I was wrong about the B!G ………………

[Guy Chamberlin]

NU gave WI the game with 3 Ints. WI, I think is still the better team, but you can't kill yourself like that.

NW -- Bo and Co didn't take them seriously.

Strongly disagree on both counts. The first two interceptions Martinez threw in the first half against Wisconsin were on 3rd and long from around midfield, so they had little more effect than an incompletion followed by a crappy punt. The interception to open the second half was really depressing, but it's not like we'd shown any ability to stop Wisconsin elsewhere in the game. The offense had one good quarter. The defenense had four bad quarters. Erase the interceptions and not much would have changed.

Bo and Co absolutely took Northwestern seriously. That's why they were so well prepared for its heralded starting quarterback, and so unprepared for his much shiftier replacement. If they played Northwestern again, I'm not convinced the defense would do much better.

 

[Excel]

I was wrong about the B1G also. It is a bit more smash-mouth oriented as expected but what has surprised me the most is that the lower level teams are generally much better than the lower level of the Big 12. I really see no evidence to suggest that either conference is light years ahead of the other. The top couple Big 12 teams this year may appear stronger than the top of the B1G but put them through the same gauntlet of a schedule you get in the B1G and I think things even up a bit. I now understand why the B1G has trouble getting teams through the regular season unscathed. No more KU's, ISU's, CU's, and Baylors to roll. Historically, you could even add Mizzou, KSU, & OSU to that list as well. Minny, Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern are just not that bad. Other than OSU's offense, I am not overly impressed with the Big 12 this year. Give me our defense from 1 or 2 years ago and I'll show you how to shut down Okie lite as well. I love being in the B1G, it is where a team like Nebraska belongs. Unfortunately, we will not be able to skate by like we could in the Big 12 north when our team is down a bit as it is this year. The SEC is strong no question. And if you take Oregon and Stanford out of the Pac whatever, you are left with nothing. Those of you who think the Big 12 is all that apparently don't watch enough football and/or you get too much ESPN spin. Personally I think NU ends with a similar or better record playing Big 12 teams than going against the likes of Wiscy, tOSU, Michigan, Penn St, MSU, & Iowa. There may be more flash in the 12 but there is wider, deeper substance in the B1G.

Agreed...and I'm digging the profile picture. I'd been looking at it for awhile and thought it might be a Husker then I remembered where I'd seen it. It's only the most badass picture of John Clay ever. I knew you were all secretly Badger fans....

I still don't know how SI got such a great shot. You can almost feel the anticipation of the coming play as he stares down the offensive line.

 

[Comish]

In the Big12 everyone recruits TX. In TX they have 7 on 7 camps year round. Nobody hits anybody, the QB dosen't get hit, why would anybody want to play D?

In the B1G we mostly recruit the midwest. It snows and we still play football, no one passes becasues it is cold as s**t, we run the ball and beat the hell out of one another for 3 yards. I love it.

For the record NU handled those touted Big12 offenses pretty well.

:yeah

 

[MT949597]

Big Ten could be getting even tougher over the years if Ohio St. and Penn St. both bring in some big time coaches, more likely tOSU than Penn St, but it could happen.

 

[junior4949]

I was wrong about the B1G also. It is a bit more smash-mouth oriented as expected but what has surprised me the most is that the lower level teams are generally much better than the lower level of the Big 12. I really see no evidence to suggest that either conference is light years ahead of the other. The top couple Big 12 teams this year may appear stronger than the top of the B1G but put them through the same gauntlet of a schedule you get in the B1G and I think things even up a bit. I now understand why the B1G has trouble getting teams through the regular season unscathed. No more KU's, ISU's, CU's, and Baylors to roll. Historically, you could even add Mizzou, KSU, & OSU to that list as well. Minny, Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern are just not that bad. Other than OSU's offense, I am not overly impressed with the Big 12 this year. Give me our defense from 1 or 2 years ago and I'll show you how to shut down Okie lite as well. I love being in the B1G, it is where a team like Nebraska belongs. Unfortunately, we will not be able to skate by like we could in the Big 12 north when our team is down a bit as it is this year. The SEC is strong no question. And if you take Oregon and Stanford out of the Pac whatever, you are left with nothing. Those of you who think the Big 12 is all that apparently don't watch enough football and/or you get too much ESPN spin. Personally I think NU ends with a similar or better record playing Big 12 teams than going against the likes of Wiscy, tOSU, Michigan, Penn St, MSU, & Iowa. There may be more flash in the 12 but there is wider, deeper substance in the B1G.

Iowa State will probably finish second to last in the Big 12. They beat Iowa. I see KU and Minnesota being very comparable. What I don't see is any team in the Big 10 comparable with OU and Okie State this year. The BCS is supposed to be unbiased. The Big 12 has three teams ranked higher than the highest ranked Big 10 team. Half of the Big 12's teams are ranked in the BCS top 25. There is more flash this year in the Big 12, and there is also wider; deeper substance in the Big 12. Obviously, this is just looking at this year. Next year could be completely opposite.

