Nebraska Football: Five Things Husker Fans Will Miss About the Big 12

Conventional wisdom has Nebraska fans giddy about the thought of leaving the "Texas Ten" conference and heading to the Big Ten in 2011. But as Nebraska gears up for its Big XII swan song, fans should take time to savor some of the things they will miss from the conference, and some of the history that won't be seen again.

A Rivalry Interrupted

The Nebraska-Missouri series had always been tough, more of a fistfight than a game. But add in lopsided Missouri wins, in Lincoln, Chase Daniels' verbal shots at the Huskers, and an NU player punching a Missouri fan, and the NU-Mizzou rivalry promised to be something special.

Last year it became clear that the players were participants in the rivalry. When a rivalry reaches the players, that's when it gets special. Nebraska's departure puts an end to what had the potential to be a very fierce and enjoyable rivalry between the two schools.

A Streak Broken

Nebraska and Kansas have played one another for 104 consecutive years since 1906, the longest continuous streak in the nation. After game 105 this year, the series will likely end.

Combine the end of over a century of history with the arrival of Nebraska legend Turner Gill at the helm of the Jayhawks and you get a series that NU fans will miss. Don't forget, as well, that there are few more perfect places to see a game on an autumn afternoon than Lawrence, Kansas. Every other year, NU fans will be finding themselves craving a slice of pepperoni from The Wheel, and will feel a little sadness.

Thanksgiving Seconds

Yes, Colorado was never a real replacement for the Nebraska-Oklahoma game the day after Thanksgiving. Yes, the Colorado-Nebraska rivalry was largely a creation of Bill McCartney in an effort to whip up support from a notoriously apathetic fan base. But Nebraska will be leaving some history behind when their series with Colorado ends.

No more Sal Aunese. No more Woody Paige columns. No more stories of the hammers CU brought to Lincoln when they "pounded the nails" into the coffin of Nebraska's bowl streak. No more "Restore the Order" cries. And, of course, no more trips to Folsom Field, nestled in the heart of the Rockies.

Irresistible Forces and Immovable Objects

Nebraska-Oklahoma. It was THE rivalry of the 20th century in college football. It was the Game of the Century. The neglect of the rivalry is what laid the seeds for the Big XII's eventual disintegration.

But Nebraska's departure from the Big XII also means that we won't even get the pleasure of seeing a Nebraska-Oklahoma renewal two out of four years any more. It means that we won't even have that once-in-four-years shot of seeing the crimson and cream come into Memorial Stadium, like they did under Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer. It means those iconic helmets won't be seen on the same football field any more, playing for conference titles. More than anything about Nebraska's conference shift, the loss of the Nebraska-Oklahoma series is the real hallmark of the era's end.

A Villain In Burnt Orange

Every story needs a villain, and in the Longhorns, Nebraska fans had one tailor-made.

With lots of money, lots of swagger, big belt buckles, and lots of success, Texas became the new Miami in the eyes of the Husker faithful. It was Texas that, in Husker fans' eyes, stole a conference title and a BCS berth from Nebraska. It was Texas' bluff, called by Nebraska, that caused the breakup of the Big XII into the "Texas Ten." But, more importantly, it was the Longhorns' victories on the field, frequently in heartbreaking fashion, which has caused Nebraska fans the most grief.

The October 16 Texas-Nebraska game has excited and focused Nebraska fans more than any game in recent memory, given all the history and bad blood between the two teams. But Husker fans better enjoy it because that will be their last chance to square off on the field against their hated foes.