[Husker] TV options for Nebraska at Northwestern game?

[Mike Nolan]

> You can't seriously be complaining about a Big 10 Schedule that has
> cross-division opponents Indiana, Penn State, and Illinois.  Almost
> certainly that list contains the two worst and possible three worst
> teams in the Leaders Division.  To compare schedules, trade Indiana
> and Illinois for Ohio State and Wisconsin (and get Nebraska's
> schedule).  Of course, Northwestern pays the price for easier
> schedules last year and this year during the next two years.  In
> 2013 & 2014, Northwestern plays Ohio State and Wisconsin (as well
> as Illinois) plus Nebraska, Michigan, and Michigan State (as well
> as Minnesota and Iowa).

Who would have known when the 2011 and 2012 schedules were drawn up that 
Penn State and Illinois would be so bad?  (Well, maybe Illinois, they've
gone steadily downhill since their Rose Bowl season.)

The complaint is that four conference opponents, including two of the stronger 
opponents on the schedule get a bye the week before they play the Cats.

If four opponents, such as Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State 
all had byes the week before they played the Huskers, there would have been 
plenty of grumbling on the Husker List about it.  There was more than enough
grumbling about the presence of all of the heavy lifters in the Leaders
Division on the 2011 and 2012 schedule for Nebraska.  

Northwestern's designated cross-conference rival is Illinois, which makes
sense geographically.  Does pairing Nebraska and Penn State make that much 
sense?  And who thought Indiana and Michigan State needed to play each other 
every year, or Iowa and Purdue?  (FWIW, under the old Big Ten schedule, 
Northwestern's designated 'every year' opponent was Purdue.)

But after you pair up Michigan vs Ohio State, Northwestern vs Illinois and
Minnesota vs Wisconsin, there weren't a lot of good choices left on the table.  

But at least the Big Ten knew what game it HAD to protect (OSU-Michigan), unlike 
the Big XII's scuttling of the Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry.  (I have said more 
than once that had NU-OU been a protected rivalry that Nebraska might still 
be in the Big XII today.)
--
Mike Nolan