This whole thread makes me sad. Nebraska and M*ch*gan are both in a down period at the moment. Nebraska joins the party next season, and after a few, we'll see how things shake out. I have seen on several different website these pointless fights between Nebraska and M*ch*gan (most often), but a lot of other ugly things are coming out of the woodwork after the extension of the olive branch. For one, I don't understand how Nebraska fans - allegedly the most respectable in college football - post everywhere saying that their going to dominate the conference or bring legitimacy to the conference or whatever, when they don't really have a conference win in the last decade to stand on and just generally being arrogant cows. Secondly, I don't understand why Nebraska fans are so crass when weighing in on division split issue like "I don't care if they split OSU UM. What's the big deal if they play twice a year? Earlier? So what? Look what they did to us and OU fifteen years ago..." when they clearly have no understanding of the gravity of the rivalry or the cultural aspects of it. I'm sorry, Nebraska, you may be a great new 12th member, but you guys don't know shit about the conference and should really just shut the fuck up about what you consider to be proper or fair or appropriate in the coming divisions. Just twiddle your thumbs and be happy with who winds up in your division and enjoy the TV money and research collaboration. The arrogance I have observed of so many Nebraska fans on the web is just unbelievable, like they own the conference now or something. Their not entirely to blame, obviously, because it doesn't help that other Big Ten fans get caught up in these arguments and inflame things more. We're supposed to be a united conference and we're fighting over whose dick has been chewed the most since 1945. Jeez.
How I wished things could have worked out: Nebraska joins the conference. We are happy, because they make the conference more competitive. They're happy too. We get a long really well at first and show our increased solidarity as a conference to other conferences and fan bases. Then, when things heat up in 2011 and the results of the first conference games come in, then we develop the sweet bitterness of a competitive rivalry, which we would embrace like we do with Ohio State-M*ch*gan, Wisconsin-Minnesota, Purdue-Indiana, etc, because we are all in the same conference playing for a common goal, and we all face common enemies after conference play is over. We are the freaking Big Ten. How things are shaping up now is playing homage to the idiocy of the Big 12. What the hell.