Don’t Cheer for Legends Teams Just Yet
The college football season is so close you can taste it. Beginning Thursday night, you can see actual games with future Husker opponents. While you can watch as a neutral observer, it's often more fun to take sides. Some people might choose sides based on betting interests, others may just want to see the Big Ten do well. But before you go waving the flag for Minnesota when they take on UNLV Thursday night or Michigan State as they host Boise State on Friday, remember one thing.
The tiebreak rules for the Big Ten championship game make the nonconference games kind of meaningful. Phil Steele has predicted that three teams in the Legends division will go 6-2 this year (Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska). If that were to happen with none of those teams beating both of the other two, the first tiebreak is a team's overall record. That means that if NU were to go 4-0 outside the conference schedule while the Wolverines and Spartans each went 3-1, then the Huskers would play in the conference title game.
As nauseating as the thought of cheering for an SEC team against a Big Ten team (like Alabama against Michigan) or for Notre Dame against anyone, those games could be the difference between a shot at the Rose Bowl and an Outback Bowl appearance for Nebraska. The chance a tiebreak becomes meaningful for a divisional opponent like Minnesota seems unlikely, but you never know.
Some fans will stick out their chest and say they expect Nebraska to go 12-0 or 11-1 so they can root for all of the Legends teams. That's a nice thought, but some of us have tempered our expectations a bit in the last decade.
Another way to look at it will be that every cloud will have a silver lining. If Michigan State fails to hang a loss on Boise State (which looks like it will be the only ranked team on the Broncos schedule), at least it can help NU in the tiebreak. If a Michigan loss means we'll hear that much more gushing about how great the SEC is, at least it could be good for the Huskers. As enjoyable as it may be to see the Fighting Irish lose...sorry that one never gets old.
8/24/2012
I want Michigan to beat Alabama. I do not want Alabama to equal the three year record of Nebraska in the late 90’s.
8/24/2012
agree with above. I can stay on board for the other Legends games, but not against anything SEC.
8/24/2012
So…Go Blue? I guess? =/
8/24/2012
I want all Big Ten teams to be undefeated until they meet us. Makes us look that much better when we run the table! Keep expectations high or we will settle for less.
8/24/2012
Exactly!
8/24/2012
We have nothing to worry about if win. Big ten teams need to win every game outside of the conference. Beating a undefeated team means a lot more to your ranking then beating one with a loss. Always root for the big ten team in non-conference games, as stated for it makes us look better when we win!
8/24/2012
We have nothing to worry about if we win. Big ten teams need to win every game outside of the conference. Beating a undefeated team means a lot more to your ranking then beating one with a loss. Always root for the big ten team in non-conference games, as stated befor it makes us look better when we win!
8/24/2012
I might be the only Husker fan who feels this way, but I hate Michigan more than any other team in our conference. Perhaps, It’s due to the saying “we dislike most those who remind us of ourselves”. They are the blue version of us, a college football blue-blood with an equal amount of tradition. They had their own Bill Callahan era with RR, but came “back” before we did, stealing the glory. But further than that, their fans have turned me off the most. They are extremely arrogant. Going in, I thought our relationship with UM would be similar to OU and Ohio State to Texas, but it’s the reverse. OSU fans have been nothing but gracious and were genuinely excited to have us in the Big Ten, acknowledging room for multiple powerhouses. Michigan fans thumb their noses at us and think of their tradition as superior. They didn’t feel like beating us was any accomplishment last year, whereas I got a respectful vibe from just about every other opponent. I want nothing more than to avenge last year’s embarrassment because I consider UM our chief rival.
8/24/2012
I agree with you Al, I can’t stand Michigan more than any other Big Ten team. But my reason is because of 1997 when we had to share our National Championship with them when we all know the Huskers would of smoked them in a Championship game.
8/24/2012
I had a flashback of Texas reading Reed’s and Al’s comments. Maybe UM is the Texas of the B1G??
8/24/2012
^absolutely. No question in my mind. I think After a few years’ worth of games many ‘sker fans will feel the same
8/25/2012
Agree on the Michigan thing. Their fans are awful but I knew that coming in. They puff their chests having won half a championship in the last 60 years. With that said I think I’ll enjoy Bama destroying Michigan and hearing their fans shut it. I think Bama loses to LSU decisively this year and won’t get a second shot like last year.
8/25/2012
This piece presents a rather lame point of view.
8/25/2012
I don’t know really who has the lousiest fans, but I thought it was Ohio State…they’re so arrogent it sickens me. I know one personally and I don’t even want to be around him. What’s this “THE” Ohio State thing all about anyway? How pompous.
I will be rooting against every husker opponent simply because I want their record to be as bad as possible to hopefully help us. That to me is more important than the SEC winning over a B1G team or anything else.
It’s gonna be a GREAT season! Can’t wait!
8/25/2012
@ PE- “The"OSU thing is because Ohio State fans can’t accept that Oklahoma State is also OSU.
8/26/2012
When it comes down to it, I would rather beat a team that walked all over Alabama. If we lose to Michigan <gasp> would you rather they smashed Alabama or lost miserably to them? If we win against Michigan wouldn’t you want the bragging rights of beating a team that smashed Alabama???? I will NOT cheer for Michigan in their game against Alabama but I certainly hope that if they beat Alabama that the crush them.
8/26/2012
I think this crazy .. YOU WANT THE BIG TEN TO WIN EVERYGAME IN THE NON CONFERENCE.. WHY ??? Because it elevates the conferences image and therefore elevates NU’s spot in the polls when they beat fellow conference members .. If every team in the big ten loses its non conferences games and NU Goes 14-0 , and beats everyteam in the BIG TEN , were are we?? Definately not a national championship game.. We are essentailly UCCON in the BCS game a few years back.. Who cares?? Be the Best , BEAT THE BEST!
8/26/2012
I truthfully don’t think there’s a chance of a national championship game this year. The stars would have to aline. Not saying we cant go undefeated this year just think I would be pretty tough to be in the top 2 or even 3. USC will probably be undefeated, Florida State the same, Oklahoma will look pretty good by the end of the year, and everyone knows a one loss or even two loss SEC champion will be just raved about. We would need almost every BIG TEN team to win out, non conference that is. I looking forward to a great new years with a BIG TEN championship trophy and BCS game to fallow. GO BIG RED…
8/27/2012
Dean
Agreed I was just using that as an example, but the better the conference looks in the pre-season ( non conference) the better our shot at moving up in the rankings in general.. COnsidering the polls are mostly figured by how others think of you ( coaches, AP ) its better to be betting teams that kicked ass in the non conference then those that get beat.
Valencia, CA
8/27/2012
My brother and I grew up following Big 8 football. Every year we knew the conference championship would come down to Oklahoma vs. Nebraska. However, we didn’t care who the OTHER team played until game week UNLESS they lost….........
Let’s focus on Nebraska football and not on other teams. If Michigan gets blown out by Bama, so be it. They haven’t faced the Huskers in Lincoln…........................
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8/27/2012
any team that has the opportunity to beat an sec team should have my seal of approval. espn, the voice of sec and now the big12, blacklist everyone else. the big10 and pac12 should band together and develop a super duper conference.
8/29/2012
Be carefull who you cheer for? You may regret it?
I am sorry, I am so gosh darn lost. I thought this
board was about Nebraska or B1G Football not some
cautious B1G-phobic kumbayah. These are my
brothers and if we want to beat the snot out of
each other that’s our biz!
But you mess with my brother, you mess with my
whole family!