Sunday Night Dessert: A Rosenblatt Finale

One of the major criticisms of the end of the Rosenblatt Stadium era is that "it (the CWS) just won't be the same" downtown as it is on top of the hill.  It's kind of a silly argument because the CWS isn't the same event in 2010 that it was in 2005...or 1995...or 1985. It's a suprious argument because things would be changing even if there wasn't a new stadium.  Years ago, there weren't beer gardens up and down 13th Street.  Back then, ESPN didn't dictate a series that nearly runs two full weeks, when you consider the opening ceremony on a Friday night and a potential UCLA/South Carolina game three on Wednesday night. Omaha made Rosenblatt work for so many years, despite having a concourse designed 65 years ago for a capacity half of what Rosenblatt currently allows.  And let's not forget the NCAA's requests for a "clean zone" around Rosenblatt...

Change can be difficult, but things continually change in life. The important thing is to try and only change the things that don't work. From the Rosenblatt era of the CWS, those are things like cramped concourses, bathrooms, skyboxes, traffic, and parking.   I think tailgating will be different, but still possible in the larger Qwest Center lots. Add in other lots around downtown, and I think it's going to still be possible to do much of what people want to do. The Old Market is going to be an even more festive alternative to tailgating, and the developing North Downtown area has plenty of newer businesses (Slowdown, Barley's, Goodnight's, Old Mattress Factory) that are going to quickly become new CWS traditions. And don't count out Zesto's...lots of rumors about placing a new Zesto's just south of TD Ameritrade Park.

After watching 18,000 people spend the day at the Motivation seminar on Monday, I have no concerns about traffic on game days. Folks who insist on traveling on Cuming Street will get backed up, but there are no shortage of alternative routes downtown, and most of them didn't get backed up anywhere nearly as bad as 13th Street does.  And let's remember that the seminar coincided with morning rush hour; I don't think ESPN is going to demand any 8 am first pitches...even if we get another week of monsoons.

I know a lot of people were following the United States' run in soccer's World Cup, but for me, it was mostly a curiousity.  I understand the nationalistic fervor of most fans, but with games on during the workday, it's tough to pay much attention. The ESPN broadcasts are essentially "foreign" as well, with British play-by-play announcers on the call. The whole concept of "extra time" or "stoppage time" seems downright primitive when basketball and hockey work in tenths of a second. Football isn't quite that precise, but they'll use instant replay to put a second back on the clock. In soccer....well, we're told at the end of regulation we've got "about" four minutes to play.

Sunday Night Dessert: Incoming!

A few quick late notes:

I wasn't anywhere near Rosenblatt tonight, but from west Omaha with all of the lightning I observed, I'm not sure that game one should have even been begun, let alone completed.  From about 6 pm on, the thunder was pretty constant, and all coming from the east and southeast.

Sadly, today's Oklahoma/South Carolina game was the best of the series so far.  Sadly, because only a couple thousand fans were able to stick around for the finish.  We'll see how many people will answer the morning bell for a 10 am first pitch between Arizona State and Clemson....weather permitting.  How early will they open the parking lots for the tailgating?

If the weather forecast for tomorrow holds, this could all be repeated Tuesday morning as well.

Over at the US Open, it was amazing to see how two rusty golfers stay in contention at Pebble Beach, which was in control of the weekend. Anybody catch Y.E. Yang's adventures on the 14th hole on Friday evening? Been there, done that:  chip on and watches it roll off, tries the putter and it does a U-turn as well...then it just gets embarassing.  The big difference is that only a couple of people catch me doing it on the local muni...and it's certainly not televised on ESPN.  But when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are able to devote themselves full-time to golf, the rest of the world better watch out.

Thursday Night Beer: Some CWS Tailgaters Beverage Choice This Year is Whine

The final College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium seems to be bringing out the worst in some fans this year. It all started last week when some people started to set up their tailgating tents and grills last week.  That's right, tents and grills started to appear around the stadium long before the first pitch of the Super Regionals. Needless to say, that drew the ire of the City, who still needed to get the stadium ready for the event. But I had to shake my head at the idea that people thought they could leave their tents and grills outside of Rosenblatt for three weeks or more. Call me ignorant, but if the city didn't confiscate it, I would fully expect someone to wander off with it. I guess it's a testament to the people who frequent the College World Series, but I just can't fathom why people think that this would be allowed.

The ire of tailgaters was raised further when the city erected a chain link fence around Rosenblatt.  Ugly? Yes. Unnecessary? Well, in this day and age, I'm not so sure. Security at every major sporting event is up.  Ten years ago, you weren't patted down going into a stadium.  Then 9/11 occurred, and our world changed. I remember standing in line for nearly 90 minutes just to get through the front gate of the Rose Bowl in 2002.  Security is up everywhere.  But I have to laugh at the idea this "kills tailgating".  I don't think people park their car at Arrowhead Stadium in August and drive it home around Christmas.  In this day and age of cell phones, it isn't that difficult to find someone in a parking lot.  Anybody remember Dingerville?  It started out innocuously enough..but eventually, abuse brought that to an end.

It's always interesting to read others perceptions of conference realignment, especially people who are paid to give opinions but don't bother to put a lot of thought into them.  Take Jeff Schulz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution who completely ignores the politics of the Big XII conference and Nebraska's investment in research to go for the easy story.  It's all about the money, as far as he's concerned.  It makes for a nice column, but when the only research he does is look for a picture of Harvey Perlman and Tom Osborne at last week's Regents meeting, it's pretty easy to dismiss his opinion as ignorant.  Only problem is that a lot of people will share those opinions, and in our world, perception is reality.

Speaking of realignment, Chip Brown brought another outlandish idea to the debate: Arkansas and Notre Dame to the Big XII. Nevermind that there really isn't an explanation why any school would suddenly be interested in joining a conference that nearly vaporized last weekend, let alone a staunchly independent school like Notre Dame or an SEC school.

Here's the funniest side effect of conference realignment.  Seems that with Colorado and Nebraska exiting the Big XII, the lyrics of the Kansas fight song won't be relevant anymore.

Talk about the Sooners, the Cowboys and the Buffs,
Talk about the Tiger and his tail,
Talk about the Wildcat, and those Cornhuskin' boys,
But I'm the bird to make 'em weep and wail. 

I wonder if they can work Chip Brown and Dan Beebe into the revision...

Talk about the Sooners, the Cowboys and the Cats,
Talk about the Tiger and his tail,
Talk about Bevo, the Orange Blooded Savior of our Land,
And yes Dan Beebe, our check is in the mail!

Does Dan Beebe Read CornNation?

Today's news that Texas has recommitted to the Big XII after all certainly is a surprise, considering all that has been said and written in recent days about the future of the conference.  In the end, it was a television deal that turned it all around... and where did that idea first come from?  Oh yes...right here:

But here's the problem. Dan Beebe might not have that much time. By then, the Big Ten may have already picked off one or more teams.  The Pac-10 may as well, forcing the SEC to join in the fun.

No, Dan Beebe is wasting his time trying to talk schools into staying in the Big XII. Even Texas is scouting out their options should the Big XII collapse.

His mission coming out of this week's meetings shouldn't be to convince teams to stay.  His mission needs to make the Big XII difficult to leave. And it all starts with negotiating a new television deal...and that's a process that needs to start now. 

Turns out Harvey Perlman had Texas nailed when he asked University of Texas president Bill Powers to commit the Longhorns' media rights to the conference. Texas refused, and set into motion to the move to the Pac-10.  Only problem is, the Pac-10 was demanding the same thing.  So as things seemed to be moving closer and closer towards Texas' departure, Texas pulled a fast one on the Pac-10, according to John Henderson of the Denver Post:

A source close to the Pac-10's expansion negotiations told The Denver Post that Texas insisted on better revenue sharing and its own network, which essentially killed the deal.
"In the 11th hour, after months of telling us they understand the TV rights, they're trying to pull a fast one on the verge of sealing the deal in the regents meeting," the source said. "They want a better revenue sharing deal and their own network. Those were points of principle. (The Pac-10) wants to treat everyone fairly. It's been that way for months of discussions."

That's right, at the last minute, Texas wanted to bring their rules to the Pac-10...just like they brought their rules to the Big XII fifteen years ago. Except the Pac-10 had the good sense to tell Texas where they could stink those rules.

Enter Dan Beebe, who turns out was actually doing his job, putting together a reasonable deal for the Big XII's next television deal. It looks like after Fox lost out on the ACC deal, they were more than willing to put together a blockbuster deal to keep things from disintegrating.  I've heard reports this includes coverage on local Fox stations nationwide as well as the FSN and FX cable channels.

