RT @BigTenNetwork: Delany: OSU-MICH will continue to be played on final weekend. Maintains tradition. As will PUR-IND.
RT @BigTenNetwork: Delany: OSU-MICH will continue to be played on final weekend. Maintains tradition. As will PUR-IND.
The demands from the Ohio State and Michigan blogs that the series remain exactly when it has “always” been made me want to throw up.
Your loved it when your conference poached a team that will have to cut century-long histories with others and NOW you demand adherence to tradition? You can’t deal with a game being in October instead of November?
[Aladdin]
You wanted a 12-team conference, you got it – and everything that goes with it. Phenomenal BCS powers, itty-bitty scheduling space.
[/Aladdin]
(Why yes, I’m still bitter. Why do you ask?)
@JD – Um, all the schools (and fans) are going to push for their favorite pieces to be kept. I don’t see how Michigan and Ohio State fans wanting their rivalry game that goes back forever to be kept in place.
As for poaching, um, no Nebraska was quite interested in leaving the Big-12. This isn’t some sort of sneak attack, this is both Nebraska and the Big-Ten finding mutual interesting.
Incidentally Nebraskas biggest rivalry USED to be Oklahoma. It wasn’t until they were split up in the formation of the Big-12 that Oklahomas rivalry switched to Texas and Nebraskas to Missouri.
Yes, I am quite aware that Nebraska’s biggest rivalry used to be Oklahoma. They own two “Games of the Century,” after all. In the Michigan-Ohio State case, they were foaming at the mouth about having to play any time except the last game in November, even if/though they would still play every year.
Nebraska wasn’t truly interested in the Big 10 until Missouri’s governor practically begged for the Tigers to be taken, after which Delaney did put Nebraska on the radar, but as one of a list of candidates. There was a meeting with Delaney and Perlman/Osborne at the end of May. About a week after that, the Pac-10 started making noises about taking every South school not named Baylor, which led to a one-week ultimatum to Nebraska during which the Pac-16 talk was very much alive, and then Nebraska didn’t want to be left out in the cold if the Big 12 fell apart.
“Over a span of just 12 days, Nebraska had gone from its first serious meeting with the Big Ten to tacit conference membership.”
I would suggest reading the Omaha World-Herald’s in-depth article:
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100830/BIGRED/708309872