Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.
What's the old saying? Texas may have invented college football, but Nebraska perfected it.
That's a nice little hors d'oeuvre for the troops who will battle it out in the trenches of the tailgate areas at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday night. Red vs. Orange. Huskers vs. Horns. There's a Big 12 title at stake. And historical bragging rights, too.
Who has the better college football program? If you measure such things in victories, national championships and Heismans, the race is too close to call. Texas is second all-time (behind Michigan) with 844 wins; Nebraska is fourth (behind No. 3 Notre Dame) at 826. Nebraska and Texas both have two Big 12 championships (one each over the other). Nebraska has five national titles, Texas four. NU has three Heisman Trophies, Texas two.
If Texas and Colt McCoy have their way on Saturday night, they'll be in position to tie NU for national titles and Heismans.
But the two football schools share something else that you don't often hear their fans argue about: They both claim the 1970 national championship.
Texas finished the 1970 regular season undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the major polls; Nebraska was No. 3 behind Texas and Ohio State. Back then, United Press International awarded its national champion after the regular season. So NU's only shot at the Associated Press crown was to beat LSU in the Orange Bowl and have both Texas and Ohio State lose their bowl games.
That's exactly what happened. Sixth-ranked Notre Dame, which beat Texas in the Cotton Bowl, protested, but as Cornhusker coach Bob Devaney said, “Even the pope would have to vote us No. 1.'' NU and UT split the major prize, but Texas did so on a championship awarded before the bowl game.
Too bad for Tom Osborne that UPI wasn't still doing that in 1983, before Osborne's 12-0 Huskers went to play Miami in the Orange Bowl.
• Creighton's lost weekend at Disney World was shocking, to say the least. Not the Michigan loss; CU has to learn to finish against teams like Michigan. Which is why I hope Dana Altman and Bruce Rasmussen keep scheduling these caliber of games — if Creighton plays enough of them, it will eventually win them.
What's stunning was the bounce-back reaction against Xavier and Iona. CU is not a young team. There are six third-year regulars and Justin Carter is a senior. Speaking of Carter, I hope he didn't do his knee greater harm by coming back too soon to try and beat Michigan.
• How's this for timing? Doc Sadler and Nebraska come up with a nice road win on the heels of CU's lost weekend — and just in time for Sunday's little pick-up game at the Qwest Center. What an atmosphere that will be.
• If Mark Mangino doesn't get fired for his off-the-field rants, then maybe his play-calling at the end of the Missouri-Kansas game on Saturday should do the trick.
• I know enough guys who have made up stories — I certainly wouldn't know anything about that personally — to know that Tiger Woods could have and should have come up with a good story to tell the world by now. Obviously, his wife isn't going along with it. One question: Did Mrs. Woods use the new Tiger Nike driver on that windshield?
• I see where Florida State has given Bobby Bowden two options for next year, including one where he has a lesser role as head coach. You mean he gets to play more golf?
That option is an insult to Bowden and I hope he refuses. If you're going to be head coach, then coach. If he's staying in it to chase Joe Paterno and win games, how meaningful are those wins if Bowden isn't really involved? I believe this: Legends like Bowden and Paterno have earned the right to stay as long as they want. But those legends should also put the programs they built first. Is staying on better for Florida State? Or is it just better for Bobby? He has an obligation to put the program first.
• Here's an interesting aside to Saturday night at Jerry World: If Nebraska upsets Texas — and a big IF there — the Huskers would go to the Fiesta Bowl, likely knock out Boise State, and play ... Iowa.
• As I was walking down through the crowd to the locker room at Folsom Field last Friday afternoon, I actually overheard a Husker fan and Buffs fan exchange pleasant good-byes, with the Buffs fan saying, “Good luck next week.'' Maybe that's how it is all the time at Folsom. Or maybe the CU fans were just in shock that Dan Hawkins was still around.
• From Woody Paige's Saturday column in the Denver Post: “There is no rivalry anymore between the Buffs and the Cornhuskers ... Nebraska is rushing back to greatness. Colorado has remained inconsequential.''
He said it, not me. And I'm glad he finally did.
Contact the writer:
444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
