I love football &  love the Packers, but even if they repeat it's not the same & nothing is worth watching when players pull this. There are three reasons why this is stupid:

1) The players average something like $1.1 million. Most people, and by most people I mean about 85-90% of Americans will never see that much money in their life. So, what they hell are you guys complaining about. You'd think when you make $5 million a year, you'd save some money & be smart. But no, they only want more money so they can get themselves out of debt. We already bailed out the banks, we don't need to bail them out too.

2) We are in the midle of an economic downturn. Apparently, they didn't get the memo, we're supposed to cut frivilous spending, not increase it. All these teams & players is bankrupt citites with huge contracts & new stadiums every 3 yrs. Then they screw the loyal fans by hiking up ticket prices to cover their expenses, that's why attendance is decreasing so much.

3) THEY ARE NOT THE OWNERS. Who the hell are they to demand to see the books. If anyone went in & demanded their boss to show them the books so they can get a raise, you'd either be fired or told to get lost. They are the workers, not the bosses, what do they know about running any kind of business. Their are of expertise is not thinking for the most part or business sense, it's playing ball & being athletes. Some are smart & I'm not saying their morons with low IQ's, but a degree in communication with a 2.9 GPA, doesn't exactly qualify you to run any kind of business.

So, in conclusion, forget them & becuase it's a spectator sport. It's about the fans, because without us this sports would not produce $ 9 billion in revenue.

That was the most bullshit fight between Shogun & Jones, this proves that the UFC is fixed. I want all of you to go back & watch the fight, & be sure to look @ Jones' reaction to winning, as well as Shogun's face before the fight. And after that compare this fight to any previous fights that both fighters had. This is making me not wanna watch UFC, @ least if they're gonna throw it, make i look real. I don't care what anyone says, after that fight, it's indisputable.

Seemingly in the NFL, nobody like to take Nebraska QB's, or if they do, they covernt them to other positions. There are really only three you can name, because the others were too long ago, or were injured, or tother complications; but I digress. Eric Crouch, Scott Frost, and Zavc Taylor.

Eric Crouch is the single most dissapointing and perplexing move by the NFL. Now you're talking about a Hesiman Trophy Winner, a guy who threw for over 4,000 yards and ran for over 3,000 yards. A feat that has only been beaten my the Missouri quarterback Brand Smith and someone else a while back. They go and put hime at Wide Reciever, are you explective kidding. Sure, but let's take Michael Vick, Vince Young, Dennis Dixon, Pat White, and a slew of running QB's who have dne nothing. Even Vick, he only had one season where the Falcons went to the playoffs. So what if Crouch was under a running system and a running QB. You train him, not let him talent go to waste. Let me reiterate, he thre for 3,000 yards in hyis career, tell me you don't see potential. Though the Miami game didn't help, Solich is more to blame for that loss than anyone else, which is one of them reasons he lost him job. But of sure, they'll take USC QB's who with the exception of Mark Sanchez all suck; John David Booty, Carson Palmer, and Matt Leinart.

Scott Frost is a big QB, 6'3 or 6'4 if I'm not mistaken, and he won a National Championship. Same stupid move, they put him at saftey. What do you want, you take Jamarcuss Russell, Vince Young, Phillip Rivers, Ben Rothleesberger, Peyton Manning. All big QBs and people that won national championships and some of them like Russell and Young are primarily runners. In fact he even beat Peyton Manning in the Orange Bowl. To make an even better comparrisson, Tim Tebow. He is big like Frost, can run like Frost, and won a national Championship like Frost. So why would anyone take Tebow and not take Frost? It doesn't make Sense.

Finally you have a WB that's not a runner and actually a good passer and somewhat of a prostyle QB, that ran the West-Coast Offense. But they don't even draft Zac Taylor. He won Big-12 Offensive Player of the Year his senior season and set numerous passing records in the Big 12. They don't even give him a chance. Why, I'll never know.

