How do you like Nebraska now?
The K-State fans who posted a giant banner last October at KSU Stadium that read, "Treason.''
The folks from Lawrence to Lubbock who accused Nebraska of running away from Texas because it couldn't beat the Longhorns.
The Oklahoma scribe who wrote that maybe Nebraska was on the wrong end of those 11-1 votes for a reason, that Nebraska was the problem.
And, last but not least, the Big 12 North schools that went along for the ride.
The Big 12 is falling apart. The house of cards is teetering. Texas A&M; appears to be leaving for the Southeastern Conference. One more card and the thing will come tumbling down.
What will Oklahoma do? Pac-12? SEC? Stay in a nine-team league where its rival has its own TV network fueled by ESPN?
Don't worry, be happy. Reports are that the Big 12 will turn to Houston. The Cougars, not the Texans. A Houston sports columnist rejoiced at the notion and called for the league to go after SMU and TCU.
The return of the Southworst Conference? Look, they're getting the band back together.
The same group that Texas couldn't wait to get away from almost two decades ago.
Don't panic. Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds, the Big 12 commissioner, said on Friday that the league will be fine but, whatever happens, "We'll (Texas) be in a good place. That's what we do. We're good at that.''
That should make the other Big Nine members rest comfy. Remember the Alamo. Texas independence can't be far away.
The sound you hear is nervous teeth chattering in Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State. They might be OK. They might not. The stakes are particularly high at KU, which would stand to lose its superstar basketball coach and hoops aura if it had to move into the Mountain West or Conference USA. The Big 12 hoops tourney, the precious jewel of Kansas City, is on the line, too.
As their paper empire burns around them, will they be getting any sympathy cards from Nebraska?
Hell, no.
Nebraska once had a band of brothers in the old Big Eight, but old friends became estranged in the dysfunctional Big 12. That's when NU found out who its real friends were. Mostly, who they weren't.
Tom Osborne tried to warn everybody. When the conference office moved to Dallas. When the initial Big 12 rules went away from Big Eight policy and leaned toward Texas. Osborne tried to tell them this would not end well.
But they didn't listen. They didn't want to listen.
The early votes came back 11-1, with Nebraska on a righteous island. However the former Big Eight schools felt, they also saw an opportunity to cut Nebraska off at the knees. Osborne's championship years were in full gear when the Big 12 was formed in 1995. The Huskers were steamrolling everyone. The formation of the new league was a chance to do something about it.
Oklahoma cut the ties to the iconic rivalry like it was canceling a series with Arkansas State. Meanwhile, the exclusion of partial qualifiers — a rule the other Big Eight schools certainly took advantage of over the years — became a vehicle to slow the Huskers. Osborne was so teed off he railed on the topic immediately after he beat Florida 62-24 for the national championship to cap the 1995 season.
A lot of Big 12 folks thought it was funny. The bully's not getting his way.
Who's laughing now?
Osborne tried. When he returned as athletic director, he fought to get the Big 12 title game up north. He fought for balance. He did what he thought was right. An imbalanced league is a broken league.
But the schools up north wanted nothing to do with it, even though a rotation that included Arrowhead Stadium clearly would have benefited them.
No, he was Osborne the delusional dinosaur, a Quixote figure tilting at Texas windmills. And Nebraskans were spoiled, mad that they couldn't win the Big 12. Texas a threat? Never. Look at all this wonderful money they're bringing everyone.
What a brilliant shell game it's been. Texas bluffed Nebraska into the Big Ten last year. And when the Horns returned from the Pac-10 chaos to "save" the Big 12, the others were beholden to Bevo. Longhorn Network? Go right ahead.
Now, another dissenter, Texas A&M;, appears gone. And the Texas stranglehold over its subjects is tighter. If they don't like it, the Horns are arrogant enough to go independent, even though they don't have the national appeal of a Notre Dame.
Who's to blame? Who's the bad guy? Nebraska? Texas A&M;? How about the other Big 12 schools, including those old friends up north, who enabled the Longhorns from day one?
Do they even know they were conned?
Now a new game begins. Even if the league stays together, the Big 12 brand is further damaged. No matter who you bring in — BYU, TCU, Houston, Louisville — the league would be closer to the WAC or Mountain West than the SEC. And, by the way, why would you want to join a league where the only certainty is that Texas "will be in a good place?''
Missouri and Kansas likely will have options. Big East. MU is a good fit in the SEC, if that's available. Would the Pac-12 be interested in KU hoops? The future for K-State and Iowa State seems less certain.
If the Big East comes to take KU, MU, ISU and K-State, the basketball schools in that conference likely will split and form their own league. And the conference realignment game could suddenly find itself on Creighton's doorstep.
Would things have been different had the old band of brothers banded together against Texas? We'll never know. And, frankly, Nebraska doesn't care. The Huskers are in a great place, a better place in the Big Ten.
But Nebraskans are paying attention to the soap opera down south, with satisfied smiles. There's a saying from North Platte to Lincoln and Auburn. You reap what you sow.
Contact the writer:
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85 Comments
Posted by: colin on 08/12/11 @ 8:49 pm:
I feel like this article is spot on. This is exactly the viewpoint that many of my fellow Nebraskans feel toward the whole situation.
Great article!
Posted by: husker on 08/12/11 @ 9:06 pm:
Excellent comments and writing Tom. Thanks for echoeing what most Nebraskans think and feel.
Posted by: HuskerBadger on 08/12/11 @ 9:32 pm:
Is there anyone on the planet more ARROGANT than DeLoss Dodds?
Posted by: husker boxster on 08/12/11 @ 9:43 pm:
Go Aggies! And I hope OU gets left in the ashes.
