[Husker] Pac-10 To Invite Six Big XII Teams

[David Elfering]

There are some vibes to this that don't resonate well for Nebraska. We
don't have the population nor academic clout  to play in the big money
sandbox. I can see potential politics that have zero to do with
football or athletics period but everything to do with tv ad revenues
and market exposure.

The landscape may change in total favor of commercial product and
thereby totally abandon even the premise of collegiate, amature
athletics as being anything other than a commercial product.

If this happens it that way then NU's football history and quality
product don't factor into the equation very highly. The same will be
true for all areas that don't have TV clout. More over those who do
have that will be pick the bones of those left for dead and pocket the
cash.

Wish I had a better inclination to what we are seeing but this is what
I feel is a strong possibility.
----------
David Elfering
aroundmaha at gmail.com

On Jun 4, 2010, at 10:46 AM, Mike Nolan <nolan at romaine.tssi.com> wrote:

>> Northwestern likely could accommodate 15,000 Husker fans for a
>> weekend in Chicago.  If they thought they could get more, they
>> might move the game to Soldier Field.
>
> Michigan brings at least that many every other year, about the only
> time
> that The Stadium Formerly Known As Dyche is anywhere near its 47,130
> capacity.
>
> Notre Dame will sell it out, in fact they used to set up bleachers to
> raise the capacity to over 50,000, though the construction of the new
> locker room in the north end zone now makes that impossible.  But
> according
> to multiple sources, Notre Dame has declined several offers of a
> home/home
> schedule with Northwestern.  (I suspect Nebraska has as well.)
>
> As to playing in Soldier Field, apparently that's not as easy to
> schedule
> as it sounds.  FWIW, Northwestern is moving the Illinois game to
> Wrigley
> Field this year.  Wrigley hasn't hosted a football game since the
> Bears
> left after the 1970 season.
>
> Don't get me wrong, I think Nebraska would be foolish not to accept an
> invitation to join the Big Ten (especially if the Big XII falls apart
> as rapidly as appears possible), but other than a good football
> program
> and a devoted football fan base (though with a small media market),
> Nebraska really doesn't bring a lot to enhance the reputation of the
> conference in athletics, and not that much in academics, either.
>
> The Big Ten is a strong basketball conference, our men's basketball
> team
> is pathetic and the recent strength of the women's team is far from
> the
> dynasty stage.  The best years of the men's gymnastics team are in
> the past (I don't know that the NCAA is committed to maintaining
> that as
> a championship sport, either), and the baseball team appears to have
> returned to mediocrity.  Women's volleball might challenge Penn
> State's
> recent domination of the conference.  I don't know what status
> bowling has
> in the Big Ten.
> --
> Mike Nolan
>
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