Crazy idea that me and a couple buddies floated tonight over a couple beers.
Maybe not so crazy.
What with all the Big 10 Hockey Conference talk and, as things stand now, that being a 6 team league, why couldn't UNO petition the Big 10 to become a league member in hockey and hockey alone? This is certainly not without precedence. For example, Notre Dame is a member of the Big East, in basketball alone. I realize that we are talking Notre Dame and UNO, however, I can think of at least some reasons that this might pass muster with the Big 10.
First and foremost, is that UNO is part of the same university system that the University of Nebraska at Lincoln is. I don't need to remind everyone who the newest member of the Big 10 is.
Second, it certainly makes some geographic sense.
Third, it also solves the 6 school problem since nobody else in the Big 10 has made serious public overtures about going D-1 in hockey despite the precense of strong club programs at Indiana, Illinois, and Nebraska and maybe even some of the other schools that I am not aware of. Maybe somebody else coattails along under the same pretenses with UNO out of the CCHA or WCHA with them to make an 8 team league. Notre Dame? I
promise you, the Big 10 would be interested in that.
As an aside to this, it would also potentially make the University of Nebraska at Lincoln publicly state whether they are or are not interested in doing this themselves, now, or, in the future. This has already been the source of some conjecture around here:
http://www.mavpuck.com/mpboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8044
I note that there are no plans that I am aware of to put ice-making capability in the new arena that UNL is building in conjunction with the City of Lincoln. One could infer that they aren't a player in the Big 10 hockey game, then (unless they are planning to play at the Ice Box!). By doing this UNO could effectively erase UNL as a competitor in ice hockey. I don't know if the state could support two programs, anyway. My hope is that UNL (the regents) would realize that and not step on UNO's toes, particularly since UNO hockey is SO important to UNO's Athletic Department and Title 9 considerations there. The way I see it, UNL might even aid UNO in making this happen with the Big 10.
Whatever goes down, it's going to be an interesting next couple years or so. Anybody have thoughts on why this wouldn't, couldn't, or shouldn't happen?