Posted by: ExitCost on 08/12/11 @ 9:52 pm:
Tom, has the $ we had to pay on the way out been split up already? Seems to me that our payout should at the very least be reduced to a soon to be defunct league. Any ideas on a potential refund or reduction in penalty?
Posted by: cycloneforever on 08/12/11 @ 10:06 pm:
This is the kind of article I had hoped not to see from the Herald, but one I expected. ISU is in a tough spot for sure. Good luck, but let it go, you left.
Posted by: ScottP on 08/12/11 @ 10:11 pm:
I spent 28 years in Texas and was glad to have the chance to move back to Nebraska this year. 28 years of Longhorn fans and their very arrogant ways. Even when they win they just cannot help but demonstrate their less than sportsmanship attitude in ways like vandalizing our house after the championship game in 2009. While many in Nebraska were upset with Perlman and Osborn for leaving, I was jumping with joy. Unless you live there you cannot have a full appreciation for their deceit and mean spirited attitude to those who are not UT fans.
Posted by: UWMutt on 08/12/11 @ 10:14 pm:
Heh, heh, heh... This is the price the schools are paying for bowing to U. of Texas' greed.
Posted by: TKLBC on 08/12/11 @ 10:21 pm:
Well Done, couldn't have said it better myself. The Big twelve is as dysfunctional as the the old Southwest Conference, ... oh wait they are the SWC! Oh well they probably still have the rights to the Big 8 name, and the Big 6, and ...... Texas looks like you will be an independent sooner than you thought.
Posted by: FreeBuckWeaver on 08/12/11 @ 10:46 pm:
Yes!
Posted by: Steve on 08/12/11 @ 10:47 pm:
I'll give you credit for tapping into the populists out there, Tom, but as a lifelong Husker fan, I find this type of sneering and gloating to be in poor taste. I'm of course thrilled that my school left the Big 12 for the much more prestigious and stable environment of the Big Ten, which is a credit to Harvey Perlman and Tom Osborne for having the foresight to see the writing on the wall a year ago. But it comes off as thin-skinned and classless -- not to mention a fair amount of cruel -- to point, cackle and smugly say "Told you so! Told you so!" as NU's former conference teeters on the brink. Relishing the turmoil and damage a Big 12 implosion would cause to schools with which the University of Nebraska shares much of its history and heritage is poor form, no matter how badly those 15-year-old votes are apparently still stuck in certain craws. More should be expected from the state's flagship newspaper than mere echoing of fans' macho posturing and rehashing years of populist message-board rants.
The Big Ten awaits. Our university is making a big step up in class. We fans of that university, as well as some members of the media who cover it, would do well to consider doing the same.
Posted by: nehuskers on 08/12/11 @ 10:49 pm:
I have always thought that it would be great if Texas went independent. Wouldn't it be great if no one would schedule them?
Posted by: jim040558 on 08/12/11 @ 10:57 pm:
I like how much Nerbraskans (and the University of Nebraska administration) seem to like their revisionist history. As I recall, Nebraska supported ALL of the initial votes that created the Big12 and laid the founfdation for the problems that we have today. It was obvious then that Nebraska thought that they were a big dog that would benefit from a conference that would allow the big dogs to get more than everyone else, even while other conferences chose to dhare their revenue evenly.
Flash forward a few years, and Nebraska figures out that the revenue pie isn't helping them as much as they thought, and OTHER schools are getting more/ It was then that they figured that they weren't the biggest dog, and they ran from the conference like a thief in the night, blaming Missouri (who had nothing to do with it) and Texas on the way out. Now a new wrinkle develops that is an outcome from the same bylaws that Nebraska helped create. And Nebraska fans say, "do you see, do see what we saw, THIS is why we left. We KNEW this was coming."
I'm sorry Nebraska, YOU helped creat the mess. And now the blood is at least partially on your hands. Congrats. I'm sure you don't care now, and probably won't admit that this is all true. But if you look at yourself honestly in the mirror, maybe you won't feel so self-righteous.
In the event of the dissolution of the Big 12, UT and Okie will be fine. The middle class of Okie Lite, Missouri and KU will probably be just fine too. The rest, maybe not so much. The sad part here is, had Nebraska and others had better judgement, they could have created a permanent superconference that would have been the envy of everyone else in the country, including the rust belt teams, and been tremendously profitable. That won't happen now, and if you are honest, you will admit that the blood is also on your hands.
Stay classy Nebraska.
Posted by: JWCY on 08/12/11 @ 11:06 pm:
I think Tom forgot to include that Nebraska was wholeheartedly opposed to equal revenue sharing...the primary driver of B12 instability...behind Osborne of course....best of luck in your new league...why don't you just go your own way and leave us alone...
Posted by: back@ya on 08/12/11 @ 11:35 pm:
Leave you alone? LOL, this is a Nebraska newspaper. If you want to be left alone, don't come here. Otherwise, wake up and smell the coffee. TX has ruined YAC (Yet Another Conference).
Posted by: B1G on 08/13/11 @ 12:18 am:
Gloating? Maybe a little bit.
The best part though is all the bitter, thin-skinned fans of the remaining B12 schools who took the time to complain about this article. Toughen up folks.
Posted by: Mojo2222 on 08/13/11 @ 12:36 am:
Texas wants to go independent, but wants to do so after TLN is up and running, Ay that time the other team have no power. what the others should do is threaten to leave now to put the most pressure on UT when UT is not ready. The old north should have learned that now, not later when conference slots are filled is the time to move.
As for OU, the feet may want to go but the head says no. They problem for OU is they are missing a body part between those locations.
Posted by: NUoverALL on 08/13/11 @ 12:45 am:
This column was spot on. A previous poster called it revisionist history. Ha! The revisionist history came from the opinion pushers in other markets, who couldn't be bothered to pick up a phone or to log onto a computer, to find out what Harvey Perlman's title is.