The bottom line is, that Nebraska QB's are blacklisted for whatever reaon, while there are countlees other QB's that aren't proven, that never had the college careers of some of Nebraska QB's, and yet they are deemed saviors. Especially people from colleges the AP loves; SEC QB's & Big-1O QB's arent; doing so great. Neither is the Pac-10, they keep looking for another John Elway or Troy Aikman, they're not going to fing one. This will probably go on forever, what do you guys think?

It's only obvious that a bunch of fighters are on roids. The same with football, espcially the lineman. The only reason that they don't crack down in eaither sport is becuase the profits they make off these althletes is tremendous. That's why they let McGwire & Sosa do that s*** in the 90's revenue. Lesnar, Carwin, Duffy, just look how yoked they are, and Carwin's name was mentioned recently in some steroid shipment buisness; and Lesnar was juiced before we was in the UFC.

Almost all the fighters are the same, especially the people who aren't champs & contenders, that's the bulk of steroid use. All the fighters in the UFC are like clones: big yoked bastards who rely on muscle, athleticism, & have hardly any technique. The only fighters that actually train right, who don't look like oxes, use their brain, and have good technique are the champs; and people wonder why Silva & GSP are so dominate. Bruce had it right, he was cut ass hell, he didn't look like Arnold when he fought & he praticied technique & he chose the style right for him. This leads to another problem with the UFC - fighting styles.

Dennis Hallman said that 50% of the fighters were using PEDs & he was forced by Dana & fellow fighters to rebut the statment. That's probably not an exaggerated estimate either. But Dana had it right, what are you gonna do [what can you do]? They spend millions of dollars to prevent something like this, but people wana be champs and they'll do aything to win. But how can you really make them learn till after the fact. Hindsight means nothing, I'm sorry becuase I got caught doesn't work. A Yahoo! Sports writer said that the athletes use PEDs becuase they believe the consequences far out weigh the positive gain. If you truly want to abloshi steroids, not just from the UFC, but every sport, is to make the statment debunked. Dana White said he didn't know how to punsih them becuase the goverment takes away their job and they get fined, well good, tack on more punishment. People are very stubbourn and that's why we have consequences, so people obey and don't do stupid stuff. Harsh punishment is the only way.

So when you hear about fighters who are on roids don't be suprised just look at them and analyze their behavior. When someone looks like they're about to fall over or they can't turn to wipe their ass, i'm suspicious. When people suddenly put on a whole bucnh on muscle quick and their fights improve tremendously it's not training, it's something else. Look at how much better Sonnen got, no matter what anybody says, Roids don't just affect your muscle they give you better coordination and timing, and even speed. Just compare the difference between Pujols & Bonds, Bonds got better & stronger all of a sudden, in his late 30's of all times. Where Pujols has had the same numbers and been the same size for 10 seasons now. as for fighting & football, it's just not as big an issue because they'd have to ban half the people from the sport & they couldn't make money off them.

So next time you hear about another UFC fighter was on steroids, don't act so surprised.

The other guy made no sense in his arguments, so allow me to present a better case for what he said.

"humans are primates" - far from it, the qualities attributed to humans by this blogger, describes apes, not humans. They've done research and if a monkey used 1 arm it would still be stronger than a fairly powerful human using his whole body. Second, our brain, not our claws or teeth are our weapons, they are tools, animals use those as weapons. The reason why mankind is so detrimental to the Earth is because of our intelligence. Death, is not always violent, no matter how something passes away or is killed is not necessarily violent. Also, we are omnivorous, so we eat meat and plants. The ability to eat cooked food, is one the reasons, why we have intelligence, eating raw meat is one of the reasons why animals have such a minimal amount of intelligence.

Now the fact that almost every action that humans take is predicated off our need to survive is true. We are more intelligent animal, but animals none the less, and like animals we will do anything to survive, just on a much higher level. However, as man has progressed, people have decided to settle their disputes with talk instead of violence. In my opinion, our society has turned into ****ies, and shy from conflict far too often. Like Ecclesiastes says , there is a season for everything, so there's a time for violence and a time for peace. Violence is good and fun when in a controlled environment, like fighting. Fighting outside of a venue, would pertain more to human nature and instinct. Where fighting like in times of Ancient Greece, or now days -UFC- it's for sport and recreation, where people can express their passions or conversely be violent without the punishment of the law.