And with the other nine remaining teams in the Big XII essentially at the whim of their lord and master, Texas is able to have their cake and eat it too.  They get the money they sought by leaving, they get the Longhorn Television Network they coveted, and they retain nine of the eleven serfs they previously claimed.

So everybody's happy.  Nebraska gets a more stable conference arrangement with huge academic benefits.  Colorado gets to pretend they are a California school now (just have to figure out how to pay off the exit fee for the Big XII on top of everything else they can't afford, such as a qualified football coach).  Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, and Iowa State stay in a BCS conference.  And everybody else gets rich, rich, rich.  Some (such as Texas) more than others, of course.

Well, until Texas starts feeling their oats again, or wants something more from the feudal system that is now the Big XII Conference.

Blasphemy Turns Five

Today marks the fifth anniversary of this blog, and oh, what a five years it's been. Back in 2005, Nebraska was getting ready for another College World Series appearance, and Bill Callahan was trying to erase the stink of Nebraska's first losing season since Bob Devaney arrived in Lincoln.

In fact, Bill Callahan is one of the main reasons I started writing this blog. Back in that time, having a contrarian opinion on Callahan and Steve Pederson was not in vogue. At that time, suggesting that Nebraska football wasn't on the right track was truly "blasphemous". Fans had high expectations at that time that Harrison Beck and Marlon Lucky were going to quickly restore Nebraska football to greatness.

Well, we know how well THAT turned out.

Looking back five years, could anybody have forecasted where we'd be in 2010?  Bo Pelini returns to Nebraska and nearly gets Nebraska back into a BCS bowl game.  Steve Pederson finally got his comeuppance.  Tom Osborne returns as athletic director. Now, Nebraska quits the Big XII joins the Big Ten. UNO hockey suffers budget abuse at the hands of a chancellor and vice-chancellor playing games with the books, then finally turns it around by hiring Trev Alberts and Dean Blais.  Omaha replaces Rosenblatt Stadium with TD Ameritrade Park, and Sarpy County builds the Boondoggle in BFE.  (And guess what, they still haven't said how they are going to pay for it!)

Will this blog last another five years?  Hard to say, because I'm not sure I expected it to go five years in the first place. Never expected to be asked to contribute to a preseason magazine like Cornhusker Kickoff either.

Thanks to everybody for stopping by and reading, and a special thanks to everybody who's commented over the years.

It's The End of the College Football World As We Know It....And I Feel Fine

Not really sure how to describe today's announcement of Nebraska's switch from the Big XII to the Big Ten. It's a bittersweet day for Nebraska. Bitter in that a lot of dirt was thrown on old traditions, but sweet in that a lot of exciting new opportunities just opened up for Dear 'Ol Nebraska U. This is simply one of those historic days that will take time to digest and figure out exactly what it means.

Perlman Runs Up The Score
Harvey Perlman opened up the public presentation at the Board of Regents meeting and went straight for the jugular. Like a lawyer, he went after the rest of the Big XII, portraying the rest of the Big XII as hypocrites who tried to penalize Nebraska for doing what they themselves were doing. The problem wasn't with schools looking out for their own best interests; that's what every school official needs to do.  The problem was with the college Presidents calling out Nebraska, and Nebraska only.  Missouri, where all of the speculation about conference realignment began, acknowledged today they never received an ultimatum. It was all about Nebraska being singled out.

Perlman hit the rest of the Big XII, and hit them hard. When word of the Texas power-play to drag the Big XII South west to the Pac-10, Perlman demanded that Texas show their commitment to the Big XII. And Texas folded, unwilling to put their television plans on the table to save the Big XII.  Thing spiraled out of control from there. Texas was only willing to commit through the end of the current ABC contract, meaning that this game would be played again in five more years.

After pleading that case, any doubt that the Board of Regents might have was completely vanquished. He not only leveled a damning case, he ran up the score worse than Tom Osborne ever did.


Tom Osborne Makes The Case
Osborne came up next and calmly made the case why the Big Ten was a good move for Nebraska. Concerns about travel and recruiting were quickly dismissed.  Then he leveled the final blow against Texas. One school leaving the Big XII doesn't kill the conference.  Two schools leaving doesn't kill the conference.  But six schools conspiring to leave the conference? That'll kill the conference, and that forced Nebraska's hand.  That in turn, forced the Big Ten to make the move that was consummated today.

What Does This Mean
This upcoming season will be the final season for Nebraska in the Big XII; it's a farewell tour for the Huskers. It wasn't a surprise to me; "Frank the Tank" mentioned it last week. Smart move for everyone; it limits the awkward transition period and allows the Big Ten to launch a championship game next year. Only problem is the extra termination fee, and I don't put it beyond Harvey Perlman to get that eliminated.

In fact, the transition has already begun. The Big Ten Network will start televising Nebraska games this fall. (I assume that excludes football and basketball games under contract with FSN and ESPN/ABC.  In any event, I think I need to call my cable company tomorrow.  Dish Network may be in my future...)  Schedules are going to be adjusted, though if the Big Ten retains 8 conference games a year, the transition could be seamless.

But the biggest change is going to be a mental one and that's something that'll take time to digest. No more games against Kansas and Iowa State. For the last few months, the assumption was that Missouri was tagging along, but they may be left by the side as well. But don't think that Texas is in the rear view mirror; it's not terribly likely, but I still think there's a chance Texas could tag along eventually.  Let's face it; they just can't quit us.

In recent years, Big XII football passed up the Big Ten.  After Bo Pelini's LSU squad manhandled Ohio State, I argued that the Big Ten wasn't worthy of an automatic BCS bowl bid anymore.  Even called them the "Big MAC".  Mostly for shock value, I admit.  But football is cyclical, and the Big Ten is improving.  But they still trailed the SEC and Big XII last year.  I'm not going to predict that Nebraska is going to dominate the Big Ten either; Nebraska hasn't done anything on the field yet to remotely justify any trash-talking.

From the conference's perspective, realignment is all about football. From Nebraska's perspective, it was about just about everything except football. It was about television contracts and trust. It was about stability and academics. Heck, thanks to the need to "buy our way in", Nebraska won't see any of that extra Big Ten money for a few years. Financially, Nebraska might have been better to stay in the Big XII, if it somehow were to survive the wandering eyes of Texas and the others in the South. But in the end, it's all those other benefits that make this decision a winner for Nebraska.

So a historic day comes to an end, and I was reminded this morning of an old song from my college days by KOZN's "Schick & Nick Show".  Today truly was the end of College Football as I know it.

And you know what?  I feel just fine, and looking forward to the future.

Nebraska's Move to the Big Ten Has A Surprising Reason

Last week as it became clear that Nebraska was being set up as the lead domino for college realignment, I started to second guess just why the Huskers wanted to leave the Big XII. Texas, if you want to believe them, seemed to be fully in favor of staying in the Big XII. Perhaps they realized that they wouldn't be able to throw their weight around in another conference, perhaps they like being the big dog. Other teams began to began to beg Nebraska to stick around. If schools really weren't leaving the Big XII first, then why was Nebraska going to make the jump.

The second guessing continued as reports came out that Fox Sports wanted to bridge the financial gap between the Big Ten and SEC deals and the Big XII's current deal. The report seemed to make sense after Fox lost out on the BCS and the ACC, meaning they were running out of properties to acquire. Shouldn't the Huskers try to salvage the Big XII and keep traditions like Nebraska-Kansas (104 straight games and counting) going? Maybe Texas would be willing to compromise on a few things to keep it intact.

But Nebraska isn't going to commit to the Big XII, even though the many of the circumstances that I thought would drive the Huskers out of the Big XII didn't seem to apply anymore.  But why?  That's when I began to learn about the difference maker. It's not the TV money or exposure, though it's nice. It's not the bowl lineup, which is full of desirable bowl locations.  (Tampa and Orlando on New Years, for example, plus the Rose Bowel if you like to tailgate.)

On Monday, KOZN radio's Kevin Kugler suggested on-the-air that the academic programs could really get a boost by joining the Big Ten. Yesterday, KLIN radio's Jack Mitchell tweeted a link to the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, the academic side of the Big Ten.  Then today, the World-Herald put it all together about what the CIC does for Big Ten schools.  It's a partnership that receives 12% of the research grants from the federal government.  The schools collaborate on classes and research projects. When something becomes a successful venture, the schools receive royalties from these findings.  And if you think football brings in big money, just check out what Big Ten schools take in.  Wisconsin, for example, $474 million in federal research grants in 2008 on top of $83 million earned on past research.

