Nebraska vs. Wisconson: Why Leaving the Big 12 Was Best Move Nebraska Ever Made

For the type of football that has been played in Lincoln, NE. ever since the Cornhuskers first took the field, they were the black sheep of the Big 12.

With offenses consistently racking up passing yards and points every games, Nebraska hung right with the Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas Longhorns and Missouri Tigers among others every year.

The only difference, being that the Cornhuskers have been a ground and pound type team, whereas the rest of the conference liked to toss the rock around.

In the long-run, the game of football kept gradually changing at every level, but not into the form of running the football on a consistent basis.

Defenses were becoming more vulnerable to stopping the passing game, so offenses began throwing the football much, much more.

However, Nebraska didn't change and yet they were still able to be very competitive in one of the nation's toughest conferences.

Perhaps the past decade was overdue with the Cornhuskers deciding to make the move into the Big Ten.

1999 was their last Big 12 championship, and after losing the conference title game in 2006, 2009 and 2010, head coach Bo Pelini and company have joined the Big Ten.

Not since the days of Tommy Frazier have the Cornhuskers been able to win a national championship, and although there's only one Tommy Frazier, just imagine how much fun it would have been to see him in the Big Ten.

Well, Nebraska is no longer a conference's black sheep in terms of their style of football, because everything that encompasses and embodies the philosophy of 'Huskers football is the identity of the Big Ten.

And although it's not completely geographically correct, this is one of the best moves in the history of their football program.

In addition, it's uncertain as to how much longer the Big 12 is going to be around, so the Cornhuskers move was smart in terms of finding a conference now, as opposed to being left out to dry whenever the Big 12 disperses.

The last thing you want if you're a major college football program (not named Notre Dame), is to be in a conference, then be left with no one to play as an independent.

The Irish can get away with being an independent because they've been one since 1978, but the program's had rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State and USC among others since before World War II.

As for the Cornhuskers, sure they would have gotten a few solid opponents, but it would not have been anything like the Big Ten.

The Big 12 was great and it's a shame that it may not be around much longer, but Nebraska needed a change, got a change and are now a part of a conference that is going to be around for quite a while.

Plus, it helps having a solid schedule year in and year out as opposed to being an independent.

Even if you're not a Cornhuskers fan, it's good to be a fan of college football from an all-encompassed perspective because watching Nebraska in the Big Ten is going to be a lot fun.

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