Our society has become overrun with women's b.s., I don't care who I offend it's the truth. We've gone 180 degrees, from a male dominated society to a woman dominated society; no one ever trys to find a middle ground, only the other extreme. Our education system & workplace are testaments to this, & in the interest of not insulting more people, I'll stop there.

In closing, fighting organizations, like UFC, are and should be for mature audiences only, I'd say 12 at the earliest. For those who like it it's fun to watch & we enjoy it, so get off our backs. We can't have our society turn into a bunch of wimps and weaklings, who have no ambition, competitive drive, or chance of a future-which by the way is why America achieved what it did. And if you whine about exposure to children, get off your ass and do some parenting, turn the TV off or lay the law down. Quit blaming others for your problems.

There is no question that to compete in MMA that it requires a full rrepertoire of skills to be success full. However, it is also true, no matter what anyone says, that if you compare boxers & MMA fighter, the boxers have the advantage in striking, there is no way a world-class MMA fighter could out strike a world-class boxer. Though under the circumstances James Toney will most likely loose. Though I applaud his courage, he's not fighting on his terms & that's why he'll lose.

Both fighters are old, so you can't really say much there. But Randy Couture is a legend and one the best ever to step in the Octagon, his grappling & wrestling skills will be too much for Toney to handle. As for Toney, he seems kindof washed up to me, the last time I even heard of him in the news was in '04 when Fight Night came out. I also find problems with his conditioning, much like Big Country he has a pork belly, though not as massive, still a problem. Oh, and as a side note, nobody that fat would ever or will ever win a UFC Championship or Pride if it still existed. Couture is older at 47, but has prooven he still can compete, not at the upper echelon of the division, but god enough to beat Toney.

At the end of the day though, this grudge match won't be solved by this single fight, it will takes years and a slew of fights of boxers in the octagon & MMA participants ion the ring. Until we see fighter in both territories, you can't make an accurate judgment call.

Yet, I'm still surprised Dana White let this happen, the only reason why  it went trough is because Toney picked the fight & Cotoure answered. However, some people may have heard that Anderson Silva & Roy Jones Jr. were trying to set a math up but boxing rules, so an MMA fighter would be in their territory, which is why I think Dana White stuck it down immediately. Hopefully with this fight, it will allow for this fight to take place.

All in all, My Prediction is: Cotoure fight stoppage in the 2nd roundafter ground& pound or dirty boxing up against the cage.

The impending date on which Pujols will clear this milestone is soon to be realized. Whether next game or the last of the series against the Pirates, he will jack one out, c'mon it's the Pirates. Yet this is not the key area of focus, it is rather a springboard to Pujols future achievements he will accomplish.

Let'sstart with the most obvious and one that has been floating around for the past few seasons; The Unicorn-esk Triple Crown. Seemingly impossible to catch or rather attain, much like the mystical creature above. It has alluded the greats of the game since the 40's & the NL hopefuls since 1937. Yet, strangely Pujols is closer than ever to reaching it. Not because he is having a record setting year, but simply because an average year or consistent year from Pujols is enough to beat out the competition, and in the end that's all it boils down to, being the best that year. Everyone knows the facts 10+ season w/ at least 30HR's, .300BA, & 100RBI's. Pujols has almost always lead the NL in RBIs & HRs, however he never could edge out the competition in BA, yet the number to beat is .323 & he almost always hits a .330. So I say the triple crown is high possibility & he should be able to reach it this year.

Next is more of a long term accomplishment. It's where he will rank on the All-Time Home Run List. Right now he sits at a comfortable and outstanding 399(soon to be 400). Let's get to the math - Pujols hits on average 36HRs(this is his 10th yr), and the average MLB lasts 20 years, so 36x10=360; & 360+399=759, placing him 3rd behind Bonds & Aaron. Even if you lower it to 30 HR/Yr he still hits 699 & is 4th behind Ruth and the previous listed. So the distant future is bright.

