Big Ten Question

[Navin R. Johnson]

There is a lot of talk from Nebraska football fans upset with the Big Ten Conference over the cancellation of the Wisconsin game and the refusal of a make up game. Many are saying we should leave the conference. (of course forgetting football is not the only sport at NU) How do you feel about the Big Ten from a basketball standpoint? I was against going to the Big Ten at first, but now I like it, although the competition is very very tough most years. (Except the year we needed it to be good) Would you want to leave it and if so, where would you go?

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by Navin R. Johnson

[hugh42]

Stay in the BIG. It's a better fit for the major sports.

[UnicamMan]

I like the Big Ten from a basketball standpoint.  The competition is good and the media attention and money are great. 

 

But selfishly I do miss the old Big 8.  If we went back to the Big XII then day trips to Manhattan and Ames are much easier than road games in the Big Ten.  If we (foolishly) leave the Big Ten and the Big XII doesn't want us then we are in big trouble as no other conference makes geographic sense or would probably want us.  

 

Seems to be a lot of short term thinking and reaction from the administration.  2020 is a crap year with crap options just muddle through and make the most of it don't burn bridges and create long term problems because we are all suffering with the pandemic.  Do we really want to go back to Texas?  The grass is always greener for some I guess.  

[49r]

Love the Big Ten.  Always have, even before we joined, and I couldn't be prouder that my team is a member of the league.

 

People have short memories, and once things return to normal I doubt anybody will even remember all this.

[kleitus]

I can see their point.  I just don't think it's going to happen on many levels and I'd rather have Moos etc. go back to the B1G and say "if you want us to be quiet then stop being jackasses".  Why?  Because there's a lot more involved than just one football season.  and while i'm glad they're raising a stink, i'm also glad that we're fully vested in the conference so we CAN raise a stink and not have them find a legal way to boot us out without extreme consequences.

 

 

i also believe warren will either be fired or will resign within 6 months.  and that at some point there's going to be a reckoning here.

 

to be honest, the adults in the conference boardrooms need to step up.  they aren't visible right now.  How much of that is on warren I have no idea but he's going to be the guy to take the fall for it.

 

[aphilso1]

For basketball, I'd rather be back in the Big 12.  The B1G is so tough and every year there are quality teams with a losing conference record.  Big 12 garners a lot of national respect, but IMO just isn't even close to as tough top-to-bottom as the B1G.  I can remember a lot of Doc's teams competing well in league and being in the post-season race late into the year.  Those same teams would've struggled to win even a handful of games in the B1G.  Simply put, I think a borderline NCAA/NIT team is more likely to make the Dance from the Big 12 because of being able to add a few extra wins in conference play.

 

For baseball, I'm happy to be in the B1G.  The level of play in conference has really improved over the past decade, and Nebraska every year has a chance to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large even if we don't win the conference tourney.  And being a conference of all northern schools puts everyone on an even playing field.  

 

For all other sports...meh, whatever. 

[jayschool]

7 minutes ago, aphilso1 said:

For all other sports...meh, whatever. 

The B1G is awesome for Nebraska volleyball. And Nebraska volleyball is awesome for the B1G.

[hugh42]

3 minutes ago, aphilso1 said:

For basketball, I'd rather be back in the Big 12.  The B1G is so tough and every year there are quality teams with a losing conference record.  Big 12 garners a lot of national respect, but IMO just isn't even close to as tough top-to-bottom as the B1G.  I can remember a lot of Doc's teams competing well in league and being in the post-season race late into the year.  Those same teams would've struggled to win even a handful of games in the B1G.  Simply put, I think a borderline NCAA/NIT team is more likely to make the Dance from the Big 12 because of being able to add a few extra wins in conference play.

 

For baseball, I'm happy to be in the B1G.  The level of play in conference has really improved over the past decade, and Nebraska every year has a chance to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large even if we don't win the conference tourney.  And being a conference of all northern schools puts everyone on an even playing field.  

 

For all other sports...meh, whatever. 

 

Being in a weaker conference may increase our chances to make the tourney, but we did that once and we are 0-6. Tougher competition should better prepare us to advance in post season play when we get there and most importantly it requires us to have the talent in place to be competitive in the first place.

[aphilso1]

14 minutes ago, hugh42 said:

 

Being in a weaker conference may increase our chances to make the tourney, but we did that once and we are 0-6. Tougher competition should better prepare us to advance in post season play when we get there and most importantly it requires us to have the talent in place to be competitive in the first place.