Those opinion pushers parroted other columnists who claimed Nebraska's move was all about money.
Tom Osborne said it wasn't about money. It was about stability. But that doesn't make for interesting reading.
The previous poster should do some digging to find out exactly how the Big XII divies up money.
The setup is analogous to the setup of Congress. The big states wanted more votes. That's why the House of Representatives was formed. The little states wanted an equal voice. Thats why the Senate was formed. It was a compromise.
Revenue sharing in the Big XII was a compromise. 50% divied up equally. 50% not equally. (That has since changed) Nebraska was fine with that compromise. Some of the other schools (that few people want to watch on TV) were not. Those are the ones complaining about revisionist history. Nebraska wasn't seeking equal revenue sharing in the Big XII or the B1G. Nebraska was seeking stability and fairness.
When Oklahoma killed off half the rivalry with Nebraska (by only playing 2 out of every 4 years) I couldn't believe it. Now, I'm glad they did. It was much easier for Nebraska to kill off the other half and, as you said, put the Big XII in the rear view mirror.
Good job Tom!
Posted by: TNgilmer on 08/13/11 @ 1:04 am:
We (the SEC) will take A&M and offer FSU. If FSU declines, we will offer MO and realign our divisions.
Posted by: Paul in Afghanistan on 08/13/11 @ 1:10 am:
Great article Tom.
When the Big 12 was formed, I was stationed in Italy. One of my best friends there was a huge Oklahoma fan. He showed me an Oklahoma City newspaper article his mother had sent him about the new league. I recall how surprised I was when I read a quote from someone in the OU athletic department - it may have been Donnie Duncan - who proclaimed that Nebraska wasn't their rival; Texas was. I recall the source said something about being happy not to have to travel to the frozen tundra of Lincoln in late-November. That line about Arkansas State was spot-on.
As you mentioned, Nebraska was in the middle of its glory years and OU was in the middle of the disasterous Howard Schnellenberger-John Blake era. They didn't want to play Nebraska because they knew they would lose and lose big.
I can understand certain members of the old Big Eight taking the chance to rid the conference of "partial qualifiers" as some schools (Iowa State and Colorado to name two) did not allow partial qualifiers anyway.
One would have thought the vote to move of the conference headquarters from Kansas City to Dallas would have been a six-six tie. But Colorado went with the southern schools because officials there thought the Kansas City headquarters gave an unfair advantage to KU and Missouri. I'm not sure how they could have concluded that a move to Dallas wouldn't give a similar unfair advantage to Texas, et. al.
But the issue that still angers me today, and for the life of me, I can't understand how the former Big Eight schools (even OU and OSU) allowed it to happen, is when Big 12 decision-makers chose to throw out the Big Eight record book and start from scratch. The Big 12 should have been considered a an expansion of the Big Eight. How can one just throw out that incredible history which included scores of national championships in a number of sports, along with yesterday's garbage. What leverage did the Texas schools have that convinced at least three former Big Eight schools to vote their way?
Texas was nothing on the national scene in the mid-90s. Very few people outside the the Lone Star State even paid attention to the Southwest Conference. Texas high school athletes left the state in droves. Nebraska benefitted greatly, by the way. The Cotton Bowl - which always featured the SWC champion - became a joke.
When the Big Eight came calling and invited the four SWC schools into its brotherhood, the regents of those schools couldn't wait to vote "yes." Nobody cared about what was going to happen to Houston, Rice, TCU and SMU.
It's not often that a man rescued at sea comes aboard ship, then starts telling everyone who rescued him what to do. But that's what happened, and it could only happen because officials at the former Big Eight schools allowed it to happen. And now as you so eloquently wrote, the former Big Eight schools are reaping what they've sowed.
Bon voyage ISU, MU, KU and KSU! Have a great time being the Washington Generals for the Texas Globetrotters and once the house of cards finally collapses for good, have fun in the MAC or Mountain West, or wherever you end up. I love you all, but you've done it to yourselves.
Posted by: husker4ever on 08/13/11 @ 8:01 am:
THE big 12?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAAHHAHAHAA
Posted by: Gene O on 08/13/11 @ 8:30 am:
All the clowns that were saying Nebraska was a bunch of greedy, selfish, whiners are suddenly realizing the truth; Tom Osborne was way ahead of the curve in seeing what the results of Texas' power plays would be. All the other schools in the Big 12(10, 9,....whatever) are scrambling to escape the deck chairs of what now is college football's equivalent of the Titanic- colored burnt orange. Meanwhile, back at the B1G, the Cornhuskers are comfortably set in their position in a REAL league. This may not be the most sporting way of saying it- but after a year of being bashed by everyone in the sinking Big 12, Osborne and Perlman have a right to say "I TOLD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN".
Posted by: GrandMasterB on 08/13/11 @ 8:48 am:
"Big 12 Commissioner Deloss Dodds?" Ha ha. Perfect!
Posted by: rick on 08/13/11 @ 8:58 am:
GREAT ARTICLE !!!
Posted by: AZHusker on 08/13/11 @ 9:07 am:
This article could've and should've been written a year ago.
Posted by: Snookstein on 08/13/11 @ 9:10 am:
Although I agree with a large portion of this article, I disagree with the notion that most Nebraskans take satisfaction in what could potentially happen to our former Big 8 brethren. The Nebraskans I know are proud, yet humble, loyal and accepting. In regards to our brethren standing against us at the beginning of the Big XII? We forgive them, for they knew not what they were doing.
Posted by: A Sullen Crab on 08/13/11 @ 9:18 am:
Hey buddies! How are you guys doing? Everything going okay?
