Houston's Clear Thinkers

Moreover, Mr. Wangrin tells the story about how the Texas schools -- particularly the University of Texas -- insisted upon more stringent entrance requirements for student-athletes in the new Big 12 Conference, which was a key development in the decline of Nebraska's football powerhouse. For decades, Big Red's program thrived in the Big 8 Conference on recruiting out-of-state players who did not meet many big school's entrance requirements, but who were able to meet NU's lenient entry requirements for football players -- remember Mike Rozier?. However, the leveling of entrance requirements in the Big 12 has slowed down the flow in the pipeline of out-of-state players to Nebraska, as the 5-6 record from last season (the worst since 1961) reflects. The most recent change in coaching staffs indicates that Nebraska is taking a different approach from the one that had been followed successfully for the past 45 years (indeed, it appears that arch-rival Oklahoma is the now the model for Nebraska's program), but it is still too early to say whether the Nebraska program can regain its stature among the elite college football programs.

Mr. Wangrin provides a wealth of background information on Texas college football and should be required reading for any fan of the collegiate gridiron. Check it out.