Sports
Tuesday, August 29, 1995 Page 9
Jeff Griesch
“We want our names
on the last Big Eight
championship trophy. ”
MIKE MINTER
Nebraska rover
End of Big 8
will bring few
real changes
Goodbye, Big Eight.
Hello, Big 12.
So, what’s the big deal?
Since spring football began,
sports writers and other members
of the media have been babbling
the same question over and over
again to players and coaches.
“Does it mean anything special
to you to be playing for the last Big
Eight title?”
The coaches have been cordial,
and the players have been courte
ous, colorful and even nostalgic at
times.
Mike Minter seemed to speak
for every Nebraska player or even
every Big Eight player.
“We want our names on the last
Big Eight championship trophy,”
Minter said.
All this talk makes for good
quotes, good print and good
soundbytes, but is this really going
to be the death of the Big Eight
Conference?
The Big Eight presents a com
prehensive list of all its football
champions since 1907 on page 51
in this year’s conference media
guide.
The heading on page 51: Big
Eight Football Championship List.”
The sub-headings: “Missouri
Valley”, “Big Six”, “Big Seven”
and “Big Eight.”
Wait a second.
The Big Eight sports informa
tion department has been claiming
that this is the 89th year of the Big
Eight.
The Big Eight media guide says
that Nebraska has won or tied for
40 Big Eight titles.
But this is really only the 38th
year of the Big Eight.
From 1907 to 1927 it was the
Missouri Valley.
From 1928 to 1947 it was the
Big Six.
From 1948 to 1957 it was the
Big Seven.
And since 1958, it has been the
Big Eight.
What’s the difference between
adding a team in these years and
adding four teams next season?
The core of the conference re
mains the same, just like it has the
past 88 years.
So, who cares if the Huskers are
playing for the last Big Eight title
this season, and the first Big 12 title
next season. They’re both confer
ence championships.
In 20 years, their championship
listings will be right next to each
other in the Big 12 media guide.
This year’s Big Eight champi
onship won’t even be worthy of an
asterisk in the record book.
Griesch is a senior news-editorial
major and the Daily Nebraskan sports
editor. -
NU wants 66 players to travel
By Mitch Sherman
Senior Editor
Between 20 and 25 players who
would normally travel to the Nebraska
football team’s first game may be left
at home when the team leaves for
Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday.
Tuesday morning, faculty athletic
representatives from each of the Big
Eight schools will hold a conference
call to decide whether Nebraska will
be allowed to take 60 or 66 players to
Oklahoma State.
“The conference rule has been for
years and years that you can only take
60 players on the road to conference
games,” said James O’Hanlon,
Nebraska’s faculty representative.
But once Big 12 conference play
begins next fall, O’Hanlon said, 66
players will be allowed to travel to
both non-conference and conference
road games. O’Hanlon said Nebraska
would ask to take 66 players to
Stillwater.
~ “If we are going to do it next year,”
“We will request a few extra players because of
the fact that it is an early game, and a lot ofpeople
in the Big Eight are benefiting financially from
our playing. ”
TOM OSBORNE
Nebraska football coach
O’Hanlon said, “why not do it this
year?”
Six of the eight faculty representa
tives must vote for the six-man exten
sion in order for it to be approved.
Thursday’s Oklahoma State game
originally was scheduled to be played
Oct. 7. Tlie game was moved to Aug.
31, so it could be televised on ESPN.
About 85 players traveled to
Nebraska’s first road game a year ago,
a 31-0 victory over West Virginia in
the Kickoff Classic Aug. 28.
But an extension for a non-confer
ence game is much more likely to be
granted than an extension for a con
ference game, Nebraska Athletic Di
rector Bill Byrne said.
Instead of requiring the approval
of the entire league, a school must
only receive permission from its fac-.
ulty representative to extend its travel
roster for non-conference games.
That rule will change when Big 12
play begins. Instead of being allowed
to take extra players on the road to
non-league games, only 66 players
will be allowed to travel to all road
games, Byrne said.
Byrne said he was upset with the
ruling. He said Nebraska was the only
Big 12 school that voted in favor of
al lowing more than 66 players to travel
to non-conference games.
“We lost on a 141 vote,” Byrne
said, “and it makes no sense why some
one should care what we are going to
travel to Notre Dame in a couple of
years. We should be able to take as
many people as we think to open the
season in 2000, when we open the
season with Notre Dame.”
Since Nebraska is opening its sea
son against a conference foe for the
first time in 47 years, Husker coach
Tom Osborne said the request for ex
tra players was justified.
“We will request a few extra play
ers because of the fact that it is an early
game,” Osborne said, “and a lot of
people in the Big Eight are benefiting
financially from our playing. We may
get a ‘no.’ We are ready to do what
See TRAVEL on 11
Berringer has his sights set on starting
By Derek Samson
Senior Reporter
Nebraska quarterback Brook
Berringer seems immune to harmful
effects of change.
He doesn’t think his ability to lead
Nebraska in convincing fashion to
seven victories and a national champi
onship has affected him much.
He also doubts that starting the
season as Tommie Frazier’s backup
— after battling for the starting job
since January—changed him.
But he hopes the coaches aren’t
afraid of changes.
“Obviously, I’m not happy to be a
backup,” Berringer said. “I wanted to
start, and i t ’ s going to be my goal to try
to earn the starting position every
game.
“I’m happy that I’ll get that oppor
tunity in the first half, to do what I can.
I’ll just try to execute and move the
offense to the best of my ability.
“I’m not going to worry about how
he (Frazier) is playing. I can’t change
what has happened up to this point. I’ll
just go out and play the best I can.”
Berringer said he didn’t feel much
different than he did last year at this
time — when his role as a backup
seemed etched in stone.
“My attitude is basically the same,”
Berringer said. “I want to be the start
ing quarterback, and I want to do
whatever it takes to be there. I’ve been
working hard the whole time, and I
won’t change that.”
And Berringer said the competi
tion with Frazier had not ruined his
commitment to his team.
“My attitude is team-orientated,”
Berringer said. “We’re all out here
with the common goal that we want to
win the national championship.
“Whatever role I play, as long as
we win it, would be satisfactory tome.
Obviously, I want to play as much as
I can and help the team.
“But I’m not selfish enough to say
it won’t be sweet if we win the na
tional championship, but I don’t play
as much as I want. That’s the number
one goal.”
In his attempt to make himself a
better candidate for the starting quar
terback job, Berringer said he worked
hard during the offseason and im
proved his overall ability.
“I think I’ve improved a little in my
passing, but the most significant thing
is that I feelfm a much better runner,”
Berringer said. “My speed is a little bit
better, but I’ve put on 15 pounds from
last year. I think that makes me a
tougher runner.”
Berringer, a senior from Goodland,
Kan., said Coach Tom Osborne’s an
nouncement Thursday that Frazier
Scott Bruhn/DN
Nebraska backup quarterback Brook Berringer sets and throws during practice Sunday.
would start in the opener wouldn’t be
the last people would hear of him.
“It’s not over, said and done,”
Berringer said. “I’ll be out there trying
to win the job every game. We’ll just
see what happens, but I’ll battle my
hardest.”
rs And he warned that just because
tfte starter has been named, the hype
into the starting quarterback situation
was probably fhr from over.
“I’m looking forward to going out
and playing, but I don’t think it will
put anything to rest,” Berringer said.
“It probably will just bring out more
talk, depending on what happens. I’m
not worried about all that. I can put all
that aside and just go out and play .” * '