How's Texas? You guys excited for the new season? You get to play Texas, I heard. You might even get a chance to pay to watch your game on the King's Network.
Blame us for foresight all you want. We find it laughable. "Blood on our hands?" Nah. Accurate appraisal of an untenable situation is more like it. Mizzou...I want you...in the B1G. Everyone else can sink and drown in the Forgotten Sea.
Posted by: jl on 08/13/11 @ 9:20 am:
Great article Tom!
Posted by: redrockhusker on 08/13/11 @ 9:27 am:
we be gone, let's smile out the door and leave it at that. Condolences to the Big 8. See Ya.
Posted by: Blackshirts Win on 08/13/11 @ 9:39 am:
Great article. I want to see the look on the commissioners face when Texas A & M votes to leave. Oklahoma will say, " This ain't worth it". Big XII crumbles..... Couldn't happen to a better group of Texas worshippers.
Posted by: Concerned on 08/13/11 @ 9:42 am:
Good job Tom. You have said what many didn't want to hear. Although I greatly appreciate husker fans playing above the fray, once in a while we have to call it as it is. You did that in this article.
As for jim040558, it must be nice in your little world where NU is the scapegoat for your problems. Sacrifice integrity and replace it with greed and the results is a very questionable future. Indeed, you reap what you sow.
Now it is time to look to the future and live according to the values and principles we husker fans know is right. I am proud to cheer for a team, program, college and state that puts integrity over personal gain.
Posted by: PlanoTexan on 08/13/11 @ 9:48 am:
I have to agree with Scott, who recently moved from Texas. I have lived here for over thirty years. The first 15 weren't so bad because Texas was in the SW conference. Initially I was excited about the Big 12 because it meant more road games in my area and quite frankly, I will miss that, but he is right about the Texas arrogance. I won't miss that. I just feel bad for the rest of the conference in trying to pick up the pieces if the Big 12 falls apart. I will miss the old Big 8 schools, the rest, not so much.
Posted by: Pathetic on 08/13/11 @ 9:52 am:
Nebraskans are so cute. Putting all their state pride in the worship of 18-22 year olds who play a game with an oblong ball. Just wait, Bo, in a few years after you've yet to win that BCS Championship, your adoring fans will be calling for Saint Tom to return to the sidelines, just like the good old days back in the 90s! 8,9,10 wins a year aren't enough - you knew that when you took the team over. After all, which was more recent: Kansas winning 76-39, Colorado laying 65 down on NU, Texas Tech winning the last 4 games they faced the Huskers, Iowa State winning in Memorial Stadium, Texas winning 9 of the last 10 games vs. Big Red or a National Championship for Herbie? The little guys were catching up to the big guy, so it was time to run away & find some new playmates. Will the gnashing of teeth & wailing be louder on Sunday October 9, if the Big Red is 0-2 in the Big '10' than the days of Peterson & Callahan? Guess we can wrap ourselves in the Snuggie of the 1990s & those memories will keep us nice and warm!
Posted by: kevin on 08/13/11 @ 9:57 am:
Jim 040558. Interesting. Last time I checked the NCAA is still suppose to be about amatuer athletes right ? Is 300 million fair to the others ? UT is so arrogant that they thought others would allow them to do as they pleased because others needed them.. guess DeLOST Dodds was wrong ? UT thinks they have the appeal of the entire country to go independant... so do it. Let's see how that works out. I will let you in on a little secret " EVERYBODY HATES UT". You really want to see the problem... have UT look in the mirror and they'll see the problem. Take your ONE national title over the last 40 years shine it up and go independant. Leave everybody else alone.
Posted by: Scotty J on 08/13/11 @ 10:04 am:
Here's what all college football purists should be concerned about: The suits of a TV network calling the shots. It is a catch 22-- we love having college football at our fingertips in the form of the expanded offerings on cable. But the catch is that money rules the game. Within the next 5 years there will ve four superconferences and the rest will be swept away. What will remain will be a pimped out glitze game that resembles the NFL-- only the real winners wont be the fans-- it will be the suits.
Posted by: Honza on 08/13/11 @ 10:05 am:
I have no sympathy for Iowa State or any of the other traitors from the old Big Eigth. Jealously was the reason for the 11 to 1 votes. Doctor Tom could have said more when we left but he is too classy for that. My reply is I hope you enjoy Texas controlling your destiny.
Posted by: BigRed BigBrother on 08/13/11 @ 10:09 am:
Nebraska got what they wanted and they scheduled Arkansas st. also .
Posted by: Nebraska Sucks on 08/13/11 @ 10:38 am:
Dr. Tom and Bo could not handle the fact Texas absolutely had ownership on the field of them so they packed up their corn wagon and left. Same thing will happen when Wisconsin or whatever Big 10 school lays the beatdown on your team. NU and their administration simply a bunch of quitters.
Posted by: HansJ on 08/13/11 @ 10:39 am:
Sounds like the "Gig'em Aggies" are ready to "Goose Bevo!" And it makes a lot of sense for A&M, as it did last year and the year before that. It's goodbye Ames and Manhattan and hello Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa.
Posted by: Lil red in Vegas on 08/13/11 @ 11:12 am:
Best article ever Tom !!! NU is very LUCKY to have TO as AD! I jsut dont understand why OU is bowing down to OU !!! Interesting!! GBR GBR
Posted by: Hawkeye on 08/13/11 @ 11:18 am:
great comments Nebraska fans. You don't know it yet, but you had it easy before. Welcome to real football. Can't wait to get you in iowa City.
Posted by: TennesseeHusker on 08/13/11 @ 11:39 am:
All Texas ever leaves is what Bevo drops behind him! DeLoss Dodds and Texas leadership are so arrogant that they think the entire State of Texas is behind them. I predict that if Texas goes independent that they will have great difficulty scheduling games with quality opponents. Who wants to put up with Bevo's droppings?
