Nebraska's Prime Time Opportunity
2 comments so far
September 25, 2008 by
Regular readers of this site know that I often opine about how a return to Husker dominance (or even credibility) starts with a return to relevance. Relevance is one key to building and sustaining a program, and it is born of media exposure and discussion. Nebraska has an enormous opportunity to increase their national profile in the next two games, squaring off against Virginia Tech on ABC’s regional broadcast Saturday and against Missouri on ESPN next week. Both games will be in the coveted “prime time� television slot.
Media Matters
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…media exposure matters greatly in college football. Getting on television matters:
- To the die hard fans that don’t get to see the Huskers every week because they live out of state. By the way, that’s a majority of BRN’s readers and contributors. So we feel it.
- To the recruits and high school prospects looking to form a more solid opinion of the Huskers. It lets young players be exposed to the Husker brand of football.
- To the pundits and the public…and that is incredibly important in college football - the sport that is most heavily influenced by public opinion. For writers in Los Angeles and New York to care about NU or form a proper opinion, they need to see the product first hand. Want to get ranked? Play well on television.
- To the critics, the cynics and all my heroes at the methadone clinics. Wait, that’s for Kid Rock fans only.
Yes, I know that the NU athletic department made out like bandits on the pay-per-view slate this year. But, that’s mostly local. And we know that the market there is saturated. You had better be able to profit from Husker football in Nebraska.
The Disney Factor
The hard truth is that Mickey Mouse controls much of the sports landscape. Think about that the next time your kid begs you to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. No, I don’t mean Goofy is going to throw a block on Donald. I mean that Disney controls both ESPN and ABC. Getting the Huskers piped in to those channels is huge.
I realize the Virginia Tech game is on regional television. It's only 30% of the population. The rest of the coutry gets a Big 10 game. Boo. (see also…the coverage map). But 30% is better than a kick in the pants. And its still important because of the coverage in Texas. Further, the ABC Sports college football brand and vehicle is vital to helping re-establish NU’s media identity. Finally, not everybody has cable yet. (Gasp!). Yes, it’s true. Broadcast is still the best way to reach the most households.
But, I’m not going to turn my nose up at ESPN’s nationwide coverage of the Husker game versus Missouri. Again, the ESPN product is the great cable mother ship of college football and sports in general. And, the game will be on nationwide. West coast Huskers, rejoice!
A Part of the Discussion
It is also important for the Huskers to remain part of the discussion and dialogue concerning college football nationally. Talk radio has never been more influential in shaping fan opinions.
Just landing Bo Pelini helped make NU relevant again, at least on the talk radio air waves. Many people have raved about his appearance on the Jim Rome show. Bo’s straight answer style is very welcome in “the Jungle�, I guess.
Getting to 3-0 (albeit against teams they are *supposed* to beat) has also helped NU on talk radio. My wife was practically jumping up and down because Colin Cowherd mentioned Nebraska a few times on his show “The Herd� on ESPN Radio. (Side note, I’m pretty sure my bride would leave me for Colin Cowheard. That’s the peril of having a wife who loves sports, fellas).
Anyway, Cowherd said NU might be a potentially tough team for Missouri to face. That’s not too much, I know. But it is a major improvement from this pre-season when many national radio talking heads viewed NU as little more than a red speed bump for the likes of the Tigers.
Wait a Second, Haven't We Been Here Before?
Okay, this is the part where I start to feel that cautionary sick feeling in my stomach. We’ve been here before, folks.
Last year at roughly this same time I was excited about NU’s media lineup. We know how that turned out. USC demolished NU and sent the College GameDay producers scrambling for the hills. Nebraska laid an equally bad egg against Missouri on ESPN three weeks later.
For Nebraska to reassert itself in to the college football landscape, they have to produce the results on the field. Another performance like 2007 and producers won’t touch NU with a ten foot poll. But, if the Huskers exceed expectations over the next two weeks, they will have made themselves in to a relevant national story and introduced millions back to Husker football.
It’s a prime time opportunity.
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Bill in Iowa Sep 25 08
Very good point! A win against V-Tech is so pivotal for so many reasons: national audience, recruits, record/bowl game, and momentum going into a tough part of the season. As far as facing Mizzou on national tv, realistically a strong performance would be a "win" in terms of national relevance and respect. Of course, an actual win would be off-the-charts in terms of national publicity, relevance and recruiting!
tom Sep 26 08
Last year, I couldn't bring myself to tell people that we would beat USC without that little voice inside my head telling me I was stupid for thinking so. After that game, I did not talk about the MU game to people down here in KC. I fear for the stupid things I will say to Mizzou fans next week if the Huskers beat Va Tech. At the end of the season last year, a game like this would elicit dread for me, and it's hard to shake that feeling. It's hard not setting yourself up for disappointment.