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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1996)
Mike Muck sf For the good of the sport, hold a playoff For the past two years, I have tried to support the Bowl Alliance. Convincing myself that the bowls are good for college football and a welcome reward for a good season has been a December tradi tion for me. But I just can’t do it anymore. I have switched allegiances, and now I am shouting from the band wagon. It’s time for a playoff. This season has killed any chance that I could continue to sup port .the alliance. When two 11-0 teams can’t play for the national championship, something is wrong. Even in a few years, when the Rose Bowl finally joins the rest of the world, it still won’t be fun watching the other games, because no team will be happy about where it goes. How is an unmotivated Ne braska team going to get up for Vir ginia Tech? How can Brigham Young be happy about playing in the Cotton Bowl? How can Colo rado be pleased with the Holiday Bowl? The list goes on and on. If college football’s hierarchy got together and planned a playoff — for the good of the sport — it could be a spectacle greater than the Super Bowl and the Olympics. First, the season needs to be dropped to 10 games. I can already hear athletic direc tors complaining. Bill Byrne has often talked about how a six-game home schedule is essential for the university to make money. With only 10 home games and an eight-game conference slate, the Huskers would be looking at five games at Memorial Stadium. Counter this with the playoff, in which each team gets to keep the money from its first two games, in stead of sharing with the league. With a 10-game season, every league champion could be crowned on Thanksgiving weekend. On that Sunday, call it Selection Sunday, 16 teams are invited to the playoff. ims year, Louisiana Mate (y-i) and Miami (8-3) would not have been invited. Is that fair? I don’t know. But when you have 64 teams in the NCAA basketball tournament, some teams are left out. This sea son, Wyoming is not going to a bowl. Is that fair? Imagine Alabama vs. Florida State, Penn State playing Colorado, Northwestern vs. Nebraska. Excel lent matchups with a great deal at stake. First-round games are played on December’s first weekend at the sites of the Holiday, Sun, Copper, Alamo, Peach, Carquest, Outback and Independence bowls. The winners advance to the Elite Eight, to be played the next weekend at four more bowl sites. The Final Four is the third week end of December and die champi onship game is played on New Year’s Day. With this system, a true cham pion is found. The bowls aren’t lost and money isn’t squandered. Most importantly, however, teams and fans are excited and in trigued about every game. Kluck is a graduate student in journalism and a Daily Nebras kan senior reporter. Scott Bruhn/DN GRANT WISTROM chases Tfexas running back Ricky Williams during Nebraska’s 37-27 loss to Tfexas in the Big 12 championship game. No. 6 NU will play No. 10 Virginia Tfech in the Orange Bowl, Dec. 31 in Miami. i Huskers will 'play for pride' against Virginia Tbch in Miami. ByMkeKluck Senior Reporter When Nebraska takes the field for the 63rd Orange Bowl at Pro Player Stadium in Miami at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31, Cornhusker Coach Tom Osborne knows he will have a well prepared game plan. But what Osborne may not know is what type of NU team he - will try to lead to Minter victory and ring in a third straight happy new year in Nebraska. The Huskers’ state of mind is in doubt. For the first time in four sea sons, NU will not be playing for the national championship. And it won’t be until the moon is high over Miami that Nebraska will know if its disap pointing 1996 season ends on a happy note. ii s always a concern now people react when they have played in three straight national-championship games and then all of a sudden they aren’t,” Osborne said. “We had an opportunity to play in the fourth. Then on the other hand, if we can win it, we will have won 47 games in four years, which I don’t think anybody has done.” The New Year’s Eve game will be the first-ever Orange Bowl held away from the Orange Bowl stadium. If the Huskers (10-2) beat the Hokies (10-1), Nebraska will complete a four-year string with a 47-3 mark. One of those wins was a 24-17 vic tory over Miami in the 1995 Orange Bowl. In addition to wanting to be part of a team that has won more games than any group in a Tour-year period, Husker players said there are many other motivational factors in playing the lOth-ranked Hokies. “A lot of people thought when the Texas game was over, since were not playing for (the national champion ' ship), that we would have nothing to Football Starters ninnBi Poe. No. Nano HL WL Yr. Poe. No. Nemo HL WL Yr. MIKE 44 Jon Hesse 6-4 250 Sr. ILB 49 Steve Tate 6-1 240 Jr. wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmammm LCB 20 Michael Booker 6-2 205 Sr. LCB 12 Loren Johnson 5-10 176 So. ^^^l^esseKo«d^^M^18W^^]^^9^JiinmyKibble^<^9^Fr lose,” defensive tackle Jason Peter said. “We are still playing for pride, and we certainly want to go out and finish the season off on the right note. “To a certain extent, since we are not playing for the whole thing, there’s not that pressure. We’re still Nebraska, and Virginia Tech has never been to a game like this, playing Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.” However, senior Mike Minter said he has a different motivation heading into his final game. “I’m looking forward to going down there to have fun and take care of business for the last time here at Nebraska,” Minter said. “This is it This is the last game I am going to put on the Big Red uniform and go out and perform. ‘It definitely will be tough, but I think that will be a motivation for most of the seniors. For the last time, they are going to go (Hit there and play for Coach Osborne. That’s big enough if you need motivation.” Minter, who has played Will line backer since NU’s Nov. 29 win over Colorado, said he will probably return to the defensive backfield during the Orange Bowl. Virginia Tech’s rushing attack is led by junior tailback Ken Oxendine and senior fullback Brian Edmonds. Oxendine, an All-Big East Conference first-team selection, led the confer ence, scoring 13 touchdowns, and fin ished second with 914 rushing yards, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt. Edmonds gained 298 yards, on 67 rushing attempts. But what concerns Minter and has prompted the coaches to start Ryan Terwilliger at Will linebacker is the size of the two running backs. Oxendine is 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, and Edmonds is 5-10 and 235 pounds. “They try to pound it at you,” Minter said. “In the past history, big backs have not had much success on us. For the first time, I don’t think there will be any pressure on our game. Please see ORANGE on 11 Football i. n ' Aloha Bowl Dec 25 Navy (8-3) vs. California (6-5) Carquest Bowl Dec 27 Miami (8-3) vs. Virginia (74) Peach Bowl Dec 28 Clems<ffl(74) vs. LSU(9-2) Holiday Bowl Dec 30 Washington (9-2) vs. Colorado (9-2) Independence Bowl Dec. 31 Auburn (7-4^ vs.Anqr(ll-1) Gator Bowl Jan.1 I North Carotina (9-2)vs.West Virginia (8-3) | Cotton Bowl Jan. 1 Kansas St (9-2) vs.BYU (13-1) Fiesta Bowl Jan.1 I Penn St (10-2) vs. Texas (84)