Protected rivals

[ExcellentBread]

It's a pragmatic and not an emotional idea. There is zero pageantry about it. I honestly don't think Nebraska should be worried about pageantry. Nebraska left that all behind when it changed conferences.

The move was a reach towards a more secure future, theoretically. I don't think Nebraska should stop moving. Trev Alberts should have been on the phone with USC, UCLA, and Penn State trying to secure a protected rivalry that would draw a large audience. Nebraska, unfortunately at present, presents an easier win for those teams over a brand name, which is good for them and which actually should benefit Nebraska in negotiations getting that done. Nebraska benefits by having exposure to larger pools of talent.

Playing Iowa doesn't do *^^&* for Nebraska especially if we lose.

And why would Penn State or UCLA want Nebraska for a rival, exactly? The whole premise of your argument is so that Nebraska can steal recruits from these “hotbeds”. Why would those teams want that? So what’s in it for UCLA or Penn State?

Also, asking for a protected rivalry and getting one are two different things. Why would you want another shot at an artificial rivalry, anyway?

 

[saluno22]

And why would Penn State or UCLA want Nebraska for a rival, exactly? The whole premise of your argument is so that Nebraska can steal recruits from these “hotbeds”. Why would those teams want that? So what’s in it for UCLA or Penn State?

Also, asking for a protected rivalry and getting one are two different things. Why would you want another shot at an artificial rivalry, anyway?

I don't disagree with you, but I think if you take geography out of the analysis, UCLA and Penn State have more rivalry status with Nebraska historically than Iowa. We used to play UCLA and Penn State in high-stakes games decades ago, whereas Iowa was more of a convenience as an opponent and only a couple times were they good. Obviously enter our matchups since the Big Ten and it feels bigger mostly because of proximity, and rarely have both teams been good at the same time.

I agree with those who say we don't really have a rivalry in the Big Ten and they all feel manufactured still. But historically, we've played bigger games with UCLA and Penn State and I wouldn't mine seeing them being regular games as well. It also would feel like keeping the outliers together.

And I agree, there isn't much in it for those schools if Nebraska only wants it to be able to steal recruits from their backyard.

 

[Landomatic]

Why would you want another shot at an artificial rivalry, anyway?

artificial rivalry with Penn St/UCLA/USC >>>> artificial rivalry with Iowa/Wisc/Minn

 

[Sinomatic]

And why would Penn State or UCLA want Nebraska for a rival, exactly? The whole premise of your argument is so that Nebraska can steal recruits from these “hotbeds”. Why would those teams want that? So what’s in it for UCLA or Penn State?

Also, asking for a protected rivalry and getting one are two different things. Why would you want another shot at an artificial rivalry, anyway?

I don't disagree with you, but I think if you take geography out of the analysis, UCLA and Penn State have more rivalry status with Nebraska historically than Iowa. We used to play UCLA and Penn State in high-stakes games decades ago, whereas Iowa was more of a convenience as an opponent and only a couple times were they good. Obviously enter our matchups since the Big Ten and it feels bigger mostly because of proximity, and rarely have both teams been good at the same time.

I agree with those who say we don't really have a rivalry in the Big Ten and they all feel manufactured still. But historically, we've played bigger games with UCLA and Penn State and I wouldn't mine seeing them being regular games as well. It also would feel like keeping the outliers together.

And I agree, there isn't much in it for those schools if Nebraska only wants it to be able to steal recruits from their backyard.

Nebraska does offer a high chance to get a win vs a historically great program. Nebraska still has a national brand and therefore would draw a lot of attention for schools as well.

It isn't totally one sided and Nebraska has had a lot of memorable games with national implications with those schools. It's a WAY better story line than "This team lives on the other side of the hill from that team".

 

[ExcellentBread]

Nebraska does offer a high chance to get a win vs a historically great program. Nebraska still has a national brand and therefore would draw a lot of attention for schools as well.

It isn't totally one sided and Nebraska has had a lot of memorable games with national implications with those schools. It's a WAY better story line than "This team lives on the other side of the hill from that team".

None of these games have national implications. I bet if you went to any of those teams fanbases and asked if they wanted a rivalry with NU, the only teams that would say yes are Iowa and Minnesota.

The only game I think that would stand a chance to possibly develop naturally is PSU and Nebraska, but that’s unlikely to happen now that divisions don’t exist. It will be rare to have a game with PSU (let alone multiple) where anything of substance is on the line for both teams. Also, PSU looks at Nebraska now how Nebraska looks at Minnesota. Nothing to gain.

I really do think the path to Nebraska’s relevance is to build up the quadrangle of hate. Strong Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin help raise the value and awareness of each other.

 

[Sinomatic]

None of these games have national implications. I bet if you went to any of those teams fanbases and asked if they wanted a rivalry with NU, the only teams that would say yes are Iowa and Minnesota.

The only game I think that would stand a chance to possibly develop naturally is PSU and Nebraska, but that’s unlikely to happen now that divisions don’t exist. It will be rare to have a game with PSU (let alone multiple) where anything of substance is on the line for both teams. Also, PSU looks at Nebraska now how Nebraska looks at Minnesota. Nothing to gain.

I really do think the path to Nebraska’s relevance is to build up the quadrangle of hate. Strong Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin help raise the value and awareness of each other.

Honestly could not care less about the teams just east of the Missouri.

I don't feel hate towards any team to be honest. I just want to see Nebraska succeed.

I believe that means playing games against opponents that are in good recruiting grounds should take priority over ones that don't. I'd rather see Nebraska play Rutgers than Iowa if that clears things up. I believe doing it that way would yield better results for the Nebraska program over the long haul than doing it like you're suggesting.

Scheduling Iowa and Minnesota should be like padding the win column for another championship run.

Unfortunately for Nebraska we haven't had a coach since Pelini that has been able to get that done.