To put it in perspective...Nebraska's athletic department budget was $75 million in 2008-09.

Penn State, the last school to join the Big Ten, made noticeable jumps in the national rankings. They now are 15th in the nation in terms of academic quality as well as in federal research grants (about triple what Nebraska brings in currently.)

Nebraska is in the middle of converting the old State Fairgrounds east of the Devaney Center into the Nebraska Innovation Campus to push research into a new stratosphere.  The goal is to provide facilities to attract researchers and grant money to Lincoln, and thus enhance not only the University, but the city and state as well. When you combine what is happening with the Innovation Campus with the potential connections and cooperation available from the CIC, suddenly leaving the Big XII for the Big Ten takes on a whole new perspective.

People will say that Nebraska is leaving the Big XII for money, and it's hard to argue that point. It's just that the money involved isn't the money they are referring to.  Tom Osborne talked last night about this decision affecting the University for "the next 75 to 100 years" on his radio interview, and frankly, he wasn't talking about athletics primarily.  This is a big deal for the University of Nebraska as a whole.  Sure fans will be pleased with the end of pay-per-view football telecasts, replaced with HD telecasts on the Big Ten Network. Sure fans will like having multiple opportunities to play in a New Years Day bowl game.  Road trips to Manhattan and Stillwater get replaced by trips to Chicago, Minneapolis, and Madison.  (Note to Trev Alberts: work with the WCHA and Lincoln, and try to coordinate UNO hockey's road trips to Minnesota and Wisconsin with Husker football games for a three-game weekend.)  The distances between Big XII and Big Ten locations aren't that much longer in reality.  Iowa City is an hour further than Ames; Minneapolis is a couple of hours further than Lawrence.  Madison, Chicago, and Champaign are all easy day-drives as well.  And for those recruitniks, Jon Johnston of CornNation has the proof that membership in the Big XII didn't really have any effect on recruiting in Texas in the first place.  This is a move that doesn't have much of a downside and some upside to the athletic department.

But those benefits pale next to the benefits to the University as a whole.  That's why Nebraska is leaving the Big XII. Unlike the athletic money, the academic benefits will take time and effort to develop, but the potential to far exceed athletic benefits is very much real.  That's why Nebraska is breaking with tradition.  That's why Nebraska is potentially disrupting much of college football.  It's unfortunate that schools like Iowa State and Kansas may be harmed if Texas carries through with their threat to destroy the Big XII.  I would hope that reasonable minds could try to salvage the Big XII and add a TCU, Louisville, BYU, or Utah to keep the conference viable.

Nebraska's Conference Alignment Drives the Future of College Sports

So much has been written and tweeted this weekend about the impending dissolution of the Big XII depending on how Nebraska responds to the ultimatum launched by the University of Texas last week. I know, I know...officially it's being delivered by the Big XII conference, but really at it's core, this one is coming from Austin. It's rather ironic because I think when this story began earlier this winter, I felt this was a defensive move by Nebraska in reaction to moves being made by others in the conference.

So how the heck did Lincoln become the epicenter of this battle? Certainly Texas has been playing both sides of this battle by using their position to drive the debate in their favor. It's interesting to read the reports of Chip Brown, who now writes for the Texas Rivals.com web site. While his initial report of the Pac-10's push to invite the Big XII South has been corroborated, much of the rest of his reporting seems to give the impression of a vendetta against Tom Osborne. He continues to be the only media outlet that seems to doubt that the Big Ten is interested in Nebraska for whatever reason. Nevermind the fact that this story wouldn't even be happening if there weren't some substance behind the Nebraska/Big Ten report.  Nevermind that numerous reporters (much closer to South Bend, I might add) continue to report that Notre Dame is not budging at all in resisting the urge to join the Big Ten.

Yesterday, he tried to insinuate that Osborne's dislike of the spread offenses now in vogue in the Big XII was driving Osborne to move the Huskers to the Big Ten.  (Later, he said it was merely a retweet from the Texas Tech Rivals' site...but that original tweet is nowhere to be found.) Today, he tweeted about "Tom Osborne's disgruntled view of Texas" and how it came to"infect the perception of the relationship between UT and Nebraska."


So what's going on?  Osborne offered the following quote to the Lincoln Journal-Star on Saturday evening:

"Eventually all the facts will come out"

When is "eventually", and what are these facts? Hard to say, but I think it will be a few weeks from now. I think we're in for a couple of stressful weeks here as a huge game of chicken is being played between Lincoln and Austin. The administrations at Nebraska and Texas will probably discuss matters, but frankly, that ship may have already sailed. The time to address Nebraska's concerns was prior to delivering an ultimatum. Make the Big XII a better conference, and nobody is considering other options. That didn't happen, and instead Texas offered up the ultimatum. But how does this ultimatum really solve Nebraska's concerns with the Big XII? It just fuels the seeds of disagreement and makes a dysfunctional  relationship even more so.


I'm surprised nobody has suggested to "stay together for the kids."  I have no doubt in my mind that Nebraska will come out of this ok.  Texas will be fine as well.  But Iowa State, Kansas, and Kansas State?  They may be irreparably harmed by this issue.  Colorado may end up in the Mountain West, and frankly, that's probably where they belong anyway.


In the end, I think this Friday's deadline will come and go, and Nebraska will receive an extension of a few more days.  At some point in the next couple of weeks, unless someone comes up with an 11th hour plan to improve the revenue stream for the Big XII and the perception of Texas dominance of the conference (which hasn't been helped in the last week, I might add), Nebraska will eventually bolt for the Big Ten.  It's a move that makes sense both athletically and academically for Nebraska.


It may be tough on tradition, but I don't think Texas has left Nebraska any choice in this matter.

Elections Have Consequences: Will Nebraska Break Up the Big XII?

After years of losing 11-1 votes over various matters in the Big XII Conference, the tables have finally turned with Nebraska holding the key to the very survival of the conference.  Kind of ironic how this seems to have turned out. Essentially Tom Osborne and Harvey Perlman have been handed an ultimatum: either commit to the future of the Big XII now and eschew any interest from the Big Ten, or the Big XII dissolves.

I've long been in favor of Nebraska switching conferences for several reasons. Money is the primary reason; the Big Ten has the best revenue setup of any conference. But there is the issue of control of the conference as well. Right or wrong, there's a perception here in Nebraska that Texas sets the rules. When the conference was formed, Nebraska wanted the Big Eight's rules, traditions, and records to continue...but no dice. Texas wanted more stringent rules on academic qualifiers, and the rest of the league sided with Texas. Nebraska didn't want a conference championship game, but Nebraska lost thehttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=13652090re too. Even this week, Nebraska wanted the Big XII championship game to alternate between Kansas City and Dallas...but Nebraska lost that battle 11-1 once again.

To be sure, not every decision went against Nebraska. In fact, some votes (such as the revenue sharing rules) work in Nebraska's favor overall. I'm sure Iowa State and Baylor would prefer that the Big XII adopt the Big Ten's revenue sharing rules, but Nebraska and Texas aren't going to be budging on this one. So in some respects, Nebraska is also guilty of that which they accuse Texas of.

But is this worth breaking the Big XII up over? In the eyes of Nebraska it seems to be. The fingerprints of Texas seem to be all over the story of the Pac-10 inviting the Big XII South (swapping Baylor for Colorado), according to the Omaha World-Herald's Tom Shatel. Texas wants the Big XII to succeed, because they think they can bully the rest of the conference around and game the system to their advantage. That's something they couldn't do in the SEC (schools like Alabama and Florida would call them on it), the Big Ten (everybody), or the Pac-10 (USC would stop them in their tracks).  No favorable revenue sharing, no ability to form their own television network instead of being bundled with the conference package. But if the game is up in the Big XII, then the Longhorns will do what's best for the Longhorns - whether that's in the SEC, Pac-10, or yes, even the Big Ten.

Ironically, this whole debate started when Nebraska got nervous that Texas would leave the Big XII and start a domino effect. So Nebraska opened themselves up to alternatives...and now the Huskers are the ones that seem to be in position to knock down the very first domino.

