LOL! Husker media calls the Big 10's kick-off "a classy banquet" . The Big 12? A" backyard BB-Q".

[Condem]

http://www.hawkeyenation.com/forum/football/13290-big-ten-media-day-sightings.html Football practice starts Friday. By the looks of things here, we're all ready.

[TZ]

1. I" ll take a backyard BBQ over a banquet anyday eom

[trumad]

2. Me to

[Condem]

3. I figured a few would miss the point.

Understandable.

[TZ]

4. Maybe we are just deliberately ignoring it.

[Condem]

5. That's doubtful, TZ.

Taking everything into consideration.

[Upton]

6. Who's this Jon Miller guy?

I only know one Jon Miller:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uoyyVXpF79g/SgpXV4_1k8I/AAAAAAAAAW8/B2rdMpZy8N8/s400/6-23+Jon+Miller.JPG

[Condem]

10. Founder of Hawkeyenation, Upton

About to start a gig co-hosting a deal on the Big Ten Network. We're quite proud of him!

[LisaM]

7. Groan

I'm going to predict that the unholy alliance between the Big Ten and Nebraska will, ultimately, not work out. It's a bad fit. This article makes it even more clear.

[happyiowan]

11. Oh the holiest of holies.....

The Big Ten is a Big tent. It encompasses a truckload of agricultural real estate. I mean a ton of land. What we share, aside from industry and geography, is a general style of play. Okay, so Nebraska has the same agricultural background, the same sort of geography and the same style of game. I can't figure how it is that they don't fit like Stanley Kowalski's tee.

I have to wonder if the resistance to Nebraska isn't a form of snobbery. "We're better. We're the Big Ten. We have TRADITION." Well, you know what, ask any Nebraskan and they'll tell you that they have tradition to rival any of ours. As fans, alumni, etc., we all have our alliances. Unfortunately, Nebraska was left in a position to play second fiddle in their own flippin' orchestra. They chose to be twelfth chair in someone else's band where they hope to receive a little bit of respect for their accomplishments. And as far as I can see, they aren't asking for anything more than that. God, I hope like hell the Big Ten can offer it in the very least. And even here in the Big Tent, I have to admit, some of us smaller schools are somewhat fatigued by the fact that the national TV teams think they own the word "tradition". In fact, I figure we'd be treated much like Nebraska was by Texas if the product-selling teams had control of the league.

Out here, where corn is king and football Saturdays are sacred, I think they fit right in.

[El Supremo]

12. Maybe you can borrow one of these cool hats >>

:sarcasm:

[happyiowan]

13. I propose a trade!!

I will wear two of those beautiful hats when you place a certain blue horse in your yard.

[El Supremo]

14. Bluecifer is developing cracks.

Can't find a picture right now. But he is going to be doomed anyway because of the multi-million dollar expansion of the airport that Denver can't afford. BTW, he was recently joined by the Egyptian God of the dead.

[happyiowan]

15. Oh no!!

Bluecifer can spend his old age in my yard. I'll even get out the spackle and fix him right up. A couple of months ago, I heard all about the Egyptian God at the Denver airport. I know it's a little weird, but as I was brushing my teeth and listening to that story, I was thinking of you. "Oh lord, won't El be pissed at that," I thought.

[Blue_Tires]

8. bunch of revisionist rat bastards...

screw them and texas

[Hayabusa]

9. Stay classy Nebraska/Nebraska fans, stay classy...

I hate conference realignment, and I'm glad my favorite team (Missouri Tigers) didn't go anywhere. Though not from lack of trying...

[LisaM]

16. It's not just about sports. Nebraska doesn't hold up academically in the Big Ten

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10166/1065686-143.stm


And they clearly DO NOT care about football tradition. If they did, they wouldn't have thrown their rivalry with Oklahoma out the window. Not to mention that they are conference jumpers.

How anyone can defend this is beyond me.

[JonLP24]

17. I think the Big 12 did that

When they were the Big 8 they did play each other but when the Big 12 expanded it split up the teams into two different divisions which meant they would rotate opponents that Nebraska faces from the Big 12 south while playing everyone in the Big 12 North. There wasn't a single match-up of a North and South team that played every year when it was the Big 12. They all rotated opponents except for the ones in their own division. I'd blame the Big 12 for causing that rivalry to lose its luster.