Finally is probably the least likely to happen, however still very possible. Pujols will take home the NL MVP & World Series MVP. The only doubt about the season MVP I have, is there are some players which have helped their teams rise to prominence this season, like Joey Votto & Martin Prado. But the Cards reaching the World Series and winning is still stretch. While I have now doubt that they have above a 60% chance to go to the big stage, October is still one of the toughest months in sports for teams and athletes. The potential is there though, a good 3-man rotation-and Wainright could win the Triple Crown-& some decent depth there as well; as well as the formula for the '06 team, rookies. The team leaders who were once rookies back then, pushed the veterans down the stretch & with all the injuries, there a lot of outstanding rookies. But even so, there is no telling that the Redbirds would win the World series much less, someone else steps up bigger than Pujols.

However, as a devoted Cards fan my predictions are as follows: Pujols has a year never before seen in baseball winning the Triple Crown, NL MVP, & World series MVP & The Cardinals beat the Yankees in 7 for a classic 1940's rematch.

Yes it's true, a fact all you Huskers fans know. This is no surprise though, the Huskers have always been met with doubt and skepticism by the so called experts of the college football world. Yet time and time again we prove them wrong. But that is for another post.

Proof is in the polls. Let's address the AP poll first. 14th is a travesty, everyone in front of them expect for the top 5 (excluding Boise St.) has no shot against Nebraska and would be beaten worse than Peyton in 97. The Coaches Poll does a little better, still ranking Boise St. & TCU who belong to sub-par conferences ahead of them is no excuse. who do they play, nobody. Then VT & Oklahoma St., I don't think so, neither have a prayer. The Cowboys have no playmakers and while VT beat us, Nebraska has only gotten better, while they idle at their same level they were when we played them last. Yet, the 2 polls that are insignificant actually have it right. Rivals has yet to release their entire poll, however, Nebraska has not yet been announced and their on the 7th team, so it's looking good. While the fans on YahooSports place Nebraska at 5th. Personally, I would rate Nebraska about 3rd or 4th and I still feel they should be #2. But my cause for concern is a re-emerging Sooners team, the defending Crimson Tide. Bottom line, this is a rebuilding year for Texas and Florida, while there are highly overrated teams in Ohio St., and Boise St., to name a few.

But enough b!+(hing and moaning, let's discuss why The Huskers aren't overrated.

They are restored to their former prominence for severalreasons, the first being they have returned to vintage Nebraska football, they way it was under Devaney & Osborne. They have depth at every position, which means no ones job is secure and them must compete for it on a daily basis. Proof this attributes to a team's dominance is the shear beating Florida took in 96, I forgot who, but an opposing player said "in the 4th quarter, we were all tired, but they had fresh legs and kept going, they were 3 deep, it's demoralizing", paraphrased of course. The tradition of Nebraska has been brought back, something that was lost under Callaghan and was a key motivation tool for the players, as well as inspiration. Also the blackshirts, and walk-ons are back, which is a crucial reason why Nebraska dominated for 3 decades.

Aside for that, here's some new things that lend themselves to the argument. First off Pelini is a darn good coach and anyone who can invent a new defense package has to be good, I'm refering of course to the Peso defense, six DBs. Great coaches have all come up with new schemes: Ditka & Ryan-46 defense, 4-3-Tom Landry, Bill Walsh-West Coast Offense & Shotgun, etc... To patten a new defense is astounding and I applaud Pelini. A side note, out of the first year coaches in '08, Pelini ranks 2nd among them record wise @ 19-8

Next is that they have an experienced offense plus depth. For the first time in almost a decade they have both depth and experience on the offensive side of the ball, both of which are crucial to an offense's success. Not to mention those big farm boys on the line of scrimmage. To quote Pelini, this is the best offensive line in all my season at Nebraska". Something Nebraska has and always been know for is lineman, and I thought last year's line was good, but i'll take Bo's word for it. Then you have 3 choices at QB, veteran Lee, dual-threat Green, or super arm freshman Martinez. Take your pick, they're all deadly. Then the RBs, a blend of power and speed in Helu, while you have a power runner who gets you crucial yards on crucial downs in Burkhead, and on top of that you have some other underclassmen backs you have pure speed and adrenaline. a for receiving they are stacked and have experience, led by Niles Paul.Their TEs should be even better and a staple in the offense for those play-action boot plays