Posted by: TFrazier on 08/13/11 @ 11:45 am:
I think it would be funny if the other nine schools simply left the Big 12 which would force Texas to go independant. Now that would be classic!!
Posted by: Alumnus-NU on 08/13/11 @ 11:48 am:
Can we please move on from this? I find it terribly juvenile - all this vindictive "I told you so". There are no truths in this world, only perspectives. Now, when's that first game already?
Posted by: KC_Husker on 08/13/11 @ 12:12 pm:
Mean spirited and insulting. Definitely a sore winner perspective. I expect better from Husker Nation. The University of Nebraska and it's athletic department have moved on and closed the book on the Big 12. Let's all of us, as fans and journalists, move on as well.
Posted by: Husker John on 08/13/11 @ 12:16 pm:
@jim040558::::::::::
uh...ok. The only history you pointed out it from your rose colored glasses. Nebraska is CLASSY. Honest, hardworking people who knock competitors down then help them up. Obviously your ego is bruised a little, I'm glad you got that off your chest. Envy makes us say some strange things, huh jim? Ok now. Wins or Losses aside, Texas is a me me me place and a me me me school. I am happy with the Big Ten. History is in the past. Tom Osborne has and will be more of a man, graceful, intelligent, honest, and modest, than most people even know is possible. Your opinions are your own, and I won't fault you for them...being a Nebraskan......but get real. Texas 'steered'...hehe.....all of the votes in their direction time and time again. They now have what they've paid for. Disfunction. Now go play with the misfits while Nebraska goes and beats up all the big boys for the National Title.......hup.....shhhhh.......no...quite!!!! , run along now....it's big boy time. GBR.
Posted by: v of r on 08/13/11 @ 12:25 pm:
I'm a Nebraska native - two degrees from UNL. But it's embarassing that we have to engage in a smug "I told you so" instead of just moving forward.
Posted by: jenks on 08/13/11 @ 12:33 pm:
There is no truth to the rumor that Texas University has signed a contract with the Washington Generals to supply a football team for them to play every week.
Posted by: Rickenaz on 08/13/11 @ 12:41 pm:
I think this article should have gone page 1. This is NEWS. This is exactly they way I have felt through the years. As though in the Big Eight we had teams that were good from time to time and some built great programs that were good most seasons and then When the "Big Mistake" was formed, they decided to make backroom deals and pass votes that were aimed at tearing down NU's program and serving no other REAL purpose. I was younger then and could not recall all of these votes, so it was great to read this article and recall some more of those votes. Honestly, there were more, I just did not think to keep the articles. This is one of the BEST articles this paper has put thoghter over the years. As someone above said "THIS IS SPOT ON". Go Big Red, Go Big Ten!!!!
Posted by: jim is wrong on 08/13/11 @ 12:44 pm:
Jim, this had nothing to do with money. Now you are the one making stuff up.
Posted by: Larry H on 08/13/11 @ 12:54 pm:
He said she said or i'm right your wrong. The point is Big Red appears to be better off and it appears that the present membership in the Big 12 is teetering. I was never happy to see the formation of the Big 12 and honestly i do not recall hearing to many complaints about it in Husker Land. If OU and A&M go sec i doubt if Houston and SMu will not gladly jump aboard to replace those teams,besides OU and Texas will still have there Big game annually no matter what happens. So to TOM and NU fans let it go grow up and stop hoping things turn out like your hoping and enjoy your new home and do not forget every one thought Penn State was going to become a early Big ten Champion so take care of your own business and stay out of others.
Posted by: Colorado Springer on 08/13/11 @ 12:59 pm:
The history of the Big 12 reminds me of another brilliant move. I am refering to the time that Northern Natural Gas purchased a small Texas energy company and became Inter-North. The small Texas company took over the big Nebraska company and moved everybody south to Texas. Now what was the name that company became....? Oh yeah, ENRON.
Posted by: Terry on 08/13/11 @ 1:34 pm:
Absolute masterpiece of a column, Tom. Maybe the best you've ever written for the W-H. Sorry, Texas, the advice to "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" doesn't fly in Nebraska. Good riddance, Big XII.
Posted by: ZTW on 08/13/11 @ 2:09 pm:
Texas will grow even bigger and NU will atrophy in the anemic Big 10. The AAU thing has academicians in the Big 10 laughing behind Nebraska's back. It's too bad NU and Texas couldn't work it out but at the end of the day, NU as an entire university is very small as compared to Texas so comparing the two is not fair. We'll find out that our new taskmasters, OSU and Michigan, will not be any better than Texas.
Posted by: d up clones on 08/13/11 @ 2:12 pm:
LOL Are you serious with this article? So Nebraska was right that the league should lower their academic standards to take partial qualifiers? We all realize that Nebraska won championships because of their lower academic standards. PS ISU limited partial qualifiers before there was a big 12 conference.
How about that vote on revenue sharing? LOL Nebraska voted against that siding with Texas. Oh, wait, that must mean Nebraska was only in it for Nebraska. Gotcha ya, left that out of your article too. Surprising to say the least.
Get real with this joke of an article. Nebraska is half of what it used to be. ISU beat them in Lincoln and lost on the last play at home.
Your Husker faithful may buy this baloney but don't try to sell it to anyone esle. Wow, what a distorted view of the Huskers in the big twelve.