[Condem]

18. We certainly won't consider the source for this report, LisaM...

...the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette? Just maybe a tiny bit of sour grapes. Maybe this move was a chance to improve Nebraska's academic stature. That's what Perleman and Dr. Tom have been saying all along. Maybe, we should take them at their word. As far as a rivalry with Oklahoma is concerned, that deal died the moment Texas TOOK OVER the Big 12. When I visited Omaha for the CWS in June, I had a chance to talk to a lot of Husker fans and 9 out of 10 (I talked to about 20 people) approved and we're excited by the move. The animosity towards Texas was deep. They were anxious to get out of that phony "good ol' boy shit" that has as much substance as a Wheat Thin. We, out here in the western part of the Big Ten, welcome Big Red with open arms. I'll say this again, LisaM. Your opinion is a very small minority of how the rest of the conference feels.

[LisaM]

20. You are wrong! I don't know one person who went to Michigan who supports this!

Of course NEBRASKA would be happy enough. They were glad enough to scrap their rivalry and not protest (though presumably their protest would have borne weight) when the Big 8 expanded and went into two divisions. So to say they care about tradition is laughable.

The article may be from Pittsburgh, but the college ranking system is not. They are just quoting it. Nebraska is 25 places behind the next closest Big Ten schools.

And I am certainly not going to give credence to anything Tom Osborne thinks. I could say two words: Lawrence Phillips (I know, I know, I've read the excuses about how LP would have been even worse if he hadn't been given another chance at Nebraska. Phooey on that). Tom Osborne was also a member of Congress with a ZERO rating by NARAL, so really, I don't believe I need to suffer his opinion.

I truly don't think you realize that this is the demise of the Big Ten, unless something changes. It's sickening. Every time I read more, by blood pressure rises by about 20 points. This could do me in.

[Condem]

21. Of course you don't.

UM has enough on their plate to worry about. A little lightening up..from the Ann Arbor paper: http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/big-ten-player-poll-ohio-states-terrelle-pryor-exciting-overrated/

[happyiowan]

19. Nebraska Academics

I can't say that I am an expert, but I do believe that Nebraska still offers open enrollment to all Nebraska students - I know they did for a very long time. That alone certainly changes the academics. As for the Oklahoma game, I think JonLP explained that.

I think no matter what anyone says, you would prefer to be unhappy about Nebraska joining the Big Ten.

[LisaM]

22. I don't want ANYONE new in the Big Ten, and I'd like Penn State OUT

Nebraska is a terrible choice, worse than some other suggestions (frankly, although no one is a good choice, Pitt would have been a better one), but I just don't see how anyone can like this.

Having two divisions in the Big 12 does not explain why either Nebraska or Oklahoma was willing to shoo away their traditions. Who loses? The fans. Even I, who don't really like either school, enjoyed watching the game each year.

It's not going to be the Big Ten anymore. I like continuity. I like tradition. You'd have to have no traditions at your school to like this.

[Condem]

23. Well, LisaM. All I can tell you is this.

Two more schools are a'comin. They'll be from the east. My guess is Rutgers and Pitt.

[LisaM]

24. What you are telling me is THEY are winning.

The corporate mentality that's infected sports.

It's absolutely going to ruin the game. You know it, and I know it. I actually heard Bob Valvano on the radio a few weeks ago (must remember to email him about this) saying that all that would really be sacrificed are the backyard rivalries. In other words, the backbone of college sports.

This could go any number of ugly ways. It could be that there won't be any rivalries anymore. It could mean that there will just be one big mega league. It could become like European soccer, where you come and go in leagues based on your record. There is no good scenario that will come out of this. Pretty soon kids will go to college and they won't even know about the rivalries. And gone will be the day of the big upsets that schools will remember for years. The glory days are gone.

Are you just for this because Iowa doesn't have a real rivalry game?

[Condem]

25. I think your whole argument, LisaM, was to keep your mind off other things.

Like this: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5440231

[LisaM]

26. Whatever

No one I know loves Rich Rod as a coach for Michigan. The former athletic director did not do a good search for a coach. He's an anamoly; pretty sure he'll be gone after Michigan honors his three-year contract. We have a new AD now, who is a Michigan mam.

OTOH, I think almost every program (Tressell as much as admitted it) de facto has athletes practicing more hours than is allotted. Of all the violations, extra practice is pretty low on the scale. Am I a giant Rich Rod fan? No. I think he acted as if were called on to save a broken program, which had a lot of people scratching their heads. At the most, they lost 4 games a couple of times and they sure went out on a high note, knocking Tebow on his ass twenty times. Rich Rod has a lot of material from that team and he chose to scrap it, acting as if he had to start from scratch, which we all know was ridiculous.

Where are the articles about Tressell and the boosters? About his phony football class? Big shrug.

[Condem]

27. Go for Les Miles.

He's a Wolverine. On the hot seat at LSU.