As for defense you Baker Steinkuhlerand Jarred Crick shadowing the center and guards and to patrol the outside you have Pierre Allen who is an all-American, along with Crick-who was voted 30th out of 100 players in the nation by rivals. Then you have an enormous amountof depth and leadership when you talk DBs. This secondary is lead by Sr. Safety Prince Amuknamara, who was rated by rivals about 45th or 46th out of 100 college players. Pelinihasto know what he's doing with the secondary, for God's sake, he had the privilege to coach Merton hanks and Dieon Sanders way back when. The only concern is an inexperienced linebacking core, however, in the last two seasons those LBs have matured fast and excelled during game time. Also, ability to run the Peso, speaks for it-self. Not only does it require an oustanding passrush, but depth and raw talent for the DBs. To ad to the list of impressive stats, Pelini's defenses have always been in the top 3 in the nation among in turnover margin and scoring defense, last year they were 1st as a scoring defense and 2nd in turnover margin. THE BLACKSHIRTS ARE BACK

As for the special teams, the super foot kicker Alex Henry returns and they have a faster personnel for kick returns.

The grudge with Texas will be settled once and for all this season, they are motivated to win. Proof, they have wristband's that read "0.01 finish", meaning Texas was a second away from defeat. Nebraska hasn't won in 6 years, but they play in Lincoln and are foaming at the mouth, so chalk up two wins for the good guys, once in Lincoln and again in Arlington.

Therefore, with an offense that that beat you down with the run and then beat you with play action, and a defense that can score as many points as the offense and beat you into submission, and a the amazing kicker Henry, and Pelini's coaching genius and prowess, there is no reason why the Huskers shouldn't;t win a national championship, I accept no less. They aren't a dark-horse, they are a clear cut threat and strong consideration if you talk about contenders.

Every team is either overrated or in a re-building process, whith exceptions of Oklahoma & Alabama. So they might wanna make room for another championship in the trophy room.

Much has changed in this great sport & league since it's birth way back when in the other century. Now it's about media, advertisements, tailgating, & $$$. It's sad to say, but the NFL has turned pro-football into nothing more than greed. Look as the Superbowl ads, the salaries of the players, & how much a pro-team, especially a football team bankrupts the cities they occupy. The players & teams no longer share a connection with the city (may bee New Orleans, but that's because of Katrina), the only concern of everyone involved is increasing TR (total revenue).

Corporations, agents, & unions have corrupted and bastardized the sport to the point where it's almost un-recognizable. QB's are important but not enough to give them $100mill. They wine about more money for what, so you can buy a Bugatti instead of an Aston Martin, so you can raise ticket prices yet again, so you can bankrupt a city more to fund you sorry asses. Below is a comparison of football today & say...football in the '60s.

The players and leagues-NFL & AFL-were short on cash, unable to sign the draft picks, they had to merge. Players risked life and limb for a paycheck almost equal to a expletive shoveler. Some cities had ownership and stocks invested in the teams, the people knew the players and could talk to them. Players were gladiators, persevering through broken bones & all, just to keep their spot on the team. Players played with passion and for love of the game, tenacity and desire.

The NFL is an unofficial monopoly. Some draft picks get payed more than proven pro-bowlers & ring holders. If you have a wittle cramp or stub your itty bitty toe, you sit out for 2 weeks. Players make more than the president does in 1 term. The teams suck cities dry & relocate whenever and wherever they please. New stadiums, endorsement deals, corporation funded gear. Your lucky if you get their autograph. Now they use oxygen tanks, & if they get hurt, they're back on the field as soon as they recover. Rings and glory are etched out by paychecks and endorsements.

Now they wanna go on strike, they could write for Jay Leno with those joke. Why do you need more money? If a strike does happen, I will not watch NFL. It's ludicrous & outrageous to even suggest hat they need more money. Players aren't the same as they used to be.