Here's what I think is happening:

• Nebraska believes that an invitation from the Big Ten is forthcoming. Perhaps as soon as next week, as the Big Ten presidents are meeting this weekend in Chicago.  (Remember this from the "allegedly discredited" Kevin Kietzman report last month?) If the Pac-10 combines USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Cal with the likes of Texas and Oklahoma, the SEC and Big Ten will need to add schools with a resume. Nebraska and Notre Dame have the biggest resumes of the potential free agents. No way that they get left behind, no matter what Chip Brown wants you to think.
• The Pac-Ten will invite the six Big XII schools as well this weekend. This starts the college football armageddon that will force the SEC to react. That puts pressure on Notre Dame and, yes Texas too, to make up their minds because a new world order is coming to college football.  Not only is the Big XII on the endangered list, so is the Big East, which is the home of the Irish in most of their other sports.
• Oklahoma and Texas A&M are going to be free agents and will likely be discussing their options with both the SEC and the Pac-10.  My money is on the SEC here, especially if Texas turns to the Pac-10 or Big-10.
• Kansas may look today like they are on the outside, but as this shakes out, the Jayhawks will end up somewhere.  Probably the Pac-10, but you never know about the Big Ten.
• Baylor and Iowa State are scared...and rightfully so. Kansas State may sneak through.

Next week should be awfully interesting.  Grab your popcorn...and a good travel guide to the midwest.  Maybe one of those GPS units for those road trips heading east.  Especially if Frank the Tank's suggestion that Nebraska could begin playing a Big Ten schedule in 2011 comes out to be true.

Are Athlon & Phil Steele Drinking Too Much Big Red Kool-Aid?

As soon as the dust settled from 2009 football season, the preseason prognostications began to filter in. Throughout the winter and spring, we saw experts and so-called experts throw out their preseason ratings, and frequently, Nebraska popped up in the Top 15. Fari enough, based on how Nebraska finished last season. That last-second reprieve from total BCS chaos, followed by a Holiday Bowl blowout victory certainly sent a strong message to the college football world. Even Bo Pelini jumped into the fray by proclaiming "Nebraska was back"...only to back down after the euphoria of the trophy celebration wore off.

The hype went up last week when Athlon revealed Nebraska at #7 in their preseason rankings.  Whoa.  Then Phil Steele, the king of the preseason prediction, one-upped that.  Or two-upped that.

#5.

Top Five? Nebraska?  What the heck are these guys smoking?

Over the weekend, Jon Johnston over at CornNation asked me for some brief predictions for the upcoming edition of "Cornhusker Kickoff" (arriving on magazine stands near you in mid-July!)  Frankly, I've spend most of the offseason reviewing 2009 for the magazine, and hadn't thought much in detail about 2010.  So I started to look at the schedule, and suddenly I start seeing something.

Western Kentucky, Idaho, and South Dakota State?  There are three games destined for pay-per-view.  Washington?  It'll draw a regional ABC telecast, and Jake Locker is going to be the watched by NFL scouts all season. But let's not forget that Washington went 5-7 last season either.  So it's not out of line to suggest that Nebraska will go 4-0 in the non-conference schedule.

So now we look at the conference schedule. Colorado is still the same Colorado team that keeps Dan Hawkins because they can't afford to fire him. Kansas loses a bunch of offensive talent, and starts over with Turner Gill.  That game's in Lincoln as well.  It took 8 (yes... EIGHT) turnovers for Iowa State to defeat Nebraska last season.  You think that's going to happen again, even if the game is in Ames?  Kansas State showed a heck of an improvement last season...but like Washington, couldn't get to a bowl game.  Yes, this game is in Manhattan, but still, you have to like Nebraska's chances in this game.

Texas A&M in College Station? They went 6-7 last season as well, and Mike Sherman is on Bruce Feldman's Top Ten List of Coaches on the hot seat.  Oklahoma State has to break in a new offensive coordinator and quarterback.  Those two games may be on the road, but on paper, Nebraska looks like the superior team.

Missouri comes to Lincoln the day before Halloween. The Tigers thought they had slain the beast, especially as the fourth quarter began in the monsoon. Then Ndamukong Suh launched his Heisman campaign, bookmarked by two touchdown passes from Zac Lee to Niles Paul, and suddenly the Tigers three game winning streak against Nebraska was over. Tiger fans may try to play the "Blaine Gabbert ankle twist" card, but with this year's game in Lincoln, Nebraska should be favored here as well.

That leaves Texas.  And we all know how that turned out last season, deep in the heart of Texas.  This year's game is in Lincoln, and won't feature Colt McCoy.

Look over that schedule again. Do you see a game Nebraska can't win?  Neither can I.  Do you see a game Nebraska should lose?  I don't either.

Suddenly those top ten ratings start making some sense, especially when you consider the way Nebraska ended 2009.

But "should win" doesn't mean "will win". I also remember that Iowa State game when Nebraska did their darndest to lost that game. And that's why I'm still skeptical about throwing Nebraska into the Top Ten.  Is Nebraska capable of being a Top Ten team?  Absolutely.  I believe Bo Pelini when he says that Nebraska's defense could be even better this season, even minus Big Mister Suh. And while Nebraska's offense was woeful during October and November, we saw a spark of life in the Holiday Bowl. Looking back at the 2009 offense, it became clear to me that injuries at I-back and the offensive line really hampered the offense. Compound that with Zac Lee's arm injury and the lack of production from wide receivers until Brandon Kinnie began to emerge late int he season.  All those issues seem to be correctable, and while nobody is going to confuse the 2010 offense with 1995's, all Nebraska's offense needs to be is merely average if the defense is stout.  If that's the case... a top five ranking is absolutely possible with a 12-0 record. That puts them into the Big XII Championship game, and with a win there, perhaps something even bigger than that.

But until they actually do it, I'm not quite ready to put them there just yet.  Call me cautiously optimistic, because while I want it and think it's entirely possible, expecting this is a reach for a program still recovering.

Monday Night Beer: Wouldn't You Like to be a Fly On the Wall at the Big XII Meetings?

I have to admit it might be kind of fun to sit in on part of the Big XII meetings in Kansas City this week. But at the same time, if anybody gets mad at Nebraska and/or Missouri, the question would be "why?" The short answer is, of course, jealousy. Any Big XII North school would seriously consider jumping to the Big Ten if the interest were there. Nebraska and Missouri merely make more sense for the Big Ten than Iowa State, Kansas, or Kansas State. Even some of the southern teams would consider it, though the travel costs would make it prohibitive for them...but if the SEC were to come a-calling, they'd be jumping too.

The Daily Oklahoman's Barry Tramel pretty much nailed this yesterday.  The Big XII is hog-tied by geography and by population. If the Big XII doesn't fit into the future of conference expansion, it's time to negotiate an orderly breakup for the conference.

While some athletic directors and school presidents will probably sing and dance and hide behind weasel-words, I don't see Tom Osborne being anything but forthright with his colleagues if he's asked about Nebraska's motives.  In fact, I'd suggest that Osborne quote his old colleague Senator John McCain: "Elections have consequences." When Big XII North schools continually vote with Texas and against Nebraska on conference matters (such as holding the Big XII championship football game in Dallas on a permanent basis), a message is being sent to Lincoln, and being set strongly.  The rest of the Big XII shouldn't be surprised if Nebraska considers a better offer. If the rest of the Big XII is really concerned about keeping Nebraska in the Big XII...make the Big XII a better conference for Nebraska.

I'm sure Gary Pinkel (and perhaps Bill Snyder as well) will cut out this quote from Osborne and keep it for the bulletin board:

“If it's the will of the group to play in Arlington the next three years, we'll go down there and play as hard as we can. It isn't like we're going to pout."

While Nebraska is likely to be the consensus favorite to win the North this season, it's by no means assured. In any event, I'm not used to see quotes like that from Osborne. Usually T.O. slips in something about "if we get the opportunity" or some other quote that makes it clear that he's not dismissing the rest of the conference.

Another entertaining Stanley Cup Final game tonight in game 2. I never used to be a big Mike Emrick fan, but he has a way with his call to make a big game seem even bigger...whether it's the gold medal game in the Olympics or the Cup.

I had to be out driving Saturday night, so I didn't get to watch the end of game 1.  I did manage to pick up the Blackhawks radio broadcast on WGN-720 AM out of Chicago once the sun went down. Interesting that it turns out that WGN-TV also carries a handful of Blackhawks games...but they're blacked out on the national WGN satellite feed.  That's something the Blackhawks and the NHL should try to change. Any additional exposure for the game would be good for the game.

Well, the cost of the Sarpy County Boondoggle are up $5 million over budget so far. No surprise here.  Sarpy County was told two years ago it would cost $40 million, and even with the recession, I still think that the current $31 million budget is still going to come up short.  My guess is that even with cutting corners and lower costs due to the the current economic downturn, it'll eventually come in around $35 million. The one surprise is reading the quote from Sarpy County Board Chairwoman Joni Jones:

“I am very hopeful that it (economic development along 370) will, but if it does not, then we've made a grave mistake.”

