When Nebraska joined the Big Ten, the matchup between the Huskers and Wisconsin seemed poised to finally be NU’s replacement for the long lost rivalry with the Oklahoma Sooners. It seemed natural at the time; two big powerful programs in the midwest. Except for one problem: Nebraska has been adrift for most of the last decade. First it was the struggle to adapt from the speed of the fast-paced Big XII to the power of the Big Ten. Then it was Nebraska’s wrong turn at Albuquerque where suddenly a bottom-feeding Pac-12 football program became the model.
Meanwhile, the Badgers just kept doing what the Badgers have been doing.