Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[WM Wolverine]

Standard negotiating tactics with cable carriers to get carriage rates.

[Wild Hoss]

Standard negotiating tactics with cable carriers to get carriage rates.

They are playing a dangerous game when threatening to withhold Nebraska games. If they do, I guarantee they?ll lose a quarter of those people to Dish by midseason.

Thou shalt not fuck with the scared cow.

[entropy]

Saint Thomas de los Osbornes will save us from the evils of cox cable

[Hannibal]

This is why I think that any entity smaller than a big conference like The Big Ten or SEC would have trouble running their own network. Texas is dreaming if they think that they can extort subscriber fees from TV carriers. With the BTN, it's not a no-brainer, and there is far more quality programming on the BTN than there will be on a Texas network.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Longhorn Network will have next to no impact outside of Texas. But they are supposed to show high school games to fill up programming space. That will be big in the state

[Wild Hoss]

This is why I think that any entity smaller than a big conference like The Big Ten or SEC would have trouble running their own network. Texas is dreaming if they think that they can extort subscriber fees from TV carriers. With the BTN, it's not a no-brainer, and there is far more quality programming on the BTN than there will be on a Texas network.

I agree...the programming they have available is dogshit, and they'll face a battle foisting this on the Aggie, Tech, Baylor and Houston fans if it causes their rates to go up.

I really don't understand what ESPN is doing here, unless they are looking at the money they paid Texas as an acceptable loss in the name of market research. They can certainly spare it.

[WM Wolverine]

ESPN's cost to keep the Big XII together.

[Jamie H]

Nebraska, unlike Penn State, was NOT given any sweetheart deals with their schedule, that is for sure.

Then again, a trip to Michigan isn't exactly intimidating right now.

[Wild Hoss]

Nebraska, unlike Penn State, was NOT given any sweetheart deals with their schedule, that is for sure.

Then again, a trip to Michigan isn't exactly intimidating right now.

When you can only score seven points on Washington, any trip anywhere is intimidating.

Honestly, I get a major chuckle out of these prognosticators picking us the win the league this year. Apparently they stopped watching us play before the Texas game last year because offensively our program is nothing short of a clusterfuck.

We have a mixed bag of players recruited to three different styles of offense. Currently we?re going to be half-Mark Mangino/half Tom Osborne, and we yet possess not one quarterback on the roster who we could point to as being substantially more dangerous to our opponents as a passer than to our own team. Depth at RB is non-existent, and our most dangerous wideout is true freshman who moved from QB in the spring. We also lost our great kicker/punter, and the only experienced QB we have is an unrespected pussy, and a flake of gargantuan proportions.

Our offensive staff is a joke. WR coach was teaching golf swings in Massachusetts as recently as December, and our OC?s claim to fame is that he signaled plays to Todd Reesing four years ago. Our OL coach is so God-awful that we have no less than three guys assigned to him in various capacities in hopes of fielding a competent unit. Another AC is a former Center who?s coaching experience consists of three years as an assistant for his high school, and two years as intern in Lincoln.

I expect to see the defense take more steps backwards this year as well...we simply aren?t replacing the talent we lost in the back seven with players that are anywhere near as good. Special teams are an afterthought.

We?re going to lose at least four conference games IMO.

[entropy]

Nebraska, unlike Penn State, was NOT given any sweetheart deals with their schedule, that is for sure.

Then again, a trip to Michigan isn't exactly intimidating right now.

fully expected, at least I did. First, the BigTen has no incentive to help UNL win the championship the first year. If there is any motivation, it is to prevent it. Secondly, Nebraska is the new shiny toy. Show it off. This will help ratings which will help the ABC negotiation.

[entropy]

hoss. 4 is probably right

[entropy]

Asst track coach..

Nebraska assistant track and field coach Mark Colligan, 47, was found unresponsive in his hotel room early Wednesday afternoon. Colligan passed away while in Des Moines with the Huskers for the NCAA Championships.

Colligan has been on the Nebraska coaching staff since 1987 and served as the Huskers’ throws coach. He has coached five individuals who have won a combined 12 national championships and he has coached a total of 74 Big 12 Conference champions.

Colligan joined the Nebraska coaching staff after an outstanding career for the Huskers. He lettered twice and received the squad’s most-improved athlete award in 1983 and 1986. As a senior in 1986, Colligan was voted team captain and won the Big Eight outdoor shot put crown with a mark of 63-2 3/4. He also qualified for the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships as a senior.

A 1986 graduate of Nebraska, Colligan earned his degree in business administration. He is survived by his wife Jean, daughter, Jessica, and two sons, Max and Sam.

Statement from Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne
“We are very saddened to hear of Mark Colligan’s unexpected death. He has been taken from us at far too young of an age. We are very aware of the needs of his family at this most difficult time, and our thoughts and prayers are with them. Mark was a fine student-athlete for us here at Nebraska and he has done an outstanding job coaching our throws events, including numerous conference and NCAA champions.”