 The stadium is just now beginning actual construction, and already the seeds of regret?  Wow.

Sunday Night Dessert: The Offseason Begins

Nebraska baseball ended a disappointing season with a surprising sweep of Texas Tech - the only conference series they won this season. Good way to finish out the season, but what good does it do? Nothing for 2010; that season is dead and buried. But it gives the Huskers a little bit of a bright spot going into this offseason. Many Husker fans were disappointed that Tom Osborne made the decision to retain Mike Anderson, but when you look past the bottom line of wins and losses, you can see a little bit of a reason to be optimistic that this program could still turn it around. Namely, a lineup full of freshmen and sophomores. They lose Adam Bailey, D.J. Belfont, and Tyler Faust as seniors, and probably top starter Michael Mariot as a draftable junior.

Sports is typically looked at as a "bottom-line" business: did you win or not? So I understand why some fans want to see Anderson let go. But I'm a guy who looks at the extenuating circumstances. Firing a guy doesn't necessarily mean things will get better. A lot of Nebraska fans wanted Frank Solich fired in 2002 and 2003, but his replacement certainly failed to even match Solich's level of success. From my perspective, I'm usually guilty of accepting excuses over bottom-line results if it looks like things could improve. It's only when it doesn't look like things are going to improve (see Bill Callahan in 2007, for example) that I think a coaching change is required.

That doesn't mean Mike Anderson gets a free pass on an ongoing basis. In the next year or two, Nebraska's got to start making some baseball noise in June

With that, the summer offseason begins. While some people can't wait for football season to  get here, I'm not one of them. Football season will be here soon enough, and there is still so much to enjoy in the coming weeks. The College World Series and the Stanley Cup next month. All of the summer family activities too. Football season will be here soon enough; for now, I'll enjoy the trip.

It never fails that during the summer, something comes up to keep things interesting. In 2006, we had the never ending adventures of mismanagement in UNO's athletic department.  2007 and 2008, we had the stadium battles.  2009, it was the renaissance of UNO's athletic department with Trev Alberts and Dean Blais.

So in 2010, what will the story line be? My bet is that despite the denials from the Big Ten conference, conference expansion is going to be the talk of the summer....or at least for the next 5 weeks. (Penalties apply if things drag on past July 1st....  And I do believe there is too much smoke for there not to be any substance lurking underneath. I don't believe Missouri (and Nebraska, for that matter) would be taking the stands that they are without having received solid feelers, if not informal invitations.  (Or at least assurances that an invitation is forthcoming.) It's all a matter of waiting to see how it all develops, but my instinct is that one day, Tom Osborne will show up at a press conference in Chicago to announce that Nebraska is joining the Big Ten, and up until that press conference, people will still be denying it's happening.

Monday Night Beer: UFL & Nighthawks Gaining Traction in Omaha

There certainly is a valid concern about the long-term viability of the United Football League, but if it fails, it won't be because Omaha didn't give them a chance.  Already the Omaha Nighthawks Facebook page has over 3600 fans, and they haven't even played a single game yet.  Ticket sales apparently haven't begun yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they go briskly. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the first game didn't come close to selling out. The UFL certainly is drawing a buzz that I haven't felt since UNO sold out hockey season tickets in eight days back in 1996.

Omaha will certainly give this team a chance, and the initial schedule gives the Nighthawks two chances right off the bat to establish themselves in the community.  The season opener on Friday, September 24th, is early enough in the fall that it should be a comfortable night for football, even if the high schools are playing that night.  The next weekend, the UFL takes advantage of a Nebraska bye week to play a Saturday night game on October 2nd.  Only conflict is an exhibition hockey game for UNO.  The next two games will be tougher sells:  Thursday, October 28th is a weeknight with colder weather, and the season finale on Friday, November 19th has two likely conflicts (State football championship game, and UNO hockey meets up with longtime NCC foe North Dakota, where Dean Blais won two national championships)  plus the potential of even worse weather.  Make those first two games work, and you never know how those last two games will turn out.

Hopefully, the Nighthawks won't depend too much on the Omaha Royals to get Rosenblatt Stadium ready for football. I admit I haven't been out to Royals games in recent years, and my experience earlier this month certainly doesn't encourage me to return.  Between a ticket snafu (sending me tickets for the wrong date at the last minute), then not being prepared to handle 7,000 fans on a weeknight, they certainly didn't give a good impression. It shouldn't take 20 minutes to get through the gate for a minor league baseball game when you've got tickets in hand, and when you give kids vouchers for hot dogs with their tickets, you shouldn't be unprepared when those kids show up wanting their hot dogs. The Royals certainly do a much better job with in-game promotions and trying to make the experience fun, but wacky promotions don't excuse poor execution of the basics.  Sad thing is this wasn't a large crowd by any means (and certainly the type of crowd they hope to attract in BFE). I wasn't expecting a perfect outing by any means, but I'm trying to figure out what went right for the Royals that night.

The one highlight of the game was getting to see former Husker Alex Gordon trying to make a transition to left field. It's obvious that Gordon needs some serious at bats to work out the rust from injuries the last two years. That night, he was called out twice looking, but currently, he's batting .364 with five home runs for Omaha in 12 games.  Hopefully, he'll stay in Omaha for a couple more weeks at least and only go up to Kansas City if they are ready to play him regularly.

As I mentioned, UNO's 2010-11 hockey schedule is out, and the first season in the WCHA sets up rather nicely from a fan perspective. Only one series in December at home during the busy holidays, then home games against recent Frozen Four teams Bemidji State, Wisconsin, and Denver after the holidays.  (Not to mention RIT in the Saturday night Stampede game to open the season!)  Back to back road trips to Minnesota then Michigan in October will certainly be a tough way to open the season.

Proof Positive That Sioux City Sux

25 years later, Sioux City discovers the remnants of Jefferson Airplane.

(H/T) Unsportsmanlike Conduct; KOZN Radio

But what do you expect from the city that proudly SUX? (Yes I know this isn't very sports related...)

What Does An "Initial Offer" (or a Denial by Nebraska) Really Mean?

Kevin Kietzman of WHB Radio (AM 810) in Kansas City reported today that the Big Ten had made an "initial offer" to Nebraska and Missouri to join the conference along side Notre Dame and Rutgers. University of Nebraska-Lincoln spokesperson Meg Lauerman responded that “The University of Nebraska has not been offered any opportunity to move from the Big 12."

So which is it?  Let's take a step back and realize this is a complex, legal issue and assume that both reports are substantially correct.  Why is that?  Let's read on in Kietzman's report:

While nothing can be approved until the Big Ten presidents and chancellors meet the first week of June in Chicago, the league has informed the two Big 12 schools, Notre Dame and Rutgers that it would like to have them join. 

Hmmm... so it's not an official invitation (since the Big Ten presidents and chancellors still have to vote on it), the Big Ten is laying the groundwork for such an agreement.  And since it's not an official invitation, there is no opportunity to move (yet) ...and thus the denial from the Chancellor's Office is technically accurate.

Think back to those awkward junior high days when boys and girls would go through the song and dance of "does he/she like me" long before ever agreeing to go to the school dance together.  All the time and effort went into the preparations, and the actual invitation usually ended up bieng a mere formality. All because nobody wanted to get shot down.

Same thing here. Remember how Steve Pederson never offered Houston Nutt the head coaching job? Or how Pederson never had an agreement with the University of Houston to open the 2005 season at Reliant Stadium? It all comes down to what the definition of what an offer is. Why play these games? Simple; nobody wants to be turned down. So we play this game of "If we ask, will you say yes?"  None of this is legally binding, but the negotiating process is well underway.

In the end, we'll probably never hear that the Big Ten has formally invited Nebraska, Missouri, Notre Dame, and Rutgers.  Instead, one day Harvey Perlman, Tom Osborne, Missouri athletic director Mike Alden, and others will magically

appear at a press conference in Chicago to announce the new "Big 14/16" or whatever this thing is going to be called.

So what about this Big XII/Pac Ten alliance idea? Interesting idea...but it sounds almost as forced as the Big 8/Southwest Conference merger. It sounds interesting until the Pac Ten goes ahead and grabs Colorado while the SEC goes after Texas A&M and Oklahoma.  Then the Big Twelve adds TCU (OK, that's not so bad), BYU, Utah (I'm still listening), Colorado State (uh oh), Houston (ummmm), and New Mexico (thud).

