Dear Scott,
It’s been a long season, and I know you’re busy, so I’ll keep this short.
I have a request.
It is a simple request, but it has the potential to cement your legacy as a champion.
What is it? Let’s start by remembering some better times.
Back in 2014, when you were lighting up scoreboards in the PAC 12, somebody decided that the Universities of Connecticut and Central Florida should a) manufacture a rivalry, and b) play for a bland, nondescript trophy. As you may recall, that “somebody” was UConn’s coach at the time – a guy named Diaco, who turned out to be a nobody.
The rivalry had a stupid name – “Civil ConFLiCT” – where the state abbreviations were capitalized to help explain the vast importance of the game*.
*How far back does the storied history of the Civil ConFLiCT rivalry go? It predates the SpongeBob meme where cAptIOnS aRe TYpeD in mIxEd cASe tO eXPreSs HoW STupiD soMeThiNG iS.
Fast forward to 2016, your first season at UCF. Your Knights went to Connecticut and beat the Huskies 24-16. It was a good win, but here is what made it epic:
Your team made no attempt to reclaim the Civil ConFLiCT trophy from the Connecticut sidelines. You won the game, flew back to Orlando, and left that stupid trophy to rot. Legend has it that trophy is still sitting on their sideline. Nobody knows for sure, because no sane person willingly watches UConn football. You could easily convince me that abandoning the Civil ConFLiCT trophy is what sent UConn’s program into an absolute tailspin (they’re 7-42 since that game).
I bring this up because Nebraska will be competing in two trophy games before the 2021 season ends. Did you know that? I wouldn’t expect you to because, like Civil ConFLiCT, these are manufactured rivalries with stupid, generic trophies.
The only difference is Nebraska’s two trophy games originated in the Jim Delany era when the divisions were “Legends and Leaders”, and the vibe was “pompous and morally superior”. Scott, in the Delany era, we could not have conflict – no matter how civil. We needed to celebrate heroes and freedom and moms and apple pie and baseball.*
*Scratch that last one. The Big Ten clearly does not care about baseball.
This week, Nebraska plays for the Freedom Trophy against Wisconsin. Introduced in 2014, the trophy is essentially a bronze mullet: Memorial Stadium in the front, Camp Randall in the rear, and screaming “MERICA!” via a large flag sticking out of the middle. Contrary to popular belief, the trophy does not celebrate the career of former Nebraska defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun.
I’ll understand if you (or most of our fan base) do not know about this trophy. Nebraska has never won it.
On Black Friday, Nebraska plays for the Heroes Trophy (presented by Hy-Vee!!!*), against Iowa. When Nebraska joined the Big Ten, I loved the idea of a trophy game against our neighbors to the east and hoped it would something fun and ag-themed, like Floyd of Rosedale. Instead, we got a generic heartwarming trope, a generic doorstop of a trophy, and a generic corporate sponsor. Unlike the Freedom Trophy, Nebraska has actually hoisted the Heroes Trophy (presented by Hy-Vee!!!*) a few times – a sight that reminds me how far the program has slipped since you and I graduated.
*UPDATE!!! Did you know the Heroes Trophy is now presented by Scheels!!!? Of course you didn’t, because the only thing worse than a rivalry trophy with a disingenuous, self-adulating theme is a rivalry trophy with a corporate sponsor. The only reason I know about it is I saw it on Iowa’s website when I was looking up something else.
Nebraska really got screwed over when they joined the Big Ten. Part of the allure of the conference – aside from the money and stability – was establishing an “I hate you 365 days a year” rivalry with another school, symbolized by a random object that looks like it came from an antique mall. A bronze pig. A gigantic axe. A little brown jug. An old spittoon. The Huskers had very little of that in the Big 8 / Big XII.
Scott, did you know that Nebraska and Mizzou played for the “Golden Gavel” all those years? Of course not, because the trophy was never mentioned: not when Osborne was dominating the Tigers, not when you had that sweet pass to Matt Davison, or even when Mizzou started winning regularly. Heck, the trophy was mentioned so infrequently that you probably didn’t even catch that I completely made up the “Golden Gavel”. Mizzou and NU actually played for the “Victory Bell“. Floyd of Rosedale, it was not.
So, here’s what I would like: Beat Wisconsin. Beat Iowa. But leave those stupid trophies to rust on the opposing sideline. I’m not saying Nebraska should not aspire to get back to Wisconsin’s level of success or have a contemptuous 24/7/365 rivalry with the mouth-breathers on the east side of the river. I want both of those things. But I want them without the Freedom and Heroes Trophies.
If a new trophy appears organically – such as the beloved “$5 Bits of Broken Chair” Trophy against Minnesota, I’m all in. I do have some ideas for replacement trophies that you can pass along to your boss and your buddy Kevin Warren, but that’s separate.
Scott, I know this season has not gone the way you planned. So many things have gone sideways, and the hot seat conversation will continue into 2022. If the unthinkable happens, what do you want your legacy to be? You can’t erase the losses, but you can help get Nebraska out of their loveless arranged marriages with meaningless trophies. Honestly, I’d rather have that than a lower-tier bowl game.
Be a Hero, Scott. Give us Freedom from the Delany trophies.
Respectfully,
Dave (on behalf of Husker Nation)
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