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No real surprise here - Alabama is an elite program. And by winning three national titles in four years, Nick Saban has joined Tom Osborne and Bear Bryant in a rather exclusive club of modern-era coaches (post-1960). (Am I missing any coaches? Let me know below!)
ESPN waited until the fourth quarter to make this point. But Brent Musberger, being a company man all the way, decided that rather than give Nebraska the credit it was due, decided instead to suggest that Alabama's victory was somehow better because it wasn't voted on.
Was 1997 marred by human voting? Certainly - it would've been better for all of college football for Nebraska and Michigan to meet in 1997, just as it would've been better for Nebraska and Penn State to meet in 1994. But Nebraska earned its national title by playing in the system that was in place at the time, just as Alabama has.
And I'm pretty sure Bear Bryant's national titles were all voted on as well.
And quite frankly, Brent forgot that two-thirds of the BCS ranking is still decided by human voting. Alabama's appearance in the 2012 BCS Title Game was not a function of their victories. It was decided by human voters - the computers loved Oklahoma State to play LSU. One could make the case that had Ohio State been available, Alabama could've been locked out of the BCS merely because of the presence of Urban Meyer on the Buckeyes sideline.
So give credit where credit is due - Nick Saban has built a juggernaut at Alabama. But there's no need to disparage Nebraska's achievement in the same breath. Saban and his Alabama Crimson Tide honestly don't need the help to look dominating.
All it does is make everyone pick up their sticks and start hitting each other, trying to compare apples to oranges while claiming dubious opinions of superiority.
N for 'Nowledge
I missed this from last month but a fine pick up for Nebraska's material science department.
Kind of jealous.
UNL Football
It looks fantastic! I really hope to make it back to Memorial some day before I graduate.
How long will Pelini's respectable but ultimately disappointing returns satisfy the shareholders?
>> Something I’ll never understand: Most of the SEC will be rooting FOR Alabama. In what world do you root for your hated rival to win national championships?Can you imagine Duke basketball rooting FOR North Carolina? Or Michigan football rooting FOR Ohio State?
It's related to events from nearly 150 years ago. Let it go.
Welcome to campus, guys! Good luck and Go Big Red!
Women's Basketball
Thanks for giving your time and effort to Nebraska, Adrianna. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors and we hope your back pain gets better.
UNL Track and Field
No iPads for the track team? I guess they don't need gimmicks to compete at a high level.
National News
Hey, remember the last system FBS football adopted for a long period of time? I'm glad us fans are really a factor in their decision making process.
Will Brian Kelly keep it up? Or will he plateau like Bo Pelini?
Hey, remember when ESPN said they were looking at Notre Dame's Diaco? Do you think Syracuse pulled the offer after that first half?
Another job locked up.
Would be a HUGE get for Virginia Tech.
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And finally, with the clock hitting 0:00 on the mythical national title game...
The Fulmer Cup is now officially open.
— edsbs (@edsbs) January 8, 2013
What is the Fulmer Cup, you ask? Here's a link. Nebraska rarely shows up in the Cup but I think you can all agree this is one championship Nebraska doesn't want to win.
Now before you get upset, keep in mind that this is all tongue in cheek. And to be frank, these players are all receiving opportunities above the average college student and risk throwing that all away by doing stupid things.
Unless the news is slow, I won't be keeping track of this here. But I encourage those of you who are interested to check in periodically with EveryDayShouldBeSaturday.com for Fulmer Cup updates.
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That's all for today. Remember, the Reads are your daily open thread! Comment below!
Have a great Tuesday,
-Salt Creek and Stadium