Tag: Bill Moos

Report: Big Ten athletic directors wanted to play the season

The aftermath of the Big Ten postponing their fall football season has been interesting to say the least.  From Big Ten Commissioner…

The aftermath of the Big Ten postponing their fall football season has been interesting to say the least.

From Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren staying silent for more than a week after the announcement, to Justin Fields’ petition, to the #WeWantToPlay movement, to parent protests, to Warren’s letter explaining the decision–it’s safe to say the last two weeks have been anything but linear.

Well, yesterday the headlines continued to pour in as Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos spoke with Sam McKewon of the Omaha World Herald and explained that all of the Big Ten ADs were in favor of playing the season.

“Warren was aware, for example, that every Big Ten athletic director was in favor of playing a fall football season,” the article reads. “Moos said he, Ohio State’s, Penn State’s and Michigan’s A.D.s pushed hardest, but there was unanimous agreement in wanting to play. ‘[Warren] knew where we were coming from, and he was the messenger to the presidents and chancellors,’ Moos said.”

What has become clear from this piece and many other pieces of news since the cancellation is that there is a massive disconnect between the school presidents and the ADs and coaches. If you need anything during a time like this it’s constant communication and leadership.

It has become clear that the conference has had none of that.

“As easy as consistent Zoom meetings between all parties would have been — all it takes is a computer and a room without chaos — they didn’t happen,” the article explains.

“‘I knew where our people stood, but I would have liked to have been in the room when they expressed it to the commissioner and our presidents and chancellors,’ Moos said. ‘The commissioner was operating in silos, and the silos weren’t connected. And, in the end, that created varying degrees of communication not being delivered.’”

Related: What the NCAA can do to fix the structure of college football and save the sport

Say what you want about whether the season should happen, but the future of the sport doesn’t look promising if the athletic directors are far-removed from decisions like this one that have wide-ranging implications on the future of the sport.

Let’s hope the parties are able to come together in planning the spring season if it turns out it is possible to play.

 

Check back into BadgersWire all fall as we follow the developments related to the postponement and look ahead to the potential spring season.

By bashing Big Ten, Nebraska forgets that it isn’t 1995 anymore

Nebraska shows that the reputation it thinks it deserves and actually deserves aren’t exactly close to each other.

Nebraska used to be the big bad boy of college football, pushing everyone around with the legend Tom Osbourne in charge and Tommy Frazier pushing six Florida Gators out of the way as if they were small bugs on his way to the end zone.

Those days were close to 25 years ago and, frankly, Nebraska has been mostly a footnote in college football since.

You can’t tell the Cornhuskers that, though. They obviously still think NBC is a must-see on Thursday nights and Alanis Morissette is on top of the charts per the statement they put out on Tuesday.

“We are disappointed in the Big Ten Conference to postpone the fall football season, as we have been and continue to be ready to play.

Safety comes first. Based on the conversations with our medical experts, we continue to strongly believe the absolute safest place for our student athletes is within the rigorous safety protocols, testing procedures, and the structure and support provided by Husker Athletics.

We will continue to consult with medical experts and evaluate the situation as it emerges. We hope it may be possible for our student athletes to have the opportunity to compete.”

In short, get bent Big Ten.

This message was approved by Chancellor Ronnie Green, President Ted Carter, athletic director Bill Moos and, of course, head football coach Scott Frost.

They have the arrogance afforded to Alabama with the winning percentage of Maryland. In the last three season, the Huskers have went 3-6 in the Big Ten, the conference they just begged to join after 2010. Of course, the move never made sense. Nebraska, with the exception of one year, hasn’t been exactly competitive. Its last conference championship? 1999, 21 years ago coming in the Big 12.

Frost has never been one to keep quiet, though, especially following him leading UCF to an undefeated season in the “almighty” American Athletic Conference, claiming a national title.

Prior to last season, everyone was falling for the spiel that Frost was telling about Nebraska being back. For some odd reason, the media picked the Huskers to win the Big Ten West.

A loss to poor Colorado in Week 2 kind of quieted those return of the glory days back in Lincoln.

What the leaders of Nebraska just did was throw a pile of manure at a conference that did what it thought was in the best interests of all of its programs, coaches and players and then lit it on fire while yelling, “We never liked you anyway!” Frost and company basically became a 12-year-old boy getting dumped by his middle school crush.

Back in 1995, this sort of ploy might have worked, them wanting to play in the SEC or, gasp, the Big 12 that they were so quick to leave for a younger, hot girlfriend in the Big Ten, but this isn’t 1995 and the Cornhuskers are mediocre at best. As Paul Finebaum so eloquently put it, Nebraska would be a piñata in the SEC.

But why would Greg Sankey and the powers in the SEC even open the door a little bit to this bunch? It is apparent that they think they are the end all and be all of the game despite, you know, not being successful as of late. When was the last time you thought to yourself, “Man, when is the Nebraska game this week? Wow, I wish I could watch them every week in the SEC.”

Never. That is the last time.

Frost was the quarterback back when the Cornhuskers meant something to college football and can’t see that times have changed. The game has left them in the dust and the once-powerful program now celebrates getting to a bowl game, a scenario once though ludicrous.

But sure, the Big Ten is the real loser here, right? I don’t see how the conference can survive without the 4-8 and 5-7 seasons with no bowl revenue that Frost has led them to in the past two seasons.

I’m sure Kevin Warren along with Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State are just shaking in their boots. If I’m the Big Ten, I’m saying sayonara to the children of the corn.

Know your role, Nebraska. And that’s not anywhere near the top anymore. The 1990s are over. Your powerhouse brand went the way of Beanie Babies.