 

I've got to think that Tim Miles' teams would've made the tournament 2-3 times had he been in the Big 12.  And I'd rather have 2-3 chances in the Dance rather than more preparation but only a single opportunity.

[aphilso1]

22 minutes ago, jayschool said:

The B1G is awesome for Nebraska volleyball. And Nebraska volleyball is awesome for the B1G.

 

I'll defer to you and anyone else that follows volleyball. I don't pay attention until the Final Four, so I have no opinion on the matter.

[jayschool]

2 minutes ago, aphilso1 said:

 

I'll defer to you and anyone else that follows volleyball. I don't pay attention until the Final Four, so I have no opinion on the matter.

Then you know how many appearances Big Ten teams have made it at the Final Four since Nebraska joined in 2011 — 16 appearances and four titles in the last nine years. It should be obvious to anyone who watches the Final Four that Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois have all represented the conference. Seven programs, 16 appearances, four titles. 

[aphilso1]

12 minutes ago, jayschool said:

Then you know how many appearances Big Ten teams have made it at the Final Four since Nebraska joined in 2011 — 16 appearances and four titles in the last nine years. It should be obvious to anyone who watches the Final Four that Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois have all represented the conference. Seven programs, 16 appearances, four titles. 

 

Fair point.  I remember Texas, Baylor, and A&M being pretty good back in the day, although obviously A&M is gone.  And Kansas and Kansas State having a year or two where they were getting some recognition.  I'll say it again -- I defer to the fans who actually follow volleyball.  I'm a casual observer at best, and even then it's pretty much just if Nebraska is in the Final Four.  A man can only have so many hobbies, and I've just never given volleyball a whole of my time.

[Cazzie22]

The Mountain West would give us an opportunity to get Football on track though Boise St. would be tough.  Trips to Laramie, Ft. Collins. Albuquerque and Colorado Springs might be fun. (Relax, I am being facetious!) Maybe

[49r]

1 hour ago, jayschool said:

Then you know how many appearances Big Ten teams have made it at the Final Four since Nebraska joined in 2011 — 16 appearances and four titles in the last nine years. It should be obvious to anyone who watches the Final Four that Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois have all represented the conference. Seven programs, 16 appearances, four titles. 

 

Don't forget Wisconsin!

[jayschool]

20 minutes ago, 49r said:

 

Don't forget Wisconsin!

Dana Rettke haunts my dreams.

[Huskerpapa]

Show me the money!!!

 

Oh yeah and then there is the scholastic side of things too.

[basketballjones]

At the current moment in time, there really is no other option than the B1G as far as financials go. Who knows if that will change... but history suggests it won't, as the B1G has been around a long time, and navigated a lot of muddy waters. 

I too also very much miss the old Big 8 and even the Big 12. 

[AuroranHusker]

4 hours ago, basketballjones said:

At the current moment in time, there really is no other option than the B1G as far as financials go. Who knows if that will change... but history suggests it won't, as the B1G has been around a long time, and navigated a lot of muddy waters. 

I too also very much miss the old Big 8 and even the Big 12. 

 

Yep, agreed. The old Big 8 was a perfect fit.

[busticket]

Other than the money, the B1G sucks for sports other than for volleyball.  I prefer the big 8 schools for football, basketball and baseball.  B1G baseball, while getting better, still has unnecessarily stupid rules regarding scholarships which add a level of difficulty which doesn’t need to be there.   

[Fullbacksympathy]

I think it’s a great conference.  They don’t respect us in football or basketball, but I think they will soon enough when we start winning.  It takes years to establish competitive programs the right way.  
 

I really believe Hoiberg (first) and Frost (maybe a year or two later) will regularly start competing for B1G championships.  It just takes longer in football but that young cupboard isn’t bare.  They’re gonna be scary two years from now.  Once we’re competitive, it’ll be fun beating Iowa every year, for example.

 

Bottom line, if you’re near the top of this conference, you have a great program.  If you’re near the top of the Big 12, you have a good program.  The B1G forces us to be great to get what we want, and I dig that. 

[aphilso1]

50 minutes ago, LK1 said:

Bottom line, if you’re near the top of this conference, you have a great program.  If you’re near the top of the Big 12, you have a good program.  The B1G forces us to be great to get what we want, and I dig that. 