Posted by: hilarious... on 08/13/11 @ 2:42 pm:
it is extremely fascinating to see all the big xii fans who swore nebraska was leaving for all the wrong reasons and claiming the big xii would be just fine without us coming back and telling us to "leave them alone" on a nebraska newspaper website. i think most of those individuals were in denial back when they were claiming nebraska was just greedy and couldn't beat texas, refusing to see the inevitable collapse of this joke of a conference. texas flirted with other conferences, demanded the ability to form their own network at the expense of a big xii network that would benefit all schools, missouri openly opined their wish to bolt for the big 10 only to get the cold shoulder after doing so, forcing nebraska to abandon this longhorn-centered league for greener pastures.. colorado saw the writing on the wall, now so has a&m. it's not our fault that the rest of the schools in the conference were just fine playing the role of neville chamberlain to texas' germany.....now you can reap the results of the actions you've chosen and scramble for some second rate conference. best of luck.
Posted by: HuskerMark on 08/13/11 @ 3:38 pm:
jim040558 seems to understand how to use revisionist history well. Please do not let facts get in the way. The main problem was Nebraska was on top of the college football world when the Big 12 was formed. Everyone, especially the North schools, wanted to get back at Nebraska. Nebraska dropped support for any revenue sharing plan so that the other schools would drop the Texas request that each school would be able to recruit junior college players only from junior colleges in their own state. Nebraska does not have junior college football. Gee, who would that have hurt? Nebraska was strongly opposed to having a conference championship game. That was one of those classic 11 to 1 votes. Having a championship game could actually cost the conference money by knocking out a national championship contender. The Big 12 knocked out a national champion contender three times.
Posted by: Heybud on 08/13/11 @ 5:58 pm:
Don't act like Nebraska is some crusader for justice against the wrong that is Texas...They were looking out for their best interests, Texas was able to leverage their $ and exposure to get ahead in the conference and NU decided(logically) they would rather go to a better situation.
Why shouldn't the other schools in the b12 not named Texas be ******, you are basically messing with their bread by leaving and destabilizing the conference.
Posted by: HeyBud on 08/13/11 @ 6:10 pm:
Lol, so Nebraska is the light that fights the utter darkness that is Texas? Slow down NU left the b12 for one reason, because they were protecting their interests by getting into a better situation. They didn't like how Texas had leveraged its money and exposure to get ahead in the league. It is a completely logical and understandable selfish reason. Why wouldn't other b12 schools not named Texas be a little resentful, with NU basically throwing them to the wolves by destabilizing the conference?
Posted by: TiredOfHuskerWhiners on 08/13/11 @ 7:25 pm:
Fact is the Huskers left because they could not win anything more meaningful than a women's volleyball championships in the Big XII and Big XII rules made it tougher to recruit women beaters and murderers. The Husker and Sooner legacy was built on a foundation of weak Big 8 opponents. At the very least, OU played Texas every year. Who was Nebraska playing? Montana State? Rejoice in the demise of the Big XII all you want, but the fact stands Nebraska couldn't win so it quit. Good luck in the weakened Big X.
Posted by: bevolaysAturd on 08/13/11 @ 8:11 pm:
Great history lessson Tom. It would be good for the north division schools to read this and reflect on the demise of the league. Well said, an unbalanced conference is a weak conference. Texas' greed leads to the demise of the conference. Except for Nebraska, the other ADs have been a bunch of Neville Chamberlains.
Posted by: Paul in SoCal on 08/13/11 @ 8:36 pm:
Being a former staffer at NU and in the know as the Big 12 was forming, ALL blame- if any is to be given- goes to the Sickly 7 who- for one reason and one reason only- jumped ship and took in the sweet talking, crooked-as-a-stick SWC-orphans...it was the only concievable method of slowing down the Husker juggernaut of the 90's. And all record setting graduation rates and academic All-Americans aside- the partial qualifiers exclusion rule was a Christmas Break backroom arm-twisting among the Presidents at the time, who- like spineless bookworms- chose to prevent further partial qualifiers from experiencing the joys of the college experieince and a first class education. Now, for those who claim that NU's academic success is an anomaly aside from its stellar academic record, you should know that many of those partial qualifiers went on to have learning disabilities diagnosed and had outstanding academic careers, earning a college degree, and are now valuable and contributing members of society.
That being said, there is such a thing as 'truth' Alumnus-NU (channeling Pontious Pilate, perhaps?), and the glaring truth is that the Sickly 7 have now come to realize the error of thier ways, once again finding themselves a step behind and in bitter, sneering jealousy of the visionary mind of Tom Osborne. Call it bitterness, call it smugness, call it 'serving crow,' but history will bear out that even if the vote was always 11-1, that 1 was a righteous and a courageous vote.
Posted by: jim040558 on 08/13/11 @ 9:12 pm:
To all of the posters still looking through red colored glasses: There is no honor here. Nebraska, from the perspective of most of the Big12 schools has been almost as big a part of the problems as Texas. But none are faultless. And yes, Nebraska was thinking money too. Competitive advantages usually translate into dollars. It does not bother me that Nebraska brokered a good deal for itself. My criticism is that Nebraska has blood on its hands as well, yet this article and many posters deny that responsibility. There are no saints, just gradations of complicity in the demise of the conference. Do you want to say that Nebraska was less complicit than Texas? Okay, but that does not make them noble.
As I have said, the real losers here may end up being K-State, Iowa State, and possibly one or two others. These schools wanted to be good partners, and instead have been knifed in the back.
Shame on us all for that.
Accept some responsibility, as we all should, and then the real conversations can begin again about a wonderful college sport, and what to do next to make it better.
Posted by: grendel on 08/13/11 @ 9:19 pm:
1. Outstanding article Tom. I mean really... one of the best you've ever written.
2. Memo to 'd up clones': I'm glad you Cyclone football fans are able to relish in the memories of the few victories you had over Nebraska as the book is about to close on the Big 8/Big 12 conference. Let's see...in my lifetime... it happened in 2009...2004...2002 and 1992. Tremendous. Now, let's examine the overall record between the two schools. Two ties, and Iowa State won 17 times. Again, tremendous... no really, I'm proud of you.
