Why Nebraska Fans Should Stop Worrying About the Game Against Wisconsin

(Bo Pelini, not worried at all about the inconsequential game coming up in Madison)

 Welcome to the Husker Hotwire, the sometimes-weekly, sometimes-funny look at Husker athletics!

The staff writers at the Husker Hotwire are confused. That's not terribly uncommon, but this time, the staff is for the most part confused about the same thing. Nebraska's next game against a non-divisional opponent is on the horizon, and some people are making it out to be the most important game of the week.

Sure, both teams are highly ranked and everything, and the winning team's fanbase will enjoy a victory. But in the big picture, it doesn't really matter if Nebraska or Wisconsin wins on Saturday. Even in defeat, the losing team will be able to control its own destiny by beating their divisional foes and make it to the inaugural B1G Conference Championship game to be held in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (which, let's be honest, is the only championship game the home of the Colts is going to see this year).

Want proof? Then close your eyes and imagine the press conference from the losing coach, just after the Nebraska-Wisconsin game on Saturday.

"[Nebraska or Wisconsin] is a really tough team, and they got the better of us today," said [Bret Bielema or Bo Pelini] after the [Cornhuskers or Badgers] knocked off the [Cornhuskers or Badgers] on Saturday. "But I've got a tough group of kids in that [visitors or home] locker room, and we'll shake this off and be ready for next week against [Ohio State or Indiana]. Our goals of winning the [Legends or Leaders] Division and making it to the conference title game are still intact. We've got a lot to play for in [Lincoln or Madison]."

 See? The game is barely worth playing. It certainly isn't worth paying extortionist prices to get into Camp Randall and watch such a meaningless contest.

But, of course, that isn't stopping some Nebraska fans from going all out to make the trip to Madison. The "pack the black" campaign is clearly intended as an attempt to mirror Nebraska's success in redding out Notre Dame Stadium in 2000.

That's the only explanation the Husker Hotwire staff can conjure up to explain people's level of excitement for such a meaningless game. And if "blacking out" Camp Randall was the goal of Nebraska fans, it would make sense to pick a game like Purdue, for which tickets are a lot cheaper than the Nebraska ones.

BEEONEGEE CONFERENCE UPDATE

At the Husker Hotwire, we are committed to bring you ongoing coverage of Nebraska's new opponents in the B1G Conference. Wolverine Hotwire reports that Michigan will be testing itself in 2012 with a home game against Massachusetts. It's a bold step for Big Blue, given how Michigan had to hold on to beat the Minutemen 42-37 in 2010. Oh, and that other FCS team that came to Ann Arbor in 2007.

AROUND THE HOTWIRE NETWORK 

Big 12 10 9 ?? 12 Hotwire reports that the athletic directors of the remaining nine schools in the conference have met and "fully committed" to the future of the conference. Which sounds remarkably like what the Big 12 10 9 ?? 12 said in July during the conference's media days, just before the SECession of Texas A&M. And is kind of hard to square up with what Oklahoma State benefactor T. Boone Pickens said about Missouri's continuingly-wandering eye.

Heisman Hotwire reports that ESPN's Heisman Predictor lists the Nebraska-Wisconsin game as the "season's first game between established Heisman contenders." And after reading the article and realizing that the article was referring to Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez as one of those "established Heisman contenders," the Hotwire staff went to the dictionary to confirm the meaning of the word "established."

BC$ Hotwire reports that the rule preventing more than two teams from a conference to get a BC$ bid may be getting a second look after the conference realignments of the past 18 months. It's important those bigwigs stay busy in their expensive hotel meeting rooms, after all, so they can continue to avoid discussing the institution of a college football playoff.

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