The Nebraska Cornhuskers had a rude awakening in their inaugural season of B1G 10 play. The Huskers were taken to the woodshed by Wisconsin and Michigan, while also suffering a disappointing loss to Northwestern.
The Cornhuskers have not won a conference title in quite a long time. In fact, it has been since 1999 that the Cornhuskers won a conference championship. They did win the Big XII North in 2010, but lost to Texas in the championship game on a last second (or extra second in some minds) field goal.
Husker players have stated that anything less than a conference championship would be a disappointment for this team. In light of that fact, what would it mean for the coaches, players, and fans, if the Huskers win a B1G 10 championship this year?
First and foremost, Nebraska would be putting itself back on the map, for a good while. While the Huskers are coming back after a less than stellar start to the decade, they still have a long way to go. Winning a conference championship would cement the fact that they can no longer be considered an outside shot to win the conference, but a legitimate threat.
Secondly, the Huskers can use that fact to help recruit new talent to Lincoln. Unlike the 90′s, the Huskers have not been able to get all the top talent. They have to settle for second and third choice players instead of being able to lure the players they wanted. Winning a championship this season could help change the perception in at least a few minds.
Thirdly, it would build confidence “in the system.” Bo Pelini preaches to fans that they must “trust the system”, but week after week results are varying. Fans can trust the system more when wins are piling up consistently week to week.
Fourthly, it will just continue to anger Kirk Herbstreit. If anyone remembers the ESPN broadcast where they tried to find the best college football team of all time, Herbstreit continually whined about how other teams were better than Nebraska. To say the least, Husker fans are not too fond of the man, and would not mind angering him just a little more.
Ok, so the last point was pretty pointless, besides to have a good laugh (especially if you clicked the link). In all seriousness, the morale in and around the Cornhusker nation would be greatly improved by a conference championship and a big time BCS bowl game. The Huskers would also be setting themselves up nicely to compete consistently to make the upcoming playoffs.
Paul Troupe is the lead writer for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and San Antonio Spurs, while covering many major sports for RantSports. You can follow him on Twitter @gamin4HIM
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