The Nebraska Cornhuskers staring their season’s goal in the face, taking on the Oklahoma Sooners in the final Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday night, is the biggest Huskers game since….
The 2009 Big 12 Championship vs. Texas? Bigger opponent, with National Championship implications on the line, not to mention, a Heisman Trophy on the line (kinda), but the circumstances surrounding the game pale in comparison. As painful as last year’s loss was, most Husker fans would rather jump ship to the Big Ten with the final Big 12 trophy in hand, then get revenge on Texas.
The 2006 Big 12 Championship vs. Oklahoma? Same teams, same stakes, but again the circumstances aren’t in the same galaxy.
The answer has to be the 2001 BCS Championship Game against the Miami Hurricanes. That’s nine years, which seems more like 90 years ago. I don’t know if any non-National Championship Game could compare to what we’ll see on Saturday night. Nebraska has slowly crept back into the national spotlight, and will have it shining brightly on their backs on Saturday night.
What’s unclear, is that if people will be tuning in to watch the actual game, or the drama that will be symbolically hovering above (and filling in around the Jumbotron) the play on the field.
However, the moment sure to burn in everybody’s everlasting memory is far from guaranteed to happen. But if it does….
I am, of course, referring to much-maligned Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe handing the Big 12 Championship trophy over to Tom Osborne, Bo Pelini, and the rest of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
No, I am not overlooking the game, and the challenge that lies ahead in the Oklahoma Sooners. I think the game is a 50/50 toss-up (which means OU fans probably have it more like 75/25).
But this potential moment deserves a proper amount of hype, which cannot be fulfilled in the 15 minutes between the final whistle, and the trophy presentation.
Dan Beebe remains #1 on Nebraska’s Most Wanted List.
They blame him for villainizing the fans by saying it wouldn’t be safe to present the Big 12 North trophy to the team following their defeat of Colorado. Personally, I loved it. I mean, who really cares about a North trophy? It isn’t the one the team is after.
They blame him for the Texas A&M ordeal. When you think you’ve been screwed over, you target the person with the most power over the situation, or the person with the most to gain from the ordeal. In this case, both led to Beebe.
They blame him for having to leave the conference they know and love. This fact has gotten lost in all the hoopla surrounding this movie-scripted season. Nebraska is pissed BECAUSE they have to leave the Big 12, preferring to stay and honor the tradition and history of the conference, but thought it was beneficial for the school to move on. (A fact I inexcusably overlooked in yesterday’s article discussing the backlash between Nebraska fans and the rest of the Big 12).
But I would say there is at least a puncher’s chance of something crazy happening on that podium if Nebraska were to emerge victorious on Saturday night. However, I’m not sure if the more likely culprit comes from the Big 12 side or the Nebraska side.
Who hates each other more?
Beebe has been labeled a fool because of the situation Nebraska put him in. He has been verbally assuaulted by sports personalities from all over the country, using facts brought to their attention by Nebraska. He was embarrassed when Nebraska turned down his ultimatum to stay or go over the summer. Now he’s receiving death threats from that very fan base, enough so that he didn’t think he was safe presenting a trophy in front of 85,000 potential suspects.
And the representatives of these two entities are supposed to stand within an arm’s length of each other and act civil? It will either be filled with fake, awkward nods and smiles, or someone’s genuine emotion will spew out aimed directly at the man across from him. If that happens, all bets are off.
This moment, this one shining moment, has the potential to last but 1 minute, yet remain burned into the memory of anybody that watches.
If I’m a College Football fan (outside of the Big 12), that’s enough for me to root on the Big Red on Saturday night. The true Big Red.