Is Nebraska no Longer a “Football” School?

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There are some in Big Red Country, including former Athletic Director Bill Moos, who believe that the University of Nebraska should have returned to the Big 12 conference and ditched the Big Ten a few years back. The obvious reason for feeling that way is that the vaunted Cornhusker football program hasn’t been able to really compete for a Big Ten football championship in well over a decade.

If football is your only measuring stick, then you probably feel the same way as Moos does. There’s no doubt that Big Ten football presents a more formidable task than any other conference except the SEC. Recent Nebraska teams would have very likely been in the Big 12 title hunt almost every fall if they still played in that conference. That would have pleased most Husker fans for sure.

However, if football isn’t the only sport you watch, you might look at things differently. In fact, VERY differently.

“Other” Husker Sports Program are Flourishing

The fact is, many other Husker sports programs are flourishing in the Big Ten. Much of that can be attributed to the resources the Big Ten provides to its member schools. It sure looks like then-Athletic Director Dr. Tom Osborne made the right call. Now, in the middle of the 2020’s, when you compare football to the other sports, is it still fair to label the University of Nebraska a “football school?”

It’s a fair question. Football remains the biggest driver of almost every athletic program in the country (with exceptions like Gonzaga.) It’s the sport solely responsible of conference realignment and for Nebraska being in the Big Ten.

But there are other factors to consider.

Nebraska Helped Launch Conference Realignment

Back in the summer of 2010 – in the very early moments of what became that rash of conference realignment moves – the Big 12 appeared to be on life support, and both Nebraska and Colorado saw the handwriting on the wall. Nebraska, a kingpin in the Big 12, accepted an invitation to join that other storied midwestern conference, the Big Ten, while Colorado looked west, and moved to the (then) solid Pac 12. (Things have changed in a big way out west.) While Colorado eventually returned to the Big 12 when the Pac 12 fell apart, Nebraska has been a steadfast member of the Big Ten for more than 15 years now.

And they have had plenty of athletic success in sports other than football.

In the last 12 months alone, Nebraska has won the Big Ten championship in Baseball and Volleyball (second in a row along with finishing #2 nationally) and over the past five years, they’ve also won Big Ten championships in sports like soccer and even bowling.

There could be more on the horizon. The long dormant Men’s basketball program suddenly awoke about this time last year. After missing out on a trip to the conference tournament and the NCAA tournament, they went on a run to win the “College Basketball Crown” tournament title. Small but significant.

This season, the Huskers ran out to a 21-0 record and a number five national ranking before taking a small step back and finishing the regular season 26-5. They’ll be the second seed in this season’s Big Ten tournament and are positioned to get a nice seeding in this year’s March Madness bracket. The Huskers enter the Big Ten tournament ranked 11^th in the country. Who would have guessed that a year ago?

Currently the Women’s softball team is ranked #10 and the baseball team is off to another good start as they try to return to the NCAA tournament and perhaps another College World Series berth. And Track and Field remains formidable as well.

Bill Moos was shortsighted

What all this means is that despite what Bill Moos and others may think, the combination of unmatched fan support, a solid athletic department and the plentiful Big Ten resources have been a boon for Nebraska athletics. The question now is, when will the football team catch up?

Some in Husker Nation are openly wondering if the fervor for Matt Rhule’s football program has lessened just a bit. The head coach himself has noticed and seems to enjoy it. An answer may come on March 28^th with the return of the annual Red-White spring game. In the recent past, Nebraska spring football games have been massive events, with 80,000 fans in full throated support of their team. A smaller than normal crowd may signal some drop in enthusiasm for the upcoming football season.

Then again, maybe the folks dressed in red and white will be more focused on March Madness and the other in-season sports that are taking place that day.