Whether we like it or not, the Big XII is going the way of the Big Eight, Southwest Conference, the AFL, ABA, WHL, and any other league that fell by the wayside. Tom Osborne and Harvey Perlman recognize this, and won't allow Nebraska to be left by the wayside. Fasten your seatbelts; the journey is now underway.

How Can the Big XII Survive?

Tonight on NET's Big Red Wrapup, co-host Adrian Fiala expressed opposition to Nebraska joining the Big Ten. He liked the Big Eight, and wished it didn't go away. He'd like to see Nebraska continue to play in the Big XII. Certainly the Big XII makes sense for Nebraska; we have traditional opponents that the Huskers have played for years:  Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, and Missouri.  We still play Oklahoma, just not as often as we'd like.  It's comfortable.

Problem is...this isn't about liking the conference you are in, but rather liking the conference you will be in after college football gets realigned. And frankly, I just don't see how the Big XII survives in anything even closely resembling it's current form.  Assume for a minute that the Big Ten decides to go to 16 teams, and Nebraska turns down an invitation.  Does the Big Ten scuttle all their plans, or do they go to a Plan B?  My guess is that they've already got plan B...and C...and D.

So what's likely to happen.  Missouri is already halfway across the Mississippi, waving adios to the Big XII.  Last December, Missouri governor Jay Nixon already expressed his preference for the Tigers to head east.  So that's one team down.  It's also been rumored that the Pac-10 is still interested in Colorado...that could be two teams down.

Would the Big Ten go after Kansas as a Nebraska alternative? Doesn't have the marquee value of Nebraska in football, but brings one heck of a pedigree in basketball.  Then, let's remember that the SEC has said they won't sit idly by and watch the Big Ten get bigger than them.  So they'll be looking to add teams.  Florida State and Miami, perhaps?  I'll give you that. But who else?  Virginia Tech?  Maybe.  What about Texas and Texas A&M to restore the old rivalry with Arkansas?  Maybe Oklahoma as well.

In this world, Nebraska might be back in the Big Eight...but now Baylor and Texas Tech have replaced Missouri and Oklahoma.  Then consider the possibility that the Pac-Ten decides to go to 16 teams as well....and pulls in Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech.

Conference realignment looks to me like a huge game of musical chairs. You refuse to play at your own risk.  If everybody else plays and you don't...you lose.

The Big XII really doesn't have any cards to play in the game of conference expansion once teams start defecting.  For every team you lose, the Big XII is going to have to step down to find a replacement.  Colorado State?  Wyoming?  BYU?  Boise State?  I suppose the Big XII could try to make a run at a Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Arkansas in retaliation...but that's unlikely considering that the Big Ten and SEC have better television deals than the Big XII.  What could the Big XII offer that they don't have in their current conference home?

Behind the scenes, there are a lot of conversations going on right now in college athletics.  When the Big Ten decides to act, this will all happen very quickly. Notre Dame will have the first chance to make a call, and if they say no, the dominoes will fall...and fall quickly. In fact, it seriously could happen the same way UNO joined the WCHA.  The discussions happened behind the scenes, and the deal was sealed and approved in one fell swoop. Schools like Nebraska, Missouri, and Rutgers don't want to be seen as disloyal, and conferences don't like to be rejected publicly. The Big Ten won't ask anybody (other than Notre Dame) who will say no...and nobody will say yes if there is any chance the Big Ten could say no.

When people say they'd like to stay in the Big XII, that's a noble, but potentially naive viewpoint. You could elect to stay in the Big XII, but the Big XII likely is not going to exist in anything resembling it's current form.  Once these dominoes start to fall, the Big XII is likely to be flattened.

And no matter what you think about the Big XII or Big Ten today...the Big Ten is a better home for Nebraska than the alternative, which could be something like the WAC, Mountain West, or Conference USA.

What a Difference One Year Makes at UNO

One year ago, UNO took a chance on Trev Alberts, and oh, what a difference one year makes.  At the time, UNO was hiring their fourth athletic director this decade.  The athletic department was seemingly rudderless and still paralyzed from the mismanagement of Nancy Belck and Jim Buck.

Now look at the Mavs:

• Mike Kemp stepped aside and Dean Blais, who won two national championships with North Dakota is now the head coach.
• UNO drew a crowd of 13,417 to a game against Ohio State and ranked fourth nationally in attendance.
• UNO switched conferences, leaving the CCHA for the WCHA.
• UNO made a strong push in February to get into NCAA tournament contention, featuring a sweep of Michigan, followed by upsets of #1 Miami and top-ten Bemidji State.
• And there is the expectation that sometime in the next few weeks, UNO will announce plans to build their own facility somewhere near Ak-Sar-Ben.

Not bad for a guy with no previous experience in athletics administration; certainly the people who forecast "an instant death blow" to UNO hockey were proven wrong.  But there is much more remaining to be done. For starters, not having a mid-season swoon that effectively scuttled UNO's chances to make noise in March. UNO's marketing, while improved, still needs to work to restore UNO hockey's place in the local sports market.  Game presentation improved, even if the answer this season was to fire the band rather than work with the Music department to create a true pep band.  (Hint: Wisconsin could teach UNO a thing or two about pep bands.)

UNO is supposedly getting close to announcing plans for a new hockey arena, likely around Chili Greens.  I'm sure the plans are just about finished and are out for approvals at this point, but if they aren't finalized, here are a few thoughts.

• Size should be more than 8,000 initially, and preferably closer to 10,000.  If the funding isn't there to do 10,000, then there should be a plan to expand to that point.  I understand the desire to build something more intimate, but don't undersell this market.  UNO sold out 8314 seats initially; if you believe Dean Blais is going to do something special, I don't see why you would build anything smaller than that.
• Student section should be located directly behind the visiting goalie for two periods. Ensure there is plenty of room for students, and this section should have bleachers and general admission seating.  Put the band there as well.  You want students to stand, cheer, and harass the goalie.  That is a GOOD thing, mind you.
• A low metal ceiling optimized to echo crowd noise. Omaha has the Qwest Center for concerts; we don't need a second arena with sound baffling.
• In all likelihood, the name of the building will go to a donor or local business who contributes a large sum of money to build it.  That's fine, and to be expected in today's world. But the building should pay homage to the place where Omaha's hockey tradition flourished.  The Omaha Knights started the tradition, and the Omaha Lancers restored when they moved to the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum.  The Coliseum is but a memory now, but the name should live on.  UNO should not build an "Arena" or an antiseptic "Center", but rather a 21st Century "Coliseum", especially when it's so close to the original Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum.

It's been quite a year for UNO, and frankly, I have every expectation that the next year could be even better.

Tuesday Night Beer: The Mayor Returns to Ames

Iowa State's hiring of Fred Hoiberg to replace Greg McDermott might be so crazy it just might work. The main knock on Hoiberg is his total lack of coaching experience. Big concern? Absolutely. But lack of experience does not ensure failure, just merely raises a big concern. It all revolves around how Hoiberg builds his staff to address his lack of experience. One year ago, some people laughed at the idea of Trev Alberts jumping from television into the athletic director's chair at UNO. It only took two months for people to stop laughing.

ISU athletic director Jamie Pollard got another mulligan with his coaching hires. After misfiring with Gene Chizek, he went for someone who knew and loved the state of Iowa in Paul Rhodes. Most people reacted with skepticism, but leading the Cyclones to a bowl game last season certainly validated Pollard's decision. Now, Pollard reached deep to bring Hoiberg back to Ames.  Crazy? Yes. But it's not as big of a reach as you might think. He's vice president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, in charge of scouting, the salary cap, and the draft. So he's got the administrative experience.

The big thing he brings is instant credibility with fans from playing eight years in Ames as "the Mayor".  That will buy him time with fans and boosters who haven't had much to celebrate in basketball since Larry Eustachy popped the top on a few Natty Lights.  They'll be more patient with Hoiberg than any other candidate.

But even that goodwill won't matter if Hoiberg doesn't eventually win.  Brandon Vogel points out the aura of the "dream job" and whether Bo Pelini might covet the Ohio State job down the line when Jim Tressel finally steps down. Right now, Pelini is riding high in the state of Nebraska on the basis of three years of success at Nebraska.  (Yes, I'm counting the 2003 defense along with the 2008-09 seasons.) But how much slack will Husker fans give him if Nebraska has an off year?  Look at how Briejay fan turned on Dana Altman; the common response this weekend from the Hilltop wasn't so much sadness as it was relief.

One of the surprises of the NFL draft to me was that Missouri wide receiver Danario Alexander went undrafted. Turns out that I shouldn't have been so surprised; Alexander underwent knee surgery once again after injuring cartilage in Senior Bowl practices. I'm sure that knee injury scared NFL front offices, but Alexander's productivity on the field should ensure he'll get a chance if and when he's cleared to play.