Here are some enlightening examples for today's players. Johny Unitas played with a punctured lung, as a result from a broken rib & won an NFL Championship. Marshall Faulk jammed his finger or stubbed his toe or something & cost the Rams the Super Bowl. NFL linemen used to be beaten and battered so badly, that they would have to wait for 3 hours just to re-cooperate to put on their shirts & leave the locker room. Kellen Winslow is applauded for playing while fatigued. attitude was not accepted & if you didn't perform you lost your job. The Lombardi's & Parcel's of yesterday couldn't survive as coaches now days, they would be fired for benching players or hitting them. Just look how Jerry Jones cared more about $ than letting Parcels run the team & win a ring.

Yes, there were problems back then with treatment of retirees & paychecks, like the treatment of Unitas who is the model for the modern quarterback getting rejected and left to die by the NFL or barely enough money to make ends meat. Yet, the problem rests in going from one extreme to another. The is a universal flaw of humans, not finding a middle ground & it causes problems.

The only throwback to that era is Brett Favre, who is the Cal Ripken of the NFL. But, not all players are like that, but most of them are. The last time they had a reasonable call for strike was back in the 80s, after that they had reached their limit on pay.

The bottom line, is if this strike thing happens, it's a travesty to football as a whole & a disgrace to the league.

Yes, is the make the right off-season decision & No, if they continue their course.

The future was promising and there was hope about 5 years ago. With the big 3: Marion, Nash, & Amare. You had a consecutive MVP in Nash, coach of the year with D'Antoni, & boasting the best record one year & the 2nd best a few years later. But year after year of heart breaking loses to the Spurs, crushed the Sunsmorale and forever closed the door on the Suns championship hopes. Though screwed by the refs like Donaughy & Stern, and plagued with post-season injuries, the Suns execs could have done a better job. Now there almost no hope.

The Suns big problem is how they handle the off-season. They rely on draft picks mostly & the players they actually do pick up in free agency are either role players or washed-up hacks. Yes, some did pan out(eventually), like Diaw, Bell, Frye, etc..., but did it last no, & did they always perform or step up when asked no. Though Richardson did an excellent job in this year's playoffs, he now only played how we expected him to. Look at the series of stupid deals they made: trading Rondo for Brian Grant, trading Joe Johnson away, Q-Rich for Thomas (Thomas never did much). Sarver or whatever his name is, is too cheap also, in a professional sports, being cheap nothing, but sunshine and farts. You have to be willing to take risks and spend money, otherwise, this city will never see a championship.

You can't rely on draft picks in the NBA, unless you're picking in the top10 of the 1st round. Only 64 players are chosen, unlike the NFL or MLB, the hopes of signing an underrated future superstar, are a lot less likely to happen. If they would have kept Johnson & Rondo, they wouldn't have had to waste time finding a replacement for Nash or a prooven SG. They already lost Marion, now Amare, & Nash is like 37 now, the future looks grim.

Now the Suns must treat their organization like an old stadium, tear it down and build a new one. This is what I would do, scrap your bench players and role players that you don't need & would provide some cap space, like Amundson or Collins, or Griffin; also try some sign & trades, like Barbosa or something. The point is there is a opportunity like no other this year, the power forward free agency is stacked, Amare is gone, well move on, there are lots of top replacements & Warrick is not the answer. This window of opportunity is closing, with Jermaine O'Neal is going to the Celtics, Boozer to the Bulls, & a possibility of David Lee to the Warriors, time is running short & the Suns need to act quickly before time runs out.

Though all my talk will fall on def ears & is fantasy because, the only way to get a job done is to do it yourself, & that's never gonna happen. So as I said in one of my previous posts, the Suns aren't going to make much noise from somewhere between 5-8 years.

On another note, Amare's departure leaves me with no choice but to stop watching pro basketball. It's no longer about teams & cities winning championships, it's about superstars & money. The league is rigged, look @ what Stern did to the Suns & how the biggest new on sports center is where Lebron is headed. With the Suns seemingly done & the corrupt heads of the NBA fixing the league, I see no point in tuning to a Suns game on TV for a while.

It's old new that Kerr has left. It's als0o old news that he wanted a pay raise, as well as a bonus for some of the other staff members who helped the Suns reach the Western Conference Finals. Sarver was being cheap I think, sometimes your employees need incentives, you can't be a d*** all the time. I don't know about Kerr getting a raise and being denied, but you know, he got them to some they hadn't been in 4 years I think, so maybee he deserves a little bonus.

