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

[Duane Feldman]

-----Original Message-----
To: TODD STRONG

. . .
NU would provide some GREAT matchups, but...
The value of each 'league' isn't tied to great matchups so much as it's tied
to TV and populations. . .


And does any big school want to risk another loss every year by having to
play a team that doesn't bring more eyeballs?  You'd almost rather add iowa
state, so that you get another team, but it's a team you can throttle at
will.

**********************

Some disagreement here.

The money is "sort of" tied to population, but more so to "eyeballs."  To a
degree, the number of many people watching a game is more important than the
number of TV sets in the teams area -- TVs don't count if they aren't
watching the games.  Nebraska has a large "watchability factor" as our
national ratings typically outrank those of Rutgers, Missouri, Syracuse or
many of the other B10/11 candidates despite their greater populations.
True, ND and Texas outrank us but we also generally outrank many of the
current Big10/11 teams (except OSU, UM, and PSU).  

Another important factor is the inventory of historical games (mostly FB and
BB) that can be shown on the Big Ten Network (BTN).  Nebraska factors in
favorably there too.  We can show a host of national title games that makes
the B10 "look good" even if those games happened when NU was not in the
B10/11.

Basketball is indeed a major failing for NU, but football is the driving
sport without question.  We do OK on several other minor sports (W swimming,
track, cross country, volleyball, girls basketball, gymnastics) so we are
not a "one trick pony."  As Mike N mentioned, we don't look so good in
baseball right now, but it could come back.

>From what I have read (yes, all conjecture), many pundits put UNL in the
"home run" category of desirable B10 expansion teams along with ND and Tx,
although no one would argue that UNL is more desirable than those two.  But
almost all agree we are more desirable than Missouri, Rutgers, Syracuse and
Pitt.

Is it possible that the PAC10 would go to 16 teams and the Big 10/11 not go
to at least 12?  I doubt it, but then I'm not in the voting group.

Duane Feldman