 

I don't understand this line of thinking.  We aren't anywhere near the top in the traditional revenue sports.  In the B1G there are a litany of teams standing in the way of the top, providing automatic losses along the way.  In the Big 12 it's pretty much just one dominant team and everyone else has a chance to reach that second "good" tier of the conference.  And yet the Big 12 has a great national reputation overall, so the amount of recognition you get for reaching that second tier is disproportionate to the challenge it takes to reach it.  The Big 12 gets the benefit of the doubt of being a major conference, while its members have the opportunities to win like its a mid-major.

 

Or put another way -- do you think Frost would still be searching for his first bowl appearance if we were in the Big 12?  Surely not.  And the benefits of reaching a bowl game or two (extra practices, "proof" of turning the program around to be able to use as a selling point for recruits and donors, bowl game experience and perks for the players, etc) compared to sitting at home as a losing record B1G team aren't even remotely comparable. 

 

Lastly, think about all the things that made Nebraska's reputation what it was in the glory years of the 70's, 80's, and 90's.  The "9 win season" streak...the bowl game streak...the 5 national titles, with even more title opportunities...  Those were all the biproduct of being in the Big 2 Little 6.  Yes, you need someone else to measure yourself against in conference so that you're not facing your first real competition in the bowl game.  But having a conference where Nebraska and Oklahoma could take care of business until Thanksgiving, then play on Black Friday knowing the winner would get a title shot -- that was the perfect system for building a dynasty.

[jimmykc]

All true, but things are never going to return to the old days. It is interesting to me that several of my old frat brothers feel Nebraska (and Colorado) initiated the whole chain of dominos to fall regarding the old conference alignments. I tend to think it was the economics which was at fault as Universities became increasingly greedy.

[hhcmatt]

16 hours ago, Huskerpapa said:

Oh yeah and then there is the scholastic side of things too.

 

People tend to overlook how much better the B1G is compared to the Big 12 is on this just in terms of research $$. 

[hhcmatt]

To me the current issue seems to be that Kevin Warren probably wasn't the right guy to lead this conference, especially during a pandemic.

[Fullbacksympathy]

2 hours ago, aphilso1 said:

 

I don't understand this line of thinking.  We aren't anywhere near the top in the traditional revenue sports.  In the B1G there are a litany of teams standing in the way of the top, providing automatic losses along the way.  In the Big 12 it's pretty much just one dominant team and everyone else has a chance to reach that second "good" tier of the conference.  And yet the Big 12 has a great national reputation overall, so the amount of recognition you get for reaching that second tier is disproportionate to the challenge it takes to reach it.  The Big 12 gets the benefit of the doubt of being a major conference, while its members have the opportunities to win like its a mid-major.

 

Or put another way -- do you think Frost would still be searching for his first bowl appearance if we were in the Big 12?  Surely not.  And the benefits of reaching a bowl game or two (extra practices, "proof" of turning the program around to be able to use as a selling point for recruits and donors, bowl game experience and perks for the players, etc) compared to sitting at home as a losing record B1G team aren't even remotely comparable. 

 

Lastly, think about all the things that made Nebraska's reputation what it was in the glory years of the 70's, 80's, and 90's.  The "9 win season" streak...the bowl game streak...the 5 national titles, with even more title opportunities...  Those were all the biproduct of being in the Big 2 Little 6.  Yes, you need someone else to measure yourself against in conference so that you're not facing your first real competition in the bowl game.  But having a conference where Nebraska and Oklahoma could take care of business until Thanksgiving, then play on Black Friday knowing the winner would get a title shot -- that was the perfect system for building a dynasty.

I agree the Big 12 was easier for establishing continued dominance, but our football program has had terrible coaching since Solich (until Frost, IMO—I think he’ll get it done), and our basketball program just hired its first great coach ever.  

 

The B1G isn’t the reason football fell off the map.  That was done internally.  I think they’ve gotten the blame for our own inadequate leadership (just like Texas did).  When we first joined the conference, we could fart our way to the title game, and we were mediocre then.  If we become a good program again (Wisconsin caliber), we’ll be in the championship every other year.  If we become great again, we’ll do exactly what you described above each season, only with Ohio State instead of Oklahoma.  Wisconsin has been to the football championship 4 of the last 6 years. There’s no reason we can’t be as good as Wisconsin, and I don’t think we’re far off. 

 

If we can ascend to the top of the West, everyone will love the B1G again and it’ll be worth the rebuild both in morale and finances.  As for basketball, we have arguably the best coach and facilities in the conference, we’re on the brink of signing our first 5*, and this conference plays incredible basketball every year.  The metrics know this most of the time, so just being competitive in basketball probably gives us a better chance at consistent postseason play than having to compete for the championship of the Big 12 every year, and the viewing experience is so much richer.