 

[The Dude]

We'd probably have about 4 losses right now in the Big XII. Our defense would be absolutely shredded in that league. And our offense probably wouldn't be able to keep up.

 

[AustinHuskr]

I just hope we don't fall into that old B1G mindset trap......

You know..... that "lets just get to the Rose Bowl" line of thinking....

Nebraska is about playing for Championships........and as long as we don't fall into that old B1G mindset I'm okay with this conf. Hopefully we change that mindset for the rest of the old schools in the B1G

Still would have preferred a stable Big12. Too much talent and speed that we gave up on IMO.

 

[Stickney]

I just hope we don't fall into that old B1G mindset trap......

You know..... that "lets just get to the Rose Bowl" line of thinking....

Nebraska is about playing for Championships........and as long as we don't fall into that old B1G mindset I'm okay with this conf. Hopefully we change that mindset for the rest of the old schools in the B1G

Still would have preferred a stable Big12. Too much talent and speed that we gave up on IMO.

I don't think this B1G experiment will yield particularly great results for NU. But, then again, NU hasn't been "relevant" as a NC quality team for a decade.

The Big 12 is the better conference this year, imo.

The B1G is filled with a pack of mediocre teams (MSU, Mich, NU, PSU, IA, OSU) and a bunch of crud (MN, IL, IN, Purd). WI is decent. But an OU or OSU would score points in bunches on them (they might score too, but I think OU/OSU would win). You can mock TAMU and MU all you want, but they would be tough outs for NU this year. ISU, under Rhoades, would give NU a fight no matter what. KU is junk. But KSU would beat NU this year. And of course NU can't beat TX.

Time will tell though.

 

[BlueInTheFace]

I just hope we don't fall into that old B1G mindset trap......

You know..... that "lets just get to the Rose Bowl" line of thinking....

Nebraska is about playing for Championships........and as long as we don't fall into that old B1G mindset I'm okay with this conf. Hopefully we change that mindset for the rest of the old schools in the B1G

Still would have preferred a stable Big12. Too much talent and speed that we gave up on IMO.

Honestly, I think that "mindset" is a myth. Everybody wants to play for a national championship and anyone who says otherwise is lying.

 

[Joe_5700]

I knew from the day it was announced we were going to join that this conference just made sense for us. Great fans, physical football, similar climates, and similar lifestyles of the people you encounter on the road. I have always respected this conference for their defensive play. Always the best defensive lines and linebackers. As tough as I think this conference is, I expect us to be among the top if not the top of this conference in the future. We are already leaving our mark. If not for that loss to Northwestern, I would say we would have been almost a sure Conference Champion. Oh well, maybe next year.

Don't forget that we also had the chance to go up two scores on Wisconsin several times early in the game. That game could have been a lot different if we had gone up 2 touchdowns in that one. I'm not saying we would have won, but it would have been a lot more interesting. Nebraska has a chance to be at the top of the league as long as the powers that be do not have knee jerk reactions to losses (like many of our fans on this board did after NW) and call for a coaching change.

 

[Cornicator]

I just hope we don't fall into that old B1G mindset trap......

You know..... that "lets just get to the Rose Bowl" line of thinking....

Nebraska is about playing for Championships........and as long as we don't fall into that old B1G mindset I'm okay with this conf. Hopefully we change that mindset for the rest of the old schools in the B1G

Still would have preferred a stable Big12. Too much talent and speed that we gave up on IMO.

I don't think this B1G experiment will yield particularly great results for NU. But, then again, NU hasn't been "relevant" as a NC quality team for a decade.

The Big 12 is the better conference this year, imo.

The B1G is filled with a pack of mediocre teams (MSU, Mich, NU, PSU, IA, OSU) and a bunch of crud (MN, IL, IN, Purd). WI is decent. But an OU or OSU would score points in bunches on them (they might score too, but I think OU/OSU would win). You can mock TAMU and MU all you want, but they would be tough outs for NU this year. ISU, under Rhoades, would give NU a fight no matter what. KU is junk. But KSU would beat NU this year. And of course NU can't beat TX.

Time will tell though.

Kansas State wouldn't beat the Huskers this year. I've watched everyone of their games. However, the Huskers would struggled against a team like Mizzou this year who is 9th place in the league.

 

[Stickney]

I just hope we don't fall into that old B1G mindset trap......

You know..... that "lets just get to the Rose Bowl" line of thinking....

Nebraska is about playing for Championships........and as long as we don't fall into that old B1G mindset I'm okay with this conf. Hopefully we change that mindset for the rest of the old schools in the B1G

Still would have preferred a stable Big12. Too much talent and speed that we gave up on IMO.

I don't think this B1G experiment will yield particularly great results for NU. But, then again, NU hasn't been "relevant" as a NC quality team for a decade.

The Big 12 is the better conference this year, imo.

The B1G is filled with a pack of mediocre teams (MSU, Mich, NU, PSU, IA, OSU) and a bunch of crud (MN, IL, IN, Purd). WI is decent. But an OU or OSU would score points in bunches on them (they might score too, but I think OU/OSU would win). You can mock TAMU and MU all you want, but they would be tough outs for NU this year. ISU, under Rhoades, would give NU a fight no matter what. KU is junk. But KSU would beat NU this year. And of course NU can't beat TX.

