to contribute to the rise of the Big Ten? Ohio State and Michigan State are the only schools that deserve that credit.
As other posters have said, we are viewed has a has been program outside of this state. Rightfully so, in my opinion. The onus is on us to change that.