With Ndamukong Suh and Phillip Dillard being drafted last weekend, it's time to close the book on the 2005 Husker recruiting class.  Remember that hyped class?  Five players from that group of 30 were drafted (Zack Bowman, Cody Glenn, and Matt Slauson were the others).  Not bad, you say?  Well, let's put it in perspective.  Nebraska's 2002 recruiting class (you know, that #40 rated class that was used as an excuse to fire Frank Solich) had 4 players out of 18 drafted -- including two first-rounders (Adam Carriker and Fabian Washington).

Altman Flees the Bird Cage for the Duck Blind

After a month-long coaching search that seems almost Pederson-esque in it's length and futility, Oregon finally found a new basketball coach:  Creighton's Dana Altman.  Altman finally said yes after Missouri's Mike Anderson, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, and Butler's Brad Stevens all said no to the Nike money.

Of course, there is always the chance that Altman could change his mind again.  (Does Oregon make their coaches do duck calls?)

If this deal closes (and by all accounts, it has), what does it mean for Creighton hoops? Let's remember where Creighton basketball was prior to Dana Altman.  Under Rick Johnson, the Jays played in front of a 2/3rds empty Civic Auditorium.  (Wait a minute...isn't that the way Dana Altman left Creighton?) Nebraska basketball had taken the mindset of the local sports fan.  It wasn't until Nebraska basketball and UNO hockey hit the skids about eight years ago that Creighton reemerged from it's funk and captured the mindset of the Omaha sports market.  Interest exploded, and the team that averaged 5,000 fans a game started selling out the Qwest Center. All thanks to Altman and a team that regularly won the Missouri Valley Conference and secured the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Their highlight: Terrell Taylor's three pointer upsetting Florida in the 2002 NCAA tournament.

After the 2007 Arkansas scare, things never were the same for Altman at Creighton. 2 NIT berths and then a CIT bid led many BrieJay fans to turn on the coach that made Creighton basketball relevant locally, let alone nationally.

So where does Creighton go? If history repeats itself, Bruce Rasmussen will look once again for an unappreciated Big XII coach.  Altman wasn't Lon Krueger and wasn't appreciated in Manhattan, so he left Kansas State for Creighton in 1994.  Who fits that pattern?  Iowa State's Greg McDermott, who was successful at Northern Iowa previously. (H/T: CloneChronicles)

But the real question to me is... how does BrieJay fan react to this? They turned their back on the team during the CIT last month, leaving only the diehards to half-fill the Civic. Will they jump off the bandwagon?

My guess is that the BrieJay fan will stay on the bandwagon long enough to abscond with all the tickets to the NCAA basketball tournament in 2012.  After that...all bets are off. The pressure is on Bruce Rasmussen to hit another home run with his replacement hire.

Sarpy County Boondoggle Costs Already up 28%

The bids for the new Sarpy County baseball stadium are in, and the bids to build the BFE Boondoggle are coming in $6 million more than anticipated. So now scratch that $26 million to build a $20 million stadium; it's now going to be $32 million. But since the Royals have already signed off on their contribution...it's the people of Sarpy County on the hook for the increased cost.

The only surprise to me is how low the overrun is, though it's still early in the process.  Two years ago, the going rate for a AAA ballpark was $40 to $50 million, so it's easy to understand how unrealistic the original budget was. Yes, the severe recession has likely lowered costs somewhat, but even if that reduced costs 20%, this stadium would be coming in below the bottom of the usual cost of a stadium.

So how is Sarpy County keeping the costs low? Simple...this stadium is being built as cheaply as possible. Here's the eye-opening quote by Sarpy County attorney Lee Polikov:

“We are not building a practice facility. We still need to have a first base, a second base, a third base. Bathrooms. Walls to go over for home runs. There is only so much you can cut.”

Translation: they've already cut just about every extra or nicety in the stadium just to get the original estimate down to $20 million.  And now that the cost is up, there isn't much that they can omit or scale back further. Gravel parking perhaps? Remove light towers and require the Royals to play all day games? Skip the sprinkler system and hope it rains? Perhaps negotiate with the City of Omaha to buy one of the old scoreboards from Rosenblatt?

Oh...and that other stadium downtown? It's coming in on schedule and on budget.

Brandon Kinnie Stars in Husker Spring Game

I'm sure most fans left Memorial Stadium buzzing about Taylor Martinez, but for my money, Brandon Kinnie's touchdown catch was the play of the day today. Only catch of the day, mind you...but it was the play of the day in my book. On third and 16, Martinez connected with Kinnie for a first down ... and then some. Rickey Thenarse, Alfonzo Dennard, and Austin Cassidy each tried to wrap up Kinnie, but Kinnie made like the Energizer Bunny and kept going all the way into the end zone.  It's a play that makes you say "wow!"...but was it "wow bad" for the defense or "wow good" for Kinnie. My initial take is "wow good" for Kinnie, who came on strong late last season.

Martinez sure got my attention early on with some nifty scrambles, with speed and elusiveness creating running room where little existed. But some of his decision making on throws left much to be desired.  Several passes were thrown into coverage and tipped up.  One was intercepted by Thenarse, another was a reception by Austin Jones. All in all, not a bad debut for Martinez. His passing game is something that can be worked on; his God-given physical talent is definitely intriguing going into this next season. Cody Green showed better poise on the field today, and a powerful arm.  He connected deep with Niles Paul (underthrowing it like Zac Lee did late last season, which makes me wonder if Paul has a little extra burst than his quarterbacks realize) and Will Henry (who seems to be finally shaking off Bill Callahan's playbook). I'm not sure either quarterback jumped ahead of Zac Lee today, but obviously the experience helps them.

Another star of the day in my eye was Rex Burkhead, who repeatedly broke tackles and gained positive yardage. But as the second quarter came to an end, the top players went to the sidelines and in came the reserves. Kyler Reed made some nice catches, and K.C. Hyland saved LaTravis Washington's bacon a couple of times with some reaches. The Huskers could have used him against Texas Tech last season.

I admit I didn't notice much about the defense today; my only excuse was explaining things to my three-year old daughter and making sure she was having a good time. My initial take is that Bo Pelini probably won't be terribly pleased with the performance of the defense, but he also kept things pretty generic and didn't put his defenders into the best positions.

All in all, it was a wonderful day.  Ndamukong Suh awed the crowd once again by announcing a $2 million donation to the athletic department before even being drafted by the NFL. (That Nike endorsement deal must have been pretty good.)  Oh, and $600 thousand to UNL to endow a scholarship on top of that.  Nice.  It'll be quite a day when #93 goes up on the North end zone skyboxes, and it's only a matter of time before #93 is officially retired.

Great to see so many former Huskers on the sidelines interacting with the fans. I saw Maurice Purify sign autograph after autograph before halftime.  Carl Nicks was working the crowd as well, and I even spotted former Husker assistant George Darlington on the field as well.

Biggest downer of the day was watching former Husker announcer Adrian Fiala making his way to the stadium.  After fifteen years of announcing Husker games, it had to be difficult for him to head to the stadium knowing he wasn't going to be part of the broadcast, and it showed in his eyes.  Glad to see him introduced and acknowledged on the field.

The UFL in Omaha ... and the Bills Mount on the BFE Boondoggle

At a press conference scheduled for Thursday morning, Omaha city officials will announce that a UFL franchise will begin play this fall, most likely at Rosenblatt Stadium this season and moving to TD Ameritrade Park in 2011.  The UFL is an upstart professional football league that plays in the fall and is trying to become a developmental league for the NFL. In fact, ProFootballTalk reported last month that the NFL and the UFL were working on a formal agreement.

Last year, most UFL games were played on Thursday nights, with many televised on Versus and HDNet. This year, the plan is to play them on Fridays and Saturdays with a 10 game schedule with 6 teams.  The current UFL franchises are Orlando, Sacramento, Las Vegas, and Hartford.  Omaha will be the fifth, and the sixth will likely be Salt Lake City, Austin, or San Antonio.

Good news for Omaha? Most definitely. There is a small amount of prestige in being grouped in with the likes of Orlando, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio. It fills five dates at the new downtown stadium.

But will it work in Omaha? I've long felt that Arena Football would work in Omaha...but that league folded. This might be better, especially if they get an agreement with the NFL. Entice some former Huskers to play on the local team (Cory Ross was the leading rusher in the UFL last season for Sacramento.), and you've got an instant draw.  With one caveat.