The other 86 games? Nebraska won.
Good luck in the Big 12.. err Big 9? or where ever you end up. I'll look for your games on Versus? or maybe Lifetime? Perhaps they'll be on the internet... I hear that's where a lot of I-AA caliber football teams play their games.
Have a nice day... and Go Big Red.
Posted by: MidwestGuy on 08/13/11 @ 9:42 pm:
First let me just say congratulations to Nebraska for joining the Big 10. Regardless of who my school might be, I would have done the same thing. Please, however, don't make this whole thing to be more than it is. Here is the truth. Osborn and company are not all the smartest people on earth. There was no great "forethought" involved. This was ALL about running from Texas...and Tom and the posters that follow this article all but admit that by making statements like "that's what happens when you bow to Texas, or "Texas ruined Yet Another Conference" etc. Nebraska is a fine school, don't get me wrong, but is completely average compared to most of the other Big 12 schools. There is no major academic advantage for the Big 10 to have Nebraska. In fact, Nebraska is clearly the least research oriented/academic power of all the current Big 10 schools. The reason the Big 10 came calling is because Nebraska has great football history, no doubt about it...great football. Nebraska joining the Big 10 was merely a meeting of conference looking for great football and a school desperate to leave Texas behind. So yes, sit back and smile for now. We'll see how long it lasts when year after year Michigan and Ohio State are running the Big 10, making all the decisions...and most important, winning all the conference championships. Nebraska has its volleyball, but football will be middle of the pack for years to come. Enjoy Huskers.
Posted by: TiredOfHuskerWhiners on 08/13/11 @ 9:46 pm:
Paul in So Cal,
The fact is the Huskers have a great arrest record. That is the reason for the partial qualifier rule. Stop making your school look saintly. I was there when Husker fans gave Lawrence Phillips an over-the-top standing ovation upon his return from a short suspension for beating up a woman. We don't need to go through the list of crimes committed by Huskers. We all know them by heart. I don't know of any other university with more former football players serving time in prison.
Posted by: jtcruiser on 08/13/11 @ 10:04 pm:
Iowa State and Baylor don't belong in a BCS conference anyway ... at best they are a viable support system for the Beebe Lite Barnum & Baily Circus featuring the dancing orange cows. What happens when ESPN realizes that no one outside of Austin, TX is interested in tuning in to this reality show?
Posted by: omahajack on 08/13/11 @ 10:19 pm:
I believe the days of the Big XII are coming to a close. Texas A&M fans and donors have vented for a year to leave for the SEC, and now regents are starting to listen. The only schools who will suffer will be the Kansas States, Iowa States, and Baylors who may have nowhere to go when the dust settles down. Texas could really care less in the long run. They will be fine as will Oklahoma.
Unfortunately Nebraska will never have a true rivalry with anyone unless it developes a distaste for another team. What they will have is a feel good game which is exactly what their game with the Sooners was. Look at the great rivalries around the country. Ohio State/Michigan, Auburn/Alabama, Texas/OU. The fan bases of those schools can't stand the other. That is why Oklahoma walked away so easily when the Big XII was formed.
I wish the very best for Husker fans in their new digs as well as for Texas A&M in the SEC should they leave as well.
Posted by: Tim in Denton on 08/13/11 @ 10:53 pm:
Unfortunately Nebraska will never have a true rival until it developes a distaste for another team. What it will have is a feel good game. This is exactly what their game with Oklahoma was. Look at all the great rivalry games in this country. Ohio State/Michigan, Auburn/Alabama, and Texas/OU. Their fans can't stand one another, which is why the Sooners turned their backs on the Huskers. As for Texas they are only looking out for themselves. They will benefit no matter what happens. Texas A&M fans and donors can't stand to be in Texas' shadow. They have expressed their displeasure to regents for over a year now. That is why they are leaving for the SEC. The only real losers are the Kansas schools, Iowa State, and Baylor who may find themselves reduced to less attractive conferences. Good luck to the Huskers in the Big Ten, A&M, and all the schools outside of the Longhorns who may be affected by all this mayhem.
Posted by: Iswhatitis on 08/14/11 @ 1:07 am:
We all knew it would come down to something like this sooner or later. I see no point in gloating about it.
Posted by: Paul in Afghanistan on 08/14/11 @ 1:32 am:
Hey jim040558, it's fine for you to say Nebraska has blood on its hands and that it is not blameless, but at least give us some examples - even one example - of why you would make this charge.
Posted by: Havefun on 08/14/11 @ 6:49 am:
Just woke up to see a couple of intelligent haters of NU. You're probably the ones that have had your hands in your daddy's pocket all your life!! If you can't see that moving to the Big 10 wasn't a smart move, on NU's part, you must have your head in his pocket. Pull yourself away from daddy and open your eyes. Tired of Husker Whiners in California had to have gotten ahold of some "good stuff" to image the things he said. As a janitor at NU, you couldn't have gotten that kind of info. Your job was to sweep floors!! You have got to be related to Beebe. Anyhow, ya'll have fun in the Big ??????
Posted by: Pacifico on 08/14/11 @ 8:46 am:
this is not the angle Tom had back when nebraska left a year ago.......
Posted by: Eric on 08/14/11 @ 2:38 pm:
Unless and until you, as a Nebraskan fan, come down here and live in TX, there is NO way you can fully realize the arrogance of UT: school, fans, the whole enchilada! Their ego, arrogance and selfish attitudes know NO limits! Sportsmanship is a concept they've never heard of.....nor one they want to ever practice. If 'not-to-good things' happen now to KU, KSU, ISU & MU......they have absolutely no one to blame but themselves for stabbing Nebraska in the back with those opposing votes of years ago.