Now to the big cheese. Amare is gone as a source reports on yahoo sports. He opted out and wanted at least $17 mill. Apparently though, he doesn't even want a new deal, it's a blatant statment, "He's gone". It was reported that Kerr's resignation was the straw that broke the cammel's back.

So the Suns are are screwed, unless they can pick up somebody like Wade, which I don't think is happening, but that won't either, qued. no chemistry. So as I said in one of my earlier posts, we won't be seing the Suns make any noise for at least 5 years.

So I was bored & decided to provide everyone with some history between Nebsraks & the Big 10 schools strating from 1890-2010.

* denotes team had not yet joined the Big 10

* record format W-L-T or W-L

1890-1896 - Pre Big 10/ WIUFA

*Iowa: 3-1-1 *Illinois: 1-0

1896-1907 - Big 10-Pre Big 8

Iowa: 3-3-1 Minnesota: 1-5 Northwestern: 1-0 Illinois: 3-0 Michigan: 0-1

1907-1920 - Big 8/Robbie Robinson & Fielding Yost/WW1

Minnesota: 1-5-2 Iowa: 6-2-1 *Michigan St.: 1-0 Michigan: 0-1  

1920-1941 - Rise to Power/WW2

*Penn St.: 0-1 *Michigan St.: 1-0 Illinois: 1-1 Iowa: 7-1 Northwestern: 0-1 Minnesota: 2-6 Indiana: 3-0-2  

1941-1961 - Fall to Obscruity/WW2

Indiana: 0-9-1 Minnesota: 2-13 Iowa: 1-5 *Penn St.: 2-3 Illinois: 0-0-1 Ohio St.: 0-2 Purdue: 0-1  

1962-1972 - Bob Devany

Michigan: 1-0 Minnesota: 8-0 Wisconsin: 2-0  

1973-1997 - Tom Obsborne/1st 2 yrs. of Big 12

Wisconsin: 1-1 Minnesota: 6-0-0 Northwestern: 1-0 Indiana: 4-0 Iowa: 3-1 *Penn St.: 3-2 Illinois: 2-0  Michigan: 0-1('86 Fiesta Bowl) Michigan St.: 2-0  

1998-2003 Frank Solich

Iowa: 2-0 Northwestern: 1-0('00 Alamo Bowl) Penn St.: 1-1 Michigan St.: 1-0('03 Alamo Bowl)  

2004-2007 Bill Callahan

Michigan: 1-0('05 Alamo Bowl)  

2008-Present Bo Pelini  

Totals

Nebraska vs. Big 10 Teams: 68-58-10

Nebraska vs. Big 10 in Bowls: 3-1

NE vs MI: 2-3 NE vs MI St.: 5-0 NE vs IW: 31-12-3 NE vs NW: 3-1 NE vs PN St.: 6-7 NE vs IN: 7-9-3 NE vs IL: 7-1-1 NE vs OH St.: 0-2 NE vs WI: 3-1 NE vs PU: 0-1 NE vs MIN: 20-29-2      

There are really three key components that snowballed this whole crappy realignment.

TEXAS

Straight from this blog, cornation.com contributes a lot of the reasons for the move becuase of Texas. Nebraska went from being the powerhouse of the Big 8, along with Oklahoma, to a reduced and minimal role in the Big 12. In addition the Big 12 championship game, as well as the headquarters are in Irving. The bottom line is Nebraska officials are pissed off at Texas, because they control everything & get all the attention. That's why they decided to leave & that's what started the domino effect which is sure to forever revolutionize college football as we know it. As, as a sub-caption blame, Nebraska is too.

THE BIG 10 & PAC 10

Jealous and angry about not being able to compete with the other major conferences and feeling left out, they planned this a few years back. The SEC, BIG 12, & ACC, all had 12 teams and were gaining the spotlight, especially & they felt left out. So they had two options, expand or playoffs. They tricked the Big 12 into rejecting the notion of playoffs, so they could set this up for the future & they have. Though this argument is not my own, I agree with it. I read it in an article from ESPN & it's probably true. So you can blame them for this. Another sub-section of blame goes to money, because that's what this move is all about $$$.