Around these parts, Husker football is king. If the UFL tries to schedule a game in Omaha on a Saturday and the Huskers are playing that day, forget about it.  Friday night, as has been proposed? Maybe, but the Friday night sports lineup in Omaha is busy in the fall.  High school football in September and October. UNO hockey starts up in October.  And in November, it's going to be tough to get large crowds to sit outside at night in the cold.  My suggestion? Play the games in Omaha on Sunday afternoons.  Better weather encourages fans and especially families to come.  No conflicts locally.  Yes, some NFL fans may stay home to watch games on TV, but we're 200 miles from Kansas City, 400 from Minneapolis, and 500 from Denver and Chicago. Omaha loves football, but doesn't necessarily love an NFL team. This season, two Husker bye weeks in early October create a nice little opening for the UFL locally to try a Saturday game if they want to take a chance. In markets like Sacramento with proximity to the Raiders and 49ers, Sunday afternoons would be suicide. But in Omaha, Sunday afternoons are the best option.

Ticket prices for the Las Vegas franchise seem reasonable, with season tickets ranging from $60 to $120 for a five game schedule.  $12 to $24 a game for five games sounds like a good deal to me. Could it work? The devil is in the details, but I think it's got a chance here.  I think it's a win-win situation for Omaha; it adds entertainment to Omaha, adds a little positive PR for the city, and it fills more dates at the new ballpark.

Speaking of ballparks, cost overruns for the BFE Ballpark have forced Sarpy County to shift the remaining legal work for the Sarpy County Boondoggle to the county attorney's office.  Kermit Brashear's firm originally estimated that his fees would top out at around $500,000, but the bill has now reached just shy of $1 million. Meanwhile, the county still doesn't have a finalized deal with Weitz Company, who's building the stadium, and doesn't have an agreement for naming rights.  And, of course, there's that little issue of not having a plan to pay for it. Details, details.  But hey, I'm told that the stadium is going to look nice with the skyline of Omaha off in the distance. (Still a local call!)

April in Nebraska Means Football

Just because I haven't blogged about spring football doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it.  (Over at CornNation, I did suggest last month that I wasn't focusing on anything going in.) And right now, I'm still approaching it like a sponge...just going to wait and see what emerges.

The Lincoln Journal-Star had a very interesting practice report today.  Nebraska now has enough depth to run dual practice stations, a practice that Bill Callahan scuttled. The downside is that coaches aren't observing every player during these sessions since they have to split the squad.  The upside is that players are getting in twice the reps in practice, and that's good news for player development. We know how badly that went during the Callahan period, so reversing that trend is a good thing.

Cody Green wearing a green practice jersey? Hopefully it's true that he'll be ready for contact on Saturday. I'd like to see every quarterback (except for Kody Spano, who's still recovering from a second ACL tear) showing us both their running and throwing. And yes, I'm intrigued to see what Taylor Martinez can do.

Sadly, we won't see Jemarcus Hardrick this weekend either, though I'm not sure how much of a read I can get from a scrimmage.

I'm also starting to get a little curious about the second group of receivers. I'm a big fan of Brandon Kinnie and Niles Paul...but I want to see someone else emerge. Is it going to be Curenski Gilleylen, who looked so good in September, so awful in October, invisible in November, and fumblefooted in the Holiday Bowl? What about Antonio Bell, who looked pretty good last spring? Niles Paul dropped the name of Will Henry today.  And Joe Brokemeier is raising eyebrows this spring.

On defense, I'm curious to see who emerges at linebacker. I assume Will Compton will be one guy...but with only one other linebacker in the new Peso personnel package, there are three candidates.  Sean Fisher, who was the odd man out last fall. Eric Martin, who was dynamic on kickoff coverage last season. And now, Alonzo Whaley's name is coming up as well.

Like I said, I'm curious to see who emerges. I'm not going in with any expectations, just want to see who catches my eye.  The weather forecast is looking great at this point; mid-60's and sunny. But don't make those wardrobe decisions just yet; the KSHB weather team in Kansas City (they've done an outstanding job with long-term forecasts) show a stalled front (with showers) just south of Lincoln on Friday...which means you just never know what might happen.

Springtime in Nebraska. After last winter, we thought it might never arrive.

A Storybook Ending at the Masters

It was a storybook ending at the Masters today, with Phil Mickelson winning his third green jacket with his ailing wife managing to get out of bed to watch the conclusion. Sadly, that great story was buried behind the TMZ-fueled obsession with Tiger Woods for much of the weekend. ESPN dropped into the gutter in their pre-Masters coverage last week, running a countdown clock to his tee time and live coverage of him on the practice tee.

I understand Woods is the best golfer in the game. I get that.  But Woods' problems are self inflicted, then exacerbated by the people and companies he associated with.  Some abandoned him, others gave him bad advice.  Others, such as Nike, try to make a buck of it. Sadly, Stephen Colbert mocking is more applicable than twisting Earl Woods' comments about his wife.

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Truth be told, I was impressed by the way Tiger Woods shook off five months of inactivity to be in contention midway through the opening round. Like I said, he's the #1 golfer in the world for a reason.

But even without Woods in contention, this was a great tournament with great story lines. You had Fred Couples in contention at age 50.  60 year old Tom Watson on the leaderboard as well before fading over the weekend, but still finishing 18th. Yet, I'm sure we'll hear people who'll say that they turned off the Masters as Woods faded today, or wouldn't have paid attention if Woods hadn't made his comeback.

And all I can say is... WTF?

Did you turn your TV off when Colt McCoy left the BCS National Championship game with an injury?  Did you ignore the Final Four when Kansas and Kentucky were knocked out?  Of course not.  In fact, just the opposite.  The Final Four had higher ratings without the big names.

That doesn't mean Tiger Woods isn't interesting when he's playing well. Any great competitor adds drama when they in a battle. But the absence of the star doesn't lessen the competition.  Tiger Woods didn't create the Masters.  The Masters was The Masters before Woods won a green jacket, and it was The Masters before Woods was even born. It'll still be the Masters once Woods' retires.  The names in sports come and go, but the sport lives on.  Golf doesn't need Tiger Woods.

Heck, considering the shambles that Woods has made of his personal life, Woods probably needs golf more now, as it seems to be the one thing that's going right for him now, especially when you consider that he was in contention in a major without having played competitively in months.

The Butler (Almost) Did It

If you're a sports fan, this week is perhaps the greatest week of the year.  NCAA Final Four.  Opening Day.  The Masters.  (Can't forget the NCAA Frozen Four as well!)  And tonight's national championship game between Duke and Butler did it justice, as it was a battle that'll be remembered for years to come, with that desperation three bouncing off the front rim as the horn sounded.  We'll be talking about this one tomorrow, that's for sure.  Certainly Twitter is all abuzz tonight with talk about the game; it's been a trending topic all day.

You know what WASN'T a trending topic?  Eldrick Woods and his press conference.  Props to his handlers for throwing him to the media on a day where he could announce just about anything and find himself on page three of the sports section. No matter how ESPN tried to titilate, real sports won out.  Albert Pujols and his double dinger day ensured that.  The "trending topics" bore that out as the action won out over the paparazzi. And with Billy Payne enforcing Augusta National's version of dictatorship, the only way Woods will be the focus the rest of the week is if his golf game is at it's best.

Tonight's National Championship basketball game also reinforces my belief that college football desperately needs a playoff.  Butler proved tonight they belonged in the championship game in basketball.  What about Boise State last season? The arguments against a playoff are quickly losing relevance.  Arguments about teams missing too much class time pale when the NCAA is proposing a 96 team basketball tournament where there is only one off day (a Monday) for a week and a half.  Using a formula based on the existing BCS formula to seed teams, with higher seeds playing home games, ensures that the regular season remains relevant.

The existing BCS system only works in those season where it's a clear-cut choice between two teams. Sometimes that works (1999 Florida State/Virginia Tech, 2002 Ohio State/Miami, or 2005 USC/Texas), but most of the time, it doesn't.  I've suggested it before, and I'll say it again.  Eight team playoff, played on college campuses on home fields where the home team earns the right to host, until the national title game, which is played on a neutral site.  Eight teams should bring in every valid candidate for a championship.  Everybody else can still go to a bowl game; bowl games only serve to provide programming for ESPN and provide teams with additional practice time.  A playoff doesn't change that.  ESPN still televises the NIT while March Madness is still underway; no reason why a college football playoff would change that.

Tonight, Butler shot a hole in the argument that one of the "mid-majors" can't compete with the big boys. Now more than ever, college football needs a playoff.