Nebraska officially joins the Big Ten this FRIDAY (echo FRIDay, FRIday, friday...), and with that welcome the BTN (the artist formerly known as Big Ten Network) will welcome Nebraska with a whole gob of winning, something different than we'd usually get from networks like ESPN Classic, where they have this need to show a bunch of high profile games we've lost.
You have to love the fact that BTN lists 1994 and 1997 as "National Championship", when two existing B1G teams might want to lay claim that those years are not necessarily all about Nebraska (even though we know better).
And what's up with the BTN chats being on Friday? Doesn't Tommie Frazier have a real job, 'cause I do, and I'd appreciate it more if the chat could occur on Saturday, or Sunday.
BTW, you've all gotten BTN, right? And you've got the parties planned for Friday? Right? RIGHT?????
The official release, including the schedule, is after the jump.
BTN Welcomes Huskers with Three Days of Nebraska Programming
Tommie Frazier, Ahman Green to chat live on BTN.com on Friday afternoon
CHICAGO - BTN will roll out the red carpet this weekend as the University of Nebraska officially joins the Big Ten Conference on Friday. The network will dedicate three days of programming to the Cornhuskers.
The weekend kicks off at noon ET on Friday with Big Ten Welcomes Nebraska, an hour-long special from BTN studios in Chicago. The program will introduce Big Ten fans to the history and tradition of Nebraska athletics, as Cornhusker icons Trev Alberts, Tommie Frazier, Johnny Rodgers and others will share their thoughts on what football means to the state of Nebraska and Husker fans nationwide.
Exclusive 1-on-1 interviews with Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne, football coach Bo Pelini, men's basketball coach Doc Sadler, baseball coach Darin Erstad, volleyball coach John Cook and softball coach Rhonda Revelle will look ahead to the Huskers' future in the Big Ten.
The show will be hosted by Dave Revsine, Rick Pizzo and Mike Hall with analysis from Gerry DiNardo, Howard Griffith and The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy.
At 1pm ET on Friday afternoon, the network will air the 1998 Orange Bowl vs. Tennessee. Former Husker running back Ahman Green played in the victory, and he will chat live on www.BTN.com for two hours during the show. Then, at 4:30pm ET, as the network airs the 1995 Orange Bowl vs. Miami, Frazier will chat live on www.BTN.com to relive his memories of that game. Fans are invited to participate in the chat and can send their questions for Green and Frazier in advance by using the Twitter hashtag #NebraskaDays.
The Friday schedule also includes 90-minute retrospectives on three memorable football campaigns, including the Huskers' 1997 season (3pm ET), 1994 season (6:30pm ET) and the 1995 season (9pm ET).
Other programming highlights of the weekend include Nebraska volleyball's 2006 NCAA Championship match against Stanford (Saturday, 11am ET), the football team's 2010 victory against Missouri (Sunday, 12:30pm ET) and a review of the Huskers' 2005 baseball season that featured four future big leaguers Alex Gordon, Joba Chamberlain, Brian Duensing and Zach Kroenke, and culminated in a trip to the College World Series in Omaha (Sunday, 2:30pm ET).
A full programming schedule can be found at www.bigtennetwork.com/schedule.
Programming highlights:
Friday, July 1
Noon ET Big Ten Welcomes Nebraska
1pm ET 1998 Orange Bowl - Nebraska vs. Tennessee
BTN.com: Ahman Green live chat
3pm ET It's Crystal Clear - Nebraska 1997 National Championship
4:30pm ET 1995 Orange Bowl - Nebraska vs. Miami
BTN.com: Tommie Frazier live chat
6:30pm ET Finished Business - Nebraska 1994 National Championship
9pm ET Decade of Dominance - 1995 Nebraska Football
Saturday, July 2
11am ET 2006 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship - Nebraska vs. Stanford
1pm ET It's Crystal Clear - Nebraska 1997 National Championship
2:30pm ET 1998 Orange Bowl - Nebraska vs. Tennessee
5:30pm ET Finished Business - Nebraska 1994 National Championship
7pm ET 1995 Orange Bowl - Nebraska vs. Miami
10pm ET Reflection of Perfection: Nebraska 1995 National Championships
Sunday, July 3
12:30pm ET 2010 Football - Missouri at Nebraska
2:30pm ET Day by Day: Team of Destiny - 2005 Nebraska Baseball
5pm ET 1995 Orange Bowl - Nebraska vs. Miami
7pm ET 1998 Orange Bowl - Nebraska vs. Tennessee