<p>Orangebloods.com</a> - Source: Nebraska regents clear path to Big Ten</p>
<p>Who's the real NU in the Big "Ten" now?</p>
<p>It’s a non-issue. </p>
<p>Nebraska’s formal name is the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.</p>
<p>If you’ve ever watched their games, their abbreviation is NEB. I’ve also seen “UNL”, but that’s less likely.</p>
<p>So unless we take the term U Northwestern too seriously and switch to UN and Nebraska @ Lincoln disregards Nebraska @ Omaha and the other satellite campuses, we’re safe.</p>
<p>With that said, adding Nebraska is pretty weak sauce. Academically, it is weak. Geographically, it doesn’t open us up to any new markets. Athletically, they’re basketball program is an unmitigated disaster. They’re football program has a proud tradition and multiple national titles. Thats about it. Unless Nebraska’s national fanbase has completely blacked out from the late 90s to present and only remember the Tommy Frazier, Lawrence Phillips, Scott Frost days, it isnt a huge bump.</p>
<p>Mizzou was the better pick (St Louis and KC markets wouldve opened up). It also is a better school than NEB and we could have a journalism-off between the two of us. </p>
<p>Oh well, at least we get a conference title game? Oh right, the only way we win conference titles is via tiebreakers and we’d have a hard time beating Ohio St or Michigan in a conference title game heads-up. </p>
<p>Eff. This sucks.</p>
<p>…it still doesn’t address the need to change the BCS format of bowl selection</p>
<p>Mizzou & Rutgers can still join, )and probably will), but The Big Ten Conference may be waiting to formalize that to minimize the pr damage coming from a “Kill The Big 12” vibe. </p>
<p>My $.02 - and worth every penny.</p>
<p>NU should get out of the Big Ten. Doesn’t belong there and hasn’t for many years. Belongs in the Ivy League if truth be told.</p>
<p>NU football competes (and thrives) at a much higher level than the Ivy League (arbiter, links to the highlights of last fall’s NU wins over Iowa and Wisconsin would be great too!). NU does very well in the Big Ten across multiple sports.</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Northwestern Wildcats vs. Wisconsin Badgers - 11/21/09](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVafhoYFvtw]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVafhoYFvtw)
[YouTube</a> - Northwestern Wildcats vs. Illinois Fighting Illini - 11/14/09](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D16b0f7DfA]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D16b0f7DfA)</p>
<p>Why shouldn’t NU compete with schools five times its size? Seems to be going pretty well. I think Big Ten sports is a positive for NU. Big time sports and top academics aren’t mutually exclusive. Northwestern, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Duke, UVA …</p>
<p>Not to mention the national publicity we get with our games broadcast nationally. After our Rose Bowl run in 1995, applications increased 15% (and then subsided as we weren’t as good).</p>
<p>The point of the university is education. Our athletics program contributes to the culture on campus. If you wan’t U Chicago, go there.</p>
<p>As jr pointed out, I suppose Stanford, Duke, Michigan, Berkeley, Texas, Vanderbilt should all scrap their athletics programs or drop down to Div. III. The Ivy League too, since it’s just a money sink for them. Cornell’s NCAA run was a fluke after all.</p>