Nebraska Football: 9-Game Big Ten Schedule Threatens Cornhusker Tradition

(Bo Pelini, upon learning that trips to Laramie and Hattiesburg were no longer going to be regular features on his schedule)

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Nebraska fans are very fond of their traditions. Just ask them, they'll tell you all about it. When Bill Callahan and Steve Pederson were run out of Lincoln in 2007, the prevailing opinion was that they had to go because they spurned the traditions that make Nebraska great.

The fact that Nebraska had two losing seasons in Bill Callahan's four-year tenure might have had something to do with that, as well.

Regardless, the Hotwire staff has been very aware how important tradition is for Nebraska fans. Which is why the apparent glee of most Nebraska fans to jettison a conference affiliation with teams they have played for 100 years or more seemed odd. Sure, the Big 12 was getting exposed as a vehicle to help Texas secure it's dominance, and it made sense for Nebraska to be out of that bad marriage. But it became apparent that Nebraska fans hated Texas and what Texas was doing to Nebraska and the conference more than they loved the tradition of playing their Big 8 rivals.

The fact that Nebraska lost to Texas eight out of the last nine times they met on the football field might have had something to do with that, as well.

Now, another Nebraska tradition appears to be heading for extinction. In 2017, the B1G will be expanding to a nine-game conference schedule, leaving only three non-conference games. Under the new schedule, every other year each Big Ten team will play five road conference games and three home ones. Given that Nebraska will not have a schedule with less than seven home games, it appears that the non-conference road game will now become an endangered species for Nebraska. So, Nebraska fans will no longer get to enjoy the tradition of buying a tour package to such scenic vistas as Laramie, WY. Or Blacksburg, VA. Or Hattiesburg, MS. Or Pittsburgh, PA.

Hmm. On second thought, maybe this whole "tradition" thing isn't all it's cracked up to be, after all.

The nine-game expansion might be a grand exercise in foresight for the B1G, as well. No one outside of Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe's nuclear family believes that the Big 12 will be in existence in 2017, which means the B1G Conference's membership will likely have swollen to 14 or 16 teams by then. Once that happens, a nine-game schedule would be necessary just to allow teams from opposite divisions to play each other in the regular season.

So, rest easy, Nebraska fans. The B1G honchos have spared you from having to endure another long road trip to watch Nebraska hammer a hapless opponent. In unrelated news, tour groups are now taking reservations for packages to Bloomington, IN, and West Lafayette, IN. Pack your sunscreen.

BEEONEGEE CONFERENCE UPDATE

We here at the Husker Hotwire are committed to bringing you ongoing coverage of Nebraska's new conference rivals in the B1G. Hawkeye Hotwire reports that Iowa has defeated Southern Mississippi. In court, not on the football field. Iowa sued Southern Miss, claiming that their 2003 logo design was too close to Iowa's tiger hawk and would "cause confusion" to consumers. The court sided with Iowa, meaning that Southern Miss no longer can prevent people from using their logo without paying the school.

Hawkeye Hotwire did not report, however, a flood of Southern Miss merchandise being returned to the Hawk Shop in Iowa City by embarrassed fans who weren't able to tell this from this.

AROUND THE HOTWIRE NETWORK

Buffalo Hotwire reports that new Buffs head coach Jon Embree is proposing giving students a "reward" of $50,000 if they graduate. Ironically, that sum is exactly the lifetime earning expectation of many major college football players that stay eligible and play football. Perhaps Embree is on to something.

Non-BC$ Hotwire reports that the Humanitarian Bowl has bowed to the pressure of commercialism and has been re-named the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Humanitarians around the country were planning protests and demonstrations, but called them off when realizing that we have finally reached a place in society where chives can appear on the logo of a sporting event. Utopia cannot be far away.

Gamecock Hotwire reports that Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier has banned his players from using Twitter. The move from Spurrier was not unexpected, given Spurrier's history of being close-mouth and unwilling to speak his mind in public.

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