Statement from Nebraska Track and Field Coach Gary Pepin
“The Nebraska track and field family is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of our Throws Coach Mark Colligan. Mark has been a part of our program as an athlete and a coach for over 25 years and it has been a pleasure to have him has both a colleague and friend. Mark was a vital member in the success of our program and he will be missed both on and off the track. Our thoughts go out to his wife and children and we ask the Husker family to keep them in their thoughts."

[WM Wolverine]

Good to know I'm not the only one with double posting issues.

[entropy]

it is odd

[entropy]

Nebraska the favorite in the new Big Ten
PUBLISHED 3 hours and 58 minutes ago
LAST UPDATED 3 hours and 27 minutes ago
Dave Curtis
Sporting News

So far, the Big Ten has felt only conceptual repercussions from the six months of scandal at Ohio State. But come the fall, the changes in the conference will stretch past public relations. Here are five shifts to look for in the league in 2011:

1. The chance for a new king: Ohio State has won at least a share of six straight Big Ten championships and reached a BCS bowl eight of the last 10 seasons. The Buckeyes have endured several transitions throughout the run—what college program doesn’t? Yet this year’s differences touch every part of the program. The head coach is gone, and Jim Tressel was also the play-caller for the last decade. Ohio State has the bodies to replace Terrelle Pryor, but for the first time since Troy Smith left, there’s no returning starting experience at quarterback. And the OSU defense is shredded, too, with seven starters from the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas no longer on the roster. Stretching the league title streak to seven would be the program’s most impressive accomplishment during this run. Along with James White, Montee Ball, should continue to provide great production for Wisconsin's backfield.

2. The new king should come from the Heartland: Nebraska dominated Big 12 North competition and reached the cusp of a Big 12 championship the past two years. The change of division and league, supposedly a jump in weight class, might provide the Huskers an easier road to a championship. NU starts with far and away the conference’s most complete defense—bank on the league’s preseason Defensive Player of the Year to come from Lincoln. “Defense is the pride of our team,” linebacker Sean Fisher said on a teleconference. The offense needs to be better, and new offensive coordinator Tim Beck must jive with star quarterback Taylor Martinez. If that happens, the Huskers will be playing as favorites in December in Indianapolis.

(Quick aside: Think of how cool it has been to be a Husker these days. Last year, you play Texas and Oklahoma, plus games at Texas A&M and Washington. This year includes trips to Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan, plus a visit from the Buckeyes. “It’s an extremely fortunate thing for us,” Fisher said. “There probably aren’t a lot of kids who get the opportunity to do this.”)

3. Watch out for the Badgers: OK, one more quick aside: With Pryor gone, the best quarterback in the Leaders Division is Illinois’ Nathan Scheelhaase. Wow. There are arguments for Purdue’s Rob Henry, and the loyalists in Happy Valley might vote for either Matt McGloin or Rob Bolden. But that’s the list. So now take Wisconsin, the consensus No. 2 pick in the division, and add the potential arrival of Russell Wilson, and elevate the Badgers. Wisconsin brings in the conference’s top offensive line, as usual—coach Bret Bielema said in April he had six NFL offensive linemen back on campus working out. UW will have its usual cadre of backs, featuring James White and Montee Ball.

4. New-look for ‘The Game’: First-year Michigan coach Brady Hoke released a statement in the wake of Tressel’s resignation. “Our program looks forward to the last weekend of November,” he said. Yeah, now more than in 10 years. History shows that an Ohio State coaching change is a plate-shifter in the OSU-UM rivalry. Tressel won nine of 10 against the Wolverines; his predecessor, John Cooper, won two of 12 during his tenure. Then consider the roots of this year’s coaches—Hoke considered Michigan his dream job and refers to the team’s rivals as “Ohio”; new OSU head man Luke Fickell is a Buckeyes alum. The Wolverines have positive momentum with Hoke coming aboard. Ohio State lost all of its with the continuing reports of NCAA violations. Michigan-Ohio State didn’t need more juice, but it will have some come Thanksgiving.

5. The next championship coach is: The league’s transition will be apparent nowhere more than the sidelines. Fickell’s hire for the season means 2011 will feature five new coaches in the conference—he joins Hoke, Nebraska’s Bo Pelini, Kevin Wilson at Indiana and Jerry Kill at Minnesota. Joe Paterno ranks as the lone Big Ten head coach to win a national title as a head coach. The SEC boasts four current coaches with national titles, and the Big 12 counts two. No Big Ten team looks like a national-title game favorite this season. And there’s no obvious call on who’ll be next from the league to lift the crystal football trophy.
_______________________________________________
While not very likely, the press is pretty good.