Does Adding Nebraska Make Vibrato Legit?

The following article was written by guest writer Travis Cearley.  A long-time teacher and college football fan, Cearley weighs in on the Big Ten's supposed omnipotence.  

Does Adding Nebraska Make Vibrato Legit?

So the joke begins like this:

            An Iowa Hawkeye  fan, an  Arkansas Razorback  fan, and a Missouri Tiger fan walk into an East Lansing bar…

And ends like this:

            …and the Hawkeye fan shouts "’cause every year in the Big 10, we jus’ beat up on each other!” and high-fives all the Spartans in the room.  Looking down into their neatly pressed bourbons, the Tiger fan and the Razorback fan just shake their heads in dismay.

Three times at least in recent memory, a similar scenario has played out in my life.  Of course, it is not always the same bar and it is not always the same fans, but it always leaves this Missouri Tiger feeling nothing but disdain for everything “Big Ten (11 or 12) Country.” 

Being a music lover, I find myself traveling to many college towns and do spend an odd amount of my summer in college bars.  Unfortunately, as a college football fan, it is towns like Champagne-Urbana, Columbus, and East Lansing that I dread the most.  Don’t get me wrong, the towns are beautiful and the music venues are elite (especially Columbus), but the Big Ten (11 or 12) football fans need to recognize that it is no longer 1934 and the Golden Gophers are not “making things interesting” for Michigan.  Furthermore, even with the addition of the Nebraska Cornhuskers this season, “beating up on each other” is not (and has never been) a legit excuse for mediocrity.

I would like to address a Big Ten fan’s air of superiority on a number of levels:

1.      Big Ten (11 or 12) schools, despite what you may have been told by ESPN analysts and Eddie George, are not perennial super contenders for the National Title.  Here is how the National Championship numbers break down.  (THERE IS A STATISTICAL DISCLAIMER BELOW, READ IT BEFORE YOUR CHEST GETS PUFFY!)  Big Ten schools have won 7; Big 12 schools have won 12; Schools named Miami, Notre Dame, and USC have won 13; and SEC schools have won 14.  By my count, that’s fourth place…respectable, yes.  However, a Big Ten school has not won a national title since 2002 and prior to that, 1986.  Even with the addition of Nebraska, the Big Ten’s claim of national superiority only adds two more recent titles…as recent as my high school years.  The fact remains, other than one school (Ohio State…yes, Iowa, I know you won last year, I will deal with you in a second), the Big Ten is somewhat irrelevant (outside of being a spoiler) in the later weeks of the season.

2.      Big Ten schools have not reigned supreme in head-to-head competitions against non-conference opponents.  Yes, the Ohio State/Texas games of recent years past, have been enjoyable to watch; however,  December and January of 2009-10 brought the first winning bowl record for the Big 10 since OSU’s 2002 Championship.  They eked out a 4-3 record after going a dismal 1-6 the year before.  Outside of the bowl games, they were only 5-9 against other BCS Conferences.  This is not superiority. 

To further this argument, I would like to draw attention to the last two weeks of Big Ten play…

I start with the Iowa Hawkeyes and their outing with the Cyclones of ISU…they lost.  Yes, I realize it was an OT win by the Cyclones, but give me a break.  What kind of Big Ten defense allows ISU to rack up 475 yards of offense and go 2 for 2 in 4^th down conversions?  An Iowa team that has a corral full of returning starters, that’s what kind. 

The Michigan Wolverines are 2-0.  Excellent!  Really?  In a lightning-shortened game, the Broncos of Western Michigan were only outgained by 9 yards, and were able to go better than 50% on 3^rd down conversions.  With one man, Jordan White, averaging nearly 10 yards per catch, the Broncos weren’t exactly presenting a balanced attack.  If it weren’t for Carder’s turnovers, this could have been another opening week scare for the Wolverines.  (On a side note:  Kudos to the A.D. of Michigan for calling the game.  Lightning vs. Helmet, lightning wins each time.)

The Ohio State Buckeyes are also 2-0.  But are they really dancing in the streets in Columbus?  When a mid-major school travels to a monstrous structure like “The Shoe” they are expected to commit 14 penalties.  They are not expected to successfully complete 3 fourth down conversions, 16 first downs and 338 yards of total offense.  Is this really the performance of a top 25 team?  I understand that ESPN.com made a point to profess the fact that “For 90 years, Ohio State has stayed unbeaten against every in-state opponent it's played,” unfortunately for those of us not wearing sweater vests, that is not a bragging point.

So far this season, Nebraska seems to fit perfectly in line with the rest of their Big 10/11/12 brethren.  Fresno State put more points on the board against the Black Shirts in Lincoln than they did the week previous against the Golden Bears.  Nebraska was beaten in nearly all facets of the game:  total yards, first downs, time of possession, turnovers, and conversion percentage.  A gutsy return by Ameer Abdullah (who did set a school record for return yards in one game: 211) in the 4^th Quarter was the Huskers only saving grace.

3.      Big Ten schools playing Big Ten schools does not guarantee an elite level of schedule strength.  According to the Saragin Ratings produced at the conclusion of last season, not one single Big 10 school broke the top 25 in regards to the most difficult schedules.  All other BCS “power” conferences were represented by at least one team.  Minnesota came the closest, ranking #26; Big Ten Champs, OSU came in at #50, and the rest of the pack was placed anywhere between 41^st and 80^th.  When Nebraska is thrown into the mix, they again fit nicely…taking on their share of cupcakes and leading the second century of the Saragin Ratings at #52.

So here is my conclusion: NO.  No, adding Nebraska does not make vibrato legit.  The vibrato in the first place is not legit.  The Big 10/11/12 Conference is not the dominate force in college football.  Big Ten teams are not ALWAYS banging on the championship door, and they do not schedule “all comers.”  History and tradition are important, and I would never take anything away from College Station or Ann Arbor or Madison (as a Mizzou fan, I am jealous of the fact that the Missouri Waltz is not a nationally recognized bleacher tune); furthermore, I do respect the pro talent that comes out of the Big Ten (I watch another Rolle, a rookie linebacker from OSU, dominate the Rams this weekend).  But, enough is enough.  Love your schools and love your conference, but when you wake up in the morning, you should know the girl you took to bed.

CHAMPIONSHIP DISCLAIMER:  I did not count any titles that were “shared.”  Only championships that were won without multiple votes or opinions made the cut (don’t worry, Big Ten fans, that wouldn’t have helped).  I did not count any teams whose only claim to a title came in the form of the Grantland Rice Trophy (sorry Iowa, we all know who really won in 1958).  And, I did not count any national titles prior to 1945.  If you are 70 years or older, then you can complain and I will bow to your college football supremacy because you are still going crazy for your team…otherwise, forget about it!