Time will tell though.

Kansas State wouldn't beat the Huskers this year. I've watched everyone of their games. However, the Huskers would struggled against a team like Mizzou this year who is 9th place in the league.

KSU's QB Klein has stumbled his way past a bunch of defenses this year. It's possible Bo schemes and shuts him down. It's also possible he goes for 150 and 3 scores.

Who knows, maybe NU faces them in a bowl?

 

[Nebula]

I think it's amusing that people are claiming to have a good idea on how we would fare in the Big 12 this year, or how other Big 12 teams would fare in the B1G. I'm quite certain that if prior to the season opener you had handed out a copy of our 2011 schedule to everyone who has read this thread, told them that we would have two losses by now, and then asked them to guess which games we lost, the amount of people who would've picked Northwestern at home would have been less than 10%. And that is a conservative estimate. Personally I bet it would be 5% or less.

Nobody has any idea what will happen until they play the games. We could've lost six games in the Big 12 this year, we could have ran the table including the CCG in the Big 12. You don't know what would've happened, I don't know what would've happened. Somebody stated Oklahoma would own the B1G this year? They couldn't even own their own home turf against an unranked and thoroughly average Texas Tech. I'm a little grumpy today admittedly, but there is a lot of nonsense in this thread.

As to the OP, I agree! I enjoy the Big 10 quite a bit, maybe even more than I thought I would. I think it is an excellent fit, far better than the shotgun marriage that was the Big 12.

 

[JJ Husker]

I was wrong about the B1G also. It is a bit more smash-mouth oriented as expected but what has surprised me the most is that the lower level teams are generally much better than the lower level of the Big 12. I really see no evidence to suggest that either conference is light years ahead of the other. The top couple Big 12 teams this year may appear stronger than the top of the B1G but put them through the same gauntlet of a schedule you get in the B1G and I think things even up a bit. I now understand why the B1G has trouble getting teams through the regular season unscathed. No more KU's, ISU's, CU's, and Baylors to roll. Historically, you could even add Mizzou, KSU, & OSU to that list as well. Minny, Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern are just not that bad. Other than OSU's offense, I am not overly impressed with the Big 12 this year. Give me our defense from 1 or 2 years ago and I'll show you how to shut down Okie lite as well. I love being in the B1G, it is where a team like Nebraska belongs. Unfortunately, we will not be able to skate by like we could in the Big 12 north when our team is down a bit as it is this year. The SEC is strong no question. And if you take Oregon and Stanford out of the Pac whatever, you are left with nothing. Those of you who think the Big 12 is all that apparently don't watch enough football and/or you get too much ESPN spin. Personally I think NU ends with a similar or better record playing Big 12 teams than going against the likes of Wiscy, tOSU, Michigan, Penn St, MSU, & Iowa. There may be more flash in the 12 but there is wider, deeper substance in the B1G.

Iowa State will probably finish second to last in the Big 12. They beat Iowa. I see KU and Minnesota being very comparable. What I don't see is any team in the Big 10 comparable with OU and Okie State this year. The BCS is supposed to be unbiased. The Big 12 has three teams ranked higher than the highest ranked Big 10 team. Half of the Big 12's teams are ranked in the BCS top 25. There is more flash this year in the Big 12, and there is also wider; deeper substance in the Big 12. Obviously, this is just looking at this year. Next year could be completely opposite.

I based my opinions on the games I have watched and not on the BCS or any rankings and also on my perspective of how the teams have performed historically. So I discount a perenially poor team even though they may be doing better short term. ISU beating Iowa is only anecdotal and not a fair comparison due to the in-state rivalry thing. I would still maintain that Iowa is generally better than ISU. I can see comparing Minn & KU, it's a battle to the bottom between those 2. Okie St's offense is something this year but their D stinks. Many teams can have a smokin offense or defense for a year or two. Nobody from the 12 other than Okie St. has impressed me this year including OU. I just feel the B1G is generally more well balanced and consistent. My personal preference is to put a little more emphasis on defense when determining who has a better team. Not saying I'm right but that's how I view it. Let's try side by side;

Wisconsin 8-2 Oklahoma State 10-0

Nebraska 8-2 Oklahoma 8-1

Michigan 8-2 Kansas State 8-2

Michigan St 8-2 Baylor 6-3

Penn St 8-2 Texas 6-3

Ohio St 6-4 Mizzou 5-5

Iowa 6-4 Tex A&M 5-5

Illinois 6-4 Tex Tech 5-5

Northwestern 5-5 Iowa St 5-4

Purdue 5-5 Kansas 2-8

Minn 2-8

Indiana 1-9

I don't know about anyone else but that makes me think the B1G is a bit tougher overall.

 

[Excel]

Well, we don't have.... :hookerhorns so I think that would be the determining factor in comparing the two. Seriously though, the Big XII is a sinking ship, one way or another and they're a shadow of the conference NU played in. They might be "better" this year but it won't last....