Friday, July 01, 2011
A Brand New Day...Welcome, Nebraska!
It's official. The University of Nebraska is now a member of the Big Ten. Congrats and welcome, Cornhuskers! I believe the Big Red will fit in nicely here.
My job has put me in contact with quite a few Nebraska natives in the past year and a half. And they universally have expressed excitement to be part of the Big Ten conference. Much of this excitement is due to their confidence in dominating on the football field, but although they have a strong team, their inaugural Conference schedule will be a challenge. If they make it to Indy, they will have earned the trip.
But Nebraska fans can look forward to much more than just football. They bring another of the nation's top women's volleyball teams to what I believe will be the top conference in the country. Penn State, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, etc...it will be fun to watch. And the BTN will help us do just that.
The basketball teams may be in for a few tough seasons as they transition to the Big Ten. Actually, the transition will challenge all the teams. For the rest of the Big Ten, one new team will be manageable to scout and learn. The Cornhuskers have a whole conference to "meet."
Overall, though, I'm excited to see this addition to the Big Ten. Now, if we could just get logical names and organization for the divisions...
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My job has put me in contact with quite a few Nebraska natives in the past year and a half. And they universally have expressed excitement to be part of the Big Ten conference. Much of this excitement is due to their confidence in dominating on the football field, but although they have a strong team, their inaugural Conference schedule will be a challenge. If they make it to Indy, they will have earned the trip.
But Nebraska fans can look forward to much more than just football. They bring another of the nation's top women's volleyball teams to what I believe will be the top conference in the country. Penn State, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, etc...it will be fun to watch. And the BTN will help us do just that.
The basketball teams may be in for a few tough seasons as they transition to the Big Ten. Actually, the transition will challenge all the teams. For the rest of the Big Ten, one new team will be manageable to scout and learn. The Cornhuskers have a whole conference to "meet."
Overall, though, I'm excited to see this addition to the Big Ten. Now, if we could just get logical names and organization for the divisions...
# posted by Alma Mater : 8:19 PM
Sunday, June 13, 2010
The End of the World as We Know It?
The University of Nebraska is the twelfth member of the Big Ten Conference. Effective July 1.
The University of Colorado has decided to go to the PAC-10. And Boise State is no longer part of the WAC.
The Big 12 is in danger of disappearing.
(And I have learned that I could get addicted to hockey. Congrats Blackhawks!)
Is this the beginning of the end of the college sports world as we know it? Quite possibly, though only time will tell.
As with most change, there are positives and negatives to these developments. At first glance, most of the positives revolve around cash flow. Although football is the focus, research can benefit, as well.
But this being a sport blog, I'll focus on the implications for the teams and conferences. For the Cornhuskers, they will have a chance to travel beyond the windswept plains. The Buffs will spend quality time on the beautiful coast of the Pacific. But the Broncos are opting out of regular trips to Hawaii... As for the Big Ten, it will be entertaining to contribute to Nebraska's third largest city on fall Saturdays. (I've always wanted to visit Memorial Stadium, Neb...) And the PAC-10 will make it to the other side of the Rockies.
As a fan, there's a lot to be apprehensive about...from the name of the conference to the implications for rivalries. Part of the challenge of conference play is that the teams know each other very well. The unexpected can happen. But in large conferences, like the Big East, you can barely remember all the teams in the conference, and you certainly don't play them regularly.
But the bigger story is what this step toward mega-conferences would mean for college sports. The current changes feel like a desperate bid for relevancy. On the part of both the growing conferences and the moving schools...
There's much more to be said, but let's stay tuned for further conference developments...
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The University of Colorado has decided to go to the PAC-10. And Boise State is no longer part of the WAC.
The Big 12 is in danger of disappearing.
(And I have learned that I could get addicted to hockey. Congrats Blackhawks!)
Is this the beginning of the end of the college sports world as we know it? Quite possibly, though only time will tell.
As with most change, there are positives and negatives to these developments. At first glance, most of the positives revolve around cash flow. Although football is the focus, research can benefit, as well.
