Nebraska Football: 8 Opponents We'd Love to See on Future Schedules

This article is a little tricky, depending on the audience. Given the flaws in the BCS, the strength of a non-conference schedule is all-but-meaningless for a BCS school like Nebraska. The risks of playing a tough non-conference game that could be lost far outweigh the potential benefits.

Therefore, the hardcore Nebraska fans would probably fill this slideshow with teams like Florida International and Eastern Washington, in the hopes of protecting a perfect season and keeping national title dreams alive.

But even the hardest of hard-core fans want to see fun, marquee non-conference matchups. So let's look at some games that aren't on Nebraska's upcoming schedule, but that would be a lot of fun to see.

Notre Dame

In many ways, the Cornhuskers and the Irish are a perfect match. They are both midwestern schools from smaller areas that have huge national followings.

They both have grand traditions and revel in their historical glories. And they both have been out of the national spotlight for longer than their fan bases are comfortable with.

The home-and-home between Nebraska and Notre Dame in 2000 and 2001 was a lot of fun for both schools, and many Nebraska fans would love to see Notre Dame return to Lincoln and renew the series. And, of course, more than a few NU fans would like to replicate the Sea of Red in Notre Dame.

Florida State

Before Nebraska's breakthrough in 1994, the Seminoles were a true nemesis for the Cornhuskers.

Time after time, NU would enter a bowl game with a gaudy record and pride on the line, only to be humbled by the superior speed and athleticism of Florida State.

Nebraska already has a series with Miami on the schedule, and 90's-era nostalgia buffs like myself would love to see NU square up with the garnet and gold again.

Kansas

As someone who grew up with the Big 8, it was tempting to just list all of Nebraska's old conference-mates and call it a slideshow. But discretion is the better part of valor, so just the best matchups needed to be preserved.

And yes, Nebraska-Kansas is one of them. In 2011, Nebraska and Kansas will not face each other, and the longest continuous rivalry in college football will be broken. Turner Gill, current head Jayhawk and legendary Nebraska quarterback, will no longer be facing his old team.

Nebraska will no longer be traveling to Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, still one of the most beautiful and underrated places to see a football game in the entire country. If I had to pick one Big 8 foe of Nebraska's I will miss the most, it's Kansas.

Boise State

I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point the national attitude about Boise State turned from admiration to irritation. People went from cheering the plucky underdog to sneering at the pretender demanding respect.

Boise State and Nebraska were in discussions for a series, but were never able to agree on terms of payment or the location of the series. It's too bad, as it would be fascinating to see how a college football blue-blood like Nebraska would fare on the blue turf in Idaho.

Alabama

With Nebraska's entry into the B1G Conference, many of the dream matchups between college football's royalty will be happening on a regular basis. But one matchup that dotted the 1970's, Nebraska-Alabama, still lays dormant. Alabama has made it all the way back to the top of the mountain after its' fall, a place Nebraska still aspires to reach. To see these two meet on the field would be a great test for how far Nebraska has truly come back.

Pittsburgh

Those of you not steeped in recent Nebraska lore might not understand this one. Let me lay it out for you.

Steve Pederson was Nebraska's athletic director for a period of time. Under his reign, a good and loyal man in Frank Solich was fired. While his dismissal may have been warranted, the manner in which the axe fell was nakedly disrespectful to Solich and to the tradition he represented.

Then, Pederson bypassed Bo Pelini and hired Bill Callahan, announcing that mediocrity would not be accepted at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers under Callahan proceeded to be excruciatingly mediocre, while Pederson tried to convince Nebraska fans that things were great and the Nebraska traditions weren't really all that important.

Pederson was fired in 2007, and Tom Osborne was brought in to replace him. Osborne hired Pelini, and many Nebraska fans felt a dark chapter in the school's history had been closed.

What does this have to do with Pittsburgh? Guess who is the current athletic director at Pittsburgh. Go ahead, I'll wait.

And don't kid yourself. Nebraska fans would love to see the Cornhuskers line up against Pitt, for no reason other than to get one more opportunity to twist the knife into a man they feel was responsible for nearly a decade of Nebraska's decline.

Oregon

Yes, it's always fun to see Oregon on the schedule, just to see what they'll be wearing. But this matchup has a little more to it as well. New Nebraska offensive coordinator Tim Beck has said he wants Nebraska's offense to look more like Oregon's quick-strike spread attack. It would be fascinating to see how the Nebraska version of Oregon's offense squares up against Oregon's version of Oregon's offense, particularly when the Oregon version would have to do it against the Blackshirts.

Texas

"How can Oklahoma not be on this list?"

I can hear it now, you're at the last slide and there's not a mention of the Game of the Century rematch. And yes, seeing Nebraska and Oklahoma on the field again would be a wonderful throwback to the great history of the two former Big 8 rivals.

But Nebraska fans have a special place reserved for Texas. There's a decade of frustration built up in the Children of the Corn about the Longhorns, both from the boardroom and the playing field.

And given how soul-destroying Nebraska's last two losses were, one in the Big XII title game and one in Lincoln that was supposed to be the revenge game, Nebraska feels like there is a lot of unfinished business with the kids wearing burnt orange.

Yes, Nebraska would love to see Oklahoma again. But not like Texas. There's an open wound in Nebraska's psyche, and it's Longhorn-shaped. And until Nebraska beats Texas on the field, that wound will never fully heal.

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