As all this conference realignment talk continues to swirl and possibly comes to fruition, there are two things I quite honestly, don't understand. I know some will say, "Oh, he's just a Husker fan," but I am just trying to be brutally honest.
First of all, I don't understand all of the hate for Nebraska in all of this. If the Big 12 collapses, there is no logical way the blame can be laid at the feet of Nebraska. Anyone with any sense of logic and fairness would have to admit that if Geoffrey, Pollard and the Iowa Board of Regents were provided the same opportunity as Perlman, Osborne and the Nebraska Board of Regents, their decision would have been absolutely the same. Iowa State would have jumped at the opportunity, Missouri obviously would have jumped at the opportunity and so would have Kansas, Kansas State, Colorado or any other school in the conference. There simply are a myriad of reasons why this makes sense for the University of Nebraska. How would Iowa State fans be feeling at this point if they were in this position, made the best decision for their University and saw people unjustly hurling stones at them? The Big 12 Conference could easily survive without any one of it's member, save possibly Texas (and personally I believe the Conference could survive without the Longhorns). Any number of schools from TCU to Houston to Colorado State to even Boise State would jump at the opportunity to join the Big 12 Conference. If the conference implodes, the only logical blame can be laid at the feet of Texas and the five other "lap dogs" that will eventually follow them into the Pac 10.
The second thing I don't understand is why all of the hand-wringing and knashing of teeth by Iowa State fans with regards to the possibly of the University ending up in the Mountain West Conference. I would agree that a move to the MAC could be disastrous to the University, but as I've said before, in my opinion the biggest benefactor in all of this could be the Mountain West. If you honestly don't think any combination of Big 12 schools ending up in the MWC will not immediatly move the conference to BCS or "elite" status is simply not looking at the situation logically. Yes, I understand that Iowa State may lose some of it's natural rivalries, but the MWC, with an infusion of Big 12 Conference schools, will immediately be seen as a top tier conference. Do you honestly think the University of Kansas, with it's long and storied history and with the prominence of its basketball program, is going to be interested in joining a second-rate conference? Not on your life! The MWC has been on the cusp of being considered an "elite" conference for years now. If you don't think adding say Boise State, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State wouldn't put them over the top, you are among the most naive of the naive.
Step back for a moment, take a deep breath and look at this thing logically. As much as many CFers love to hate Nebraska, they are not the villain here. They are simply doing what any other right-thinking University board would do...accept an incredible opportunity. Texas and their five "lap dogs" are what will ultimately bring down the Big 12 Conference. And secondly, Iowa State landing in the MWC Conference shouldn't be seen as a step down or a bad thing for the University. The Mountain West Conference stands to gain a lot of stature if all of this comes down the way we expect it to.
Now, take your best shot!
First of all, I don't understand all of the hate for Nebraska in all of this. If the Big 12 collapses, there is no logical way the blame can be laid at the feet of Nebraska. Anyone with any sense of logic and fairness would have to admit that if Geoffrey, Pollard and the Iowa Board of Regents were provided the same opportunity as Perlman, Osborne and the Nebraska Board of Regents, their decision would have been absolutely the same. Iowa State would have jumped at the opportunity, Missouri obviously would have jumped at the opportunity and so would have Kansas, Kansas State, Colorado or any other school in the conference. There simply are a myriad of reasons why this makes sense for the University of Nebraska. How would Iowa State fans be feeling at this point if they were in this position, made the best decision for their University and saw people unjustly hurling stones at them? The Big 12 Conference could easily survive without any one of it's member, save possibly Texas (and personally I believe the Conference could survive without the Longhorns). Any number of schools from TCU to Houston to Colorado State to even Boise State would jump at the opportunity to join the Big 12 Conference. If the conference implodes, the only logical blame can be laid at the feet of Texas and the five other "lap dogs" that will eventually follow them into the Pac 10.
The second thing I don't understand is why all of the hand-wringing and knashing of teeth by Iowa State fans with regards to the possibly of the University ending up in the Mountain West Conference. I would agree that a move to the MAC could be disastrous to the University, but as I've said before, in my opinion the biggest benefactor in all of this could be the Mountain West. If you honestly don't think any combination of Big 12 schools ending up in the MWC will not immediatly move the conference to BCS or "elite" status is simply not looking at the situation logically. Yes, I understand that Iowa State may lose some of it's natural rivalries, but the MWC, with an infusion of Big 12 Conference schools, will immediately be seen as a top tier conference. Do you honestly think the University of Kansas, with it's long and storied history and with the prominence of its basketball program, is going to be interested in joining a second-rate conference? Not on your life! The MWC has been on the cusp of being considered an "elite" conference for years now. If you don't think adding say Boise State, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State wouldn't put them over the top, you are among the most naive of the naive.
Step back for a moment, take a deep breath and look at this thing logically. As much as many CFers love to hate Nebraska, they are not the villain here. They are simply doing what any other right-thinking University board would do...accept an incredible opportunity. Texas and their five "lap dogs" are what will ultimately bring down the Big 12 Conference. And secondly, Iowa State landing in the MWC Conference shouldn't be seen as a step down or a bad thing for the University. The Mountain West Conference stands to gain a lot of stature if all of this comes down the way we expect it to.
Now, take your best shot!
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