Posted by: Mawk1 on 08/14/11 @ 5:11 pm:
The facts are these: Nebraska had inordinate success given the size of their state the the quality of their school. Texas has had inordinately low success given the size of their populace and the quality of their university.
The law of averages has simply been correcting this inequity over the last few years. And it will continue. Nebraska will never be what is once was, regardless of whether it's a part of the Big 12 or the Big 10. Texas, hate them though you may, will be served, regardless of conference affiliation or even in independence. This is the real story here.
Posted by: jim040558 on 08/14/11 @ 7:08 pm:
@Paul in Afghanistan-
Okay, I will give you two examples.
Nebraska tried to get through partial and non-qualifiers into the formation of Big 12. They were known as having more impact non-qualified and partial-qualified players than any other elite program in the country. In other words, they supported a by-law that gave them a disctinct competitive advantage. This during a time when some of their fellows conference counterparts DID NOT ALLOW it as academic institutions of higher learning.
And then you have the issue of unequal revenue. Nebraska supported it. Why? At the formation of the Big 12, Texas had been mired in mediocrity. Oklahoma and Nebraska were the true big dogs then, with much greater revenue than their counterparts. Hence, they wanted to maintain a distinct competitive advantage. When their advantages no longer helped them, they bolted to a conference that shares revenue equally, something they SHOULD HAVE AND COULD HAVE SUPPORTED IN THE FORMATION OF THE BIG12. Had Nebraska used their clout at that time for common good instead of just self-interest, I daresay they would still be in the conference, the conference would be on more sure footing, and we wouldn't be having this discussion right now at all.
Like I said, there is blood on everyone's hands.
At least some have the integrity to admit it.
Posted by: (Anonymous) on 08/14/11 @ 10:05 pm:
To Tiredof HuskerWhiners: first off, who's whining? I simply stated facts as they related to to partial-qualifier situation upon commencement of the Big 12. There is no cause & effect between the arrest record and the partial qualifiers in the program at that time in history, so get your facts straight before you start spouting off.
As for the applause given LawrencePhillips upon his return, it's called freedom of speech and they fans who chose to do so had every right, even you with your self-righteous hands in your pockets. I belive that was in Ames for the Iowa State contest, so I deduce you're simply and envious Cyclone seeking a cheap dig at the Husker program's expense. (Lawrence, by the way, was not a partial qualifier, if you must know)
Finally, to inform you so as to make better sense in any further online posts, I suggest you go to this recent link as it pertains to college football athletes and crime statistics. In it you will find your Iowa brethren near the top tier of offenders...maybe you ought go to troll the Iowa papers. See link below:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/02/eveningnews/main20038475.shtml
"the University of Pittsburgh had the most players with police records (22) which the school said in statement, was "unacceptable." The school was followed by Iowa (18), Arkansas (18), Boise State (16) and Penn state (16).
Among the major conferences, the Big Ten led our list with 50 players. The ACC was next with 39. Then came the SEC (33), Big East (27), PAC-10 (19) and Big 12 (16)."
Posted by: Hawkeye Fan are Cute... on 08/15/11 @ 7:24 am:
@Hawkeye on 08/13/11 @ 11:18 am
NU's record vs Iowa: 26-12-3. Do you remember 2000? Let me refresh your memory: 42-13 NU! Maybe that was a fluke...what about 1999? 42-7 NU. Yeah, pretty sure the Hawkeyes are among the least of NU's worries coming into the Big 10!
Posted by: Truth. on 08/15/11 @ 8:08 am:
D up clones, dear fan, you are forgetting that the Huskers football program has had way more Academic All Americans than any University that you can even think of.
Posted by: Well, that sure came to pass? on 08/15/11 @ 8:27 am:
Here's your next headline: Huskers chuckle as sun burns out. In 5 billion years, it'll have just as much journalistic relevance as this article. Guess when ESPN does your work for you, you're apt to blow a few stories......
Posted by: jim040558 on 08/15/11 @ 3:35 pm:
Crickets. As I thought. The facts don't even get a response. Shatel's column is simply pandering to the Nebraska faithful. Sadly it is not based in fact, like a lot of his writing has become.
Posted by: Buckeye in NE on 08/15/11 @ 8:32 pm:
@ jim040558: Thanks for saying what a lot of us have been thinking for a long time.
Posted by: NEinTX on 08/15/11 @ 9:02 pm:
Bravo Tom, this is the best article I've read throughout the conference realignment saga. I hope things end well for the old Big 8, and can't help but wonder if any of their votes would have been different if they could have forseen Texas flippantly controlling their destiny. I'd personally like to see the BIG 10 rescue KU and its marquee basketball program, and extend OU an olive branch when this all shakes out. Yes, I'm dreaming, but stranger things have happened.
Posted by: truth on 08/17/11 @ 12:16 pm:
Oklahoma was far from a big dog when the B12 was formed. They were in the middle of the John Blake years and getting ready to hire snake oil salesman Howard Schnellenberger. NU was hanging 70 points a game on them annually at that point. Get your facts straight.
Posted by: jim040558 on 08/17/11 @ 4:06 pm:
@truth,
Oklahoma never stopped being a cash cow, and they still had a national reputation, no matter what you may think. A few years of mediocrity did not significantly change that.
And you converniently ignore the main facts, which is that Nebraska's self interested voting at the formation of the conference helped to create the problems the Big12 is still facing. And even if you are correct about Oklahoma, that makes my point even more salient, that Nebraska had a major leadership opportunity that it blew by thinking selfishly. Far from noble, and as I said, they have blood on their hands.
But thanks for trying to deflect.