(Editor's Note: This was originally written on June 30, 2011, Nebraska's last day in the Big 12 Conference. I carried it over here after I deleted my original blog on Tumblr)
Today marks Nebraska’s last day as a member of the Big 12 Conference.
It has been an awkward 15 years of membership, to say the least. The Big 12 was formed in 1994 when the Big 8 Conference chose to merge with four members of the dying Southwest Conference, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Baylor. Since that day, Texas and Nebraska have been at odds over multiple factors including partial and non-qualifying players and television revenue. Nebraska also refuses to get over the fact that Texas beat them in the Big 12 Championship in 1996, denying Nebraska a third straight National Championship. Texas also beat Nebraska on a last second field goal in the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game. Nebraska was never able to beat Texas during a regular season Big 12 matchup. There might have been other factors from other sports but considering Nebraskans only care about football, that’s highly unlikely.
We’ve all heard the bullshit excuses and complaining about why the conference is losing two members and quite frankly I can’t talk about the 2010 conference realignment without going into a huge rant about the bogus “new” Big 12. So I figured I would take a trip down memory lane and take a look at the memorable moments Nebraska gave us during their 15 years in the Big 12.
1996 – Big 12 Championship Game, Nebraska vs. Texas
This was the game that prevented Nebraska from playing in a third straight National Championship Game. Nebraska steamrolled their way through the Big 12 North to make it to the title game, their only loss on the year was to an Arizona State team which lost the Rose Bowl, and National Championship, to Ohio State. Meanwhile Texas basically lucked their way into the title game because the rest of the Big 12 South teams sucked that year. But Texas’ victory over Nebraska was no fluke, and this game began a trend of Nebraska fans hating Texas because they could never beat Texas.
1997 – Flea Kicker
In November 1997 Nebraska traveled to Missouri undefeated. The Tigers wouldn’t go down without a fight, and led Nebraska by a touchdown late in the game. With seven seconds left, Nebraska made it to the Missouri 12-yard line and had time for one final play. Nebraska QB Scott Frost threw a pass to Shelvin Wiggins but the ball bounced off his chest toward the ground. A Missouri safety tackled Wiggins, causing him to kick the ball into the air where Matt Davison caught it, scoring the touchdown and tying the game. Nebraska ended up winning in overtime, 45-17, and went on to split the National Championship with Michigan that year.
2001 – Nebraska Gets Blown Out By Miami
Nebraska went into their final game of the year against Colorado undefeated, but got blown out 62-36. Despite not even playing in the Big 12 Championship Game, Nebraska somehow ended up ranked second in the BCS after Tennessee lost to LSU in the SEC Championship Game and Texas lost to Colorado in the Big 12 Championship Game. Nebraska got to play undefeated Miami in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship and dropped a steaming turd against a team featuring guys such as Andre Johnson and Sean Taylor.
2004-2007 – The Bill Callahan Era
After the 2003 season Nebraska fired coach Frank Solich and hired former Oakland Raiders head coach Bill Callahan. He was the last guy they wanted, but nobody else they wanted accepted the offer. Callahan coached the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII where they were blown out by Tampa Bay. The next year the Raiders finished 4-12, and Callahan called them “the dumbest team in America.” Callahan was fired and proceeded to run the Nebraska program into the ground, giving them their first losing season since the 60’s and having one of the nation’s worst defenses. Callahan was fired in 2007.
2009 – Big 12 Championship Game, Nebraska vs. Texas
A game Nebraska should have won based on Mack Brown/Colt McCoy’s retarded clock management at the end of the game but referees ruled that there was one second left on the cock after McCoy threw the ball out of bounds. This allowed Texas kicker Hunter Lawrence to kick the game winning field goal, sending Texas to the National Championship Game and starting a chain reaction of bitching that led to Nebraska leaving for the Big 10.
2010 – Nebraska Loses To Texas, Texas A&M
I only included this here because Nebraska got blown out at home by a 5-7 Texas team led by Garrett Friggin Gilbert. They also lost to Texas A&M in my final game as an Aggie student, so I’m kind of biased here. Oh, and coach Bo Pelini made an ass of himself on live television.
You may notice a trend here, that many of these memories are Nebraska losses. In hindsight, Nebraska pretty much sucked it up during the Big 12 era. It was all downhill once Tom Osbourne retired in 1997. After hearing all the bitching from their fanbase regarding conference realignment, the roughing the passer call Texas A&M game, and actually blaming Texas for their being kicked out of the Association of American Universities, all I really have to say to Nebraska is…
Goodbye and good riddance.
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