But this being a sport blog, I'll focus on the implications for the teams and conferences. For the Cornhuskers, they will have a chance to travel beyond the windswept plains. The Buffs will spend quality time on the beautiful coast of the Pacific. But the Broncos are opting out of regular trips to Hawaii... As for the Big Ten, it will be entertaining to contribute to Nebraska's third largest city on fall Saturdays. (I've always wanted to visit Memorial Stadium, Neb...) And the PAC-10 will make it to the other side of the Rockies.
As a fan, there's a lot to be apprehensive about...from the name of the conference to the implications for rivalries. Part of the challenge of conference play is that the teams know each other very well. The unexpected can happen. But in large conferences, like the Big East, you can barely remember all the teams in the conference, and you certainly don't play them regularly.
But the bigger story is what this step toward mega-conferences would mean for college sports. The current changes feel like a desperate bid for relevancy. On the part of both the growing conferences and the moving schools...
There's much more to be said, but let's stay tuned for further conference developments...
# posted by Alma Mater : 5:28 PM
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Big Ten Stuff
It's August! That means the college football season is almost here. It also means that Big Ten Day has provided a preview. Columnist Teddy Greenstein offers an interesting summary of current "official" Big Ten positions and policies. Your thoughts?
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Labels: Big Ten
# posted by Alma Mater : 9:37 PM
Monday, February 12, 2007
Odds and Ends
A few interesting tidbits from today's papers:
--Skip Myslenski of the Tribune has comments from Brian Randle about his transition from role player to being a go-to guy for the Illini. The article also talks about other Big Ten players who are also making that transition.
--Teddy Greenstein, also of the Tribune, reports that Illinois may be lining up a quarterback recruit by the name of Phil Haig to replace Clint Brewster, who decided to sign with Minnesota at the last minute when his dad became their new head coach. In an interesting twist, Haig was originally planning to commit to Minnesota.
--Greenstein also reports on some "trash talking" between the Big Ten Commisioner (open letter) and the SEC Commissioner (response).
--Finally, today's headline of the day is (drumroll please):
Maryland adds to Duke's Misery (Blue Devils suffer fourth straight defeat)
Sadly, this headline was in the print addition of the Daily Herald and not their online edition, which titled it "Unfamliar Territory."
--The quote of the day also comes from this article:
"After the final buzzer, the Maryland fans didn’t rush the court — an indication, perhaps, of Duke’s fall from elite status."
After the game, Coach K had a few things to say, including the following comments on how to right his struggling team:
“I’ll do whatever I can,” he said Sunday, moments after a 72-60 loss to host Maryland. “I’m not going to punt, let’s put it that way. You have to figure it out. The one thing you can’t do is feel sorry for yourself.”
Maybe he could do another American Express commercial about winning to make himself feel better.
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--Skip Myslenski of the Tribune has comments from Brian Randle about his transition from role player to being a go-to guy for the Illini. The article also talks about other Big Ten players who are also making that transition.
--Teddy Greenstein, also of the Tribune, reports that Illinois may be lining up a quarterback recruit by the name of Phil Haig to replace Clint Brewster, who decided to sign with Minnesota at the last minute when his dad became their new head coach. In an interesting twist, Haig was originally planning to commit to Minnesota.
--Greenstein also reports on some "trash talking" between the Big Ten Commisioner (open letter) and the SEC Commissioner (response).
--Finally, today's headline of the day is (drumroll please):
Maryland adds to Duke's Misery (Blue Devils suffer fourth straight defeat)
Sadly, this headline was in the print addition of the Daily Herald and not their online edition, which titled it "Unfamliar Territory."
--The quote of the day also comes from this article:
"After the final buzzer, the Maryland fans didn’t rush the court — an indication, perhaps, of Duke’s fall from elite status."
After the game, Coach K had a few things to say, including the following comments on how to right his struggling team:
“I’ll do whatever I can,” he said Sunday, moments after a 72-60 loss to host Maryland. “I’m not going to punt, let’s put it that way. You have to figure it out. The one thing you can’t do is feel sorry for yourself.”
Maybe he could do another American Express commercial about winning to make himself feel better.
Labels: Big Ten, Brian Randle, Coach K, Duke, Illini football, Quarterback, Recruiting
# posted by Good Hope Orange : 1:10 PM