SEC

This is more an analyzation of history & my own opinion, & could be argued as b.s. or factual. But in 1991 the SEC took Arkansas from the Southwest Conference, which held the what is comprised of the Big 12 South today, with the exception of OK & OK St. 5 years later, the conference disbanded & created the Big 12. This would create growing dissension between Texas & Nebraska, as well as the South & the North, where the South got all the attention. By creating these two powerhouse conferences, the ACC joined in & now the Pac 10 & Big 10 feel left out, so they're gonna screw everybody else & the sport to compete & for the mula.

Therefore, more than anything money or gree rather, has ruined college sports.

Well I was horribly wrong and I think a lot of Nebraska fans were, according to Orangebloods or the Longhorns blog-which ESPN is reporting off of-Big Red will be moving to the Big 10 & announce it's decision formally on Fri. I pray that these are just rumors, but sadly I think there not. I would love for nothing more than to see the status quo remain intact but I don't see it happening. I was wrong and it looks like college football as we know it will be no more. Since the Nebraska and Mizzou were the adhesives for the Big12, & since Nebraska is leaving, Mizzou is sure to follow and take up the Big 10 on their offer as well. I can speculate and form a decent guess on why Nebraska would do such a thing, however good the reasons, I still disagree.

I think the main reason is Texas. The head honchos of Nebraska are probably fed up with the domination of the conference, & I'm not talking about the W-L aspect. All the big coverages and big money goes to south and mainly the Texas schools, especially the Longhorns. In addition, the Big 12 championship is now in Arlington, instead of Kansas City, or a more neutral site. I think they feel like the North is being screwed, as well as themselves vicariously and are fed up with it.

The other reason if the vulnerability of the Big 10. This conference is ripe for the picking. They are foaming at the mouth for a chance to run through the conference, and they will. The powerhouses of the Big 10 are shadows of their former selves, and in my opinion highly overrated. Look at the loses Penn St. & Michigan suffered at the hands of tune-up schools; and last year wast the first time in 3 years that Ohio St. won a bowl game (finishing as runner-up national champions in 2 of those years); Wisconsin and Iowa have had minimal and recent success. Where Nebraska is on the rise and with a team that lost by 1-point to the national championship runner-ups-& who would have won, had McCoy not been injured-that can only get better, imagine what they would do to the Big 10.

Since Nebraska is most likely to take the Big 10 up on their offer, Mizzou will follow & they will be the new Big 12 &
return to dominance. I hate to see it happen, but change is inevitable.

Thoughts?

I think so. the game is pretty evenly matched in those terms. Nebraska has a championship offense & Texas has a championship offense. These two teams on these sides of the ball will offset each other & to prove that, here's some stats:

The Longhorn offense is third in the country in scoring offense (43.0 points) and 11th in total offense (451.6 yards). The Nebraska defense is third in the country in scoring defense (11.1 points) and 11th in total defense (291.4 yards).

Yeach I know about Shipley & McCoy's running ability, but our 2 DTs are the answer, as we all know they make tackles that the LBs or DBs should be making. In addition to them, we also have O'Hanlon & Assante, so we're pretty well covered.

So what i think it comes down to is Nebraska's running game & Henry. It's something that Nebraska has that Texas doesn't. And if the O-Line succeeds in allowing Burkhead & Helu to punish Texas, Nebraska will win.

Here's why. As we are aware, the passing game isn't not that great. So we rely on our runnig game and as we aware, what one way to stop an offense like Texas, keep them off the field. If they're running game is successful, then they can burn the clock, while putting points on the board, & not diminishing Texas' opportunities to score. Plus, a good running sets up the play action & we have two of the best TEs in the nation. So the running game helps get the passing game going.  And I think, like most analysts do, Nebraska will be squeezing out an extremely close win, so we look to Henry to make some clutch field goals.

But who knows, maybe it's a blowout for either team grabbing the victory, but this is how & why I think they'll win.