Opinion: Nebraska football ducking Oklahoma is new low for Cornhuskers
Nebraska football has hit a new low.
We knew things were bad in Lincoln. Four consecutive losing seasons. Losses to Big Ten bottom feeders. Days of relevancy seeming further away and increasingly impossible to attain again.
But Friday morning, we learned the Cornhuskers are in way worse shape than ever imagined.
They are trying to dodge the Sooners.
According to a report from Stadium, Nebraska wants out of its Sept. 18 game at Oklahoma. The Huskers have gone so far as to contact other schools about playing in Lincoln on that same day.
Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione didn't deny any of that in a statement issued late Friday morning. What he said made it sound like the game is moving forward as planned – or like he's trying to strong arm the Huskers into upholding their end of the contract.
"The Oklahoma-Nebraska football series represents one of the most unique traditional rivalries in college football," Castiglione said. "It features fierce competition, yet genuine mutual respect between the programs and fans bases.
"The planning for this game was intentional as we mark the 50 anniversary of the Game of the Century. We've been looking forward to celebrating these two storied programs and have collaborated on various aspects of what promises to be a special weekend.
"We fully intend and expect to play the game as it is scheduled."
To be fair, lots of teams might want to get out of playing Oklahoma next season – the Sooners look stacked – but I never thought one would actually try to do it, especially one with such a proud history.
Proud doesn’t seem like a fitting descriptor any more for Nebraska.
Cowering. Scared. Afraid. Those seem apt today.
Now, everyone understands that Nebraska is trying to change its trajectory. It hired Husker alum Scott Frost a couple years ago to lead the program. The hope was that he’d work the same kind of magic that he’d worked in his two seasons at Central Florida. He turned an afterthought into a force.
Say what you will about UCF’s self-proclaimed national title in 2017, but Frost built a really good team in a really short amount of time.
The success hasn’t come as quickly at Nebraska.
Hasn’t come at all just yet.
Frost’s biggest win in his first two seasons in Lincoln?
A win against Penn State is never a bad thing, but beating the Nittany Lions last year when they were so bad doesn’t seem all that great. Frost’s best Nebraska win might well be a 13-10 win against Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern a couple seasons ago.
So, yeah. Things aren’t great at Nebraska.
But the game at Oklahoma is a chance for Nebraska to be showcased. Or at least for its history to be showcased. Next season marks the 50th anniversary of the “Game of the Century,” and you’d better believe stories of grandeur will be told. About the rivalry. About the games. About the talent.
For some young viewers, news of Nebraska excellence will come as a surprise. There’s a generation of folks who have no clue of what Husker football was once about.
Nebraska, of course, made headlines last summer when the Big Ten sidelined football. The Huskers crowed about needing it, even making veiled threats made that they might break from the conference and play games anyway.
It sounded like Nebraska wanted to play hard ball.
Now, in light of Friday’s news, it seems like there’s no way Nebraska would've ever followed through on that. To do so would’ve taken some serious backbone.
The Huskers seem lacking in that department.
Maybe the Oklahoma-Nebraska game will happen in September. We should hope we have a chance to relive some of the days of yore and some of the glories gone by. This is one of the special rivalries in college football, and matchups such as this are one of the things that make the sport grand.
Now, I suspect we know how the game will end. Oklahoma will win. Maybe by a lot.
That could be humiliating for Nebraska.
But it wouldn't be anywhere as bad as this.