I finally got around to reading this article, which was posted yesterday.
Nebraska joins Big Ten By ERIC OLSON [Much edited out . . .] Nebraska leaves behind a Big 12 that had already lost Colorado to the Pac-10 this week. Perlman also said the Pac-10 had been in touch with many schools in the Big 12 South, suggesting Texas, Oklahoma and others could be the next to leave. "We were worried about stability in the conference," athletic director Tom Osborne said, "and as a result we thought this was by far the best thing we could do." ------- [This is an interesting quote from Osborne, given that his leaving the conference is the primary factor in creating the instability. I think the conference could have pretty easily replaced Colorado. Hell, Boise State would have been more competitive than Colorado these past few years.] [More edited out . . . ] The biggest deal-breaker, Perlman said, was that Texas would not agree to promise to assign its broadcast rights to the Big 12 rather than explore starting its own TV network. To generations of Nebraska fans, going to the Big Ten at one time would have been unthinkable. The school's athletic tradition is built on more than a century of football games against the likes of Missouri and Kansas, dating to the days the team was known as the Bugeaters. The Huskers, in fact, have been conference partners with Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Kansas State since 1928; with Colorado since 1948 and with Oklahoma State since 1960. Now the Huskers are on the verge of taking their five national titles in football, three Heisman trophies and enthusiastic fans east. They will look to start building new traditions, like a border rivalry with the Iowa Hawkeyes and regular trips to Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. At Iowa State, a Big 12 school rarely mentioned in realignment discussions, officials sent an open letter to boosters expressing disappointment in the moves by Colorado and Nebraska. "But as all of the discussions about conference realignment illustrate, the future of college athletics appears to be less about academics and competitive success and more about money, as measured by television viewership and the associated revenues," the letter said. Fatter paychecks will be coming to Nebraska, eventually. Nebraska received about $10 million from the Big 12 in 2009, half the $20 million received by Big Ten members (thanks largely to bigger television contracts and the in-house Big Ten Network). The Big Ten told Perlman that no current member would receive a reduced share of revenue from the conference because of the addition of a new member. Perlman said Nebraska has been assured it would not receive less than it did in the Big 12, however, if it joins the Big Ten. "This is not a financial windfall," Osborne said. [Then why is Nebraska doing it? Osborne is a liar, as he proved in the situation with the player who nearly killed his girlfriend, but still played in the Fiesta Bowl against us (Lawrence Phillips?).] [More edited out . . . ] Nebraska and the old Big Eight members, all of whom went to the Big 12, believed they were helping out Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor when the old Southwest Conference collapsed. The perception in Nebraska was that the Big 12's balance of power was held by the South Division, particularly Texas. Nebraska from day one was against a championship game in football, for fear it could trip up a team bidding for a national title. But even issues ranging from academic admission standards to location of the league office (Dallas) chafed Nebraska. When the league last week picked Cowboys Stadium to host the next three conference championship football games - after hosting the 2009 and 2010 games - Osborne complained that continual treks south are unfair to fans of the North representative. "This is not about any type of vindictiveness," Osborne said. "You don't make a decision of this size based on where you're going to play Big 12 championship games." [This is the most interesting part of the article, to me. Let's say the SEC succeeds in grabbing Texas and some of the other Big 12 teams. It not only changes Texas and those teams, it changes the SEC. What if Texas insists on certain concessions from the conference? Hard to believe that Nebraska has tougher admission standards than Texas, but what if it's so, and what if Texas' admission standards are far below ours? What if Texas wants the SEC CG being played in Dallas or Houston or some place other than Atlanta? How much would you give away to get these guys? If I were running the conference (thankfully for everyone, I'm not), I'd lay out the facts to Texas, et. al., about our numbers and obvious superiority, but I wouldn't lay down for them. If that pushes them toward the Pac-insert number here, then so be it.] Go Gators!!!! Ken B. (NYC Gator) -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
