Shut up and play

 I remember what Nebraska football used to be. So do you if you're as old as dirt like I am.

Nebraska football used to be a lot square-jawed old boys named Jeff (Kinney) and Jerry (Tagge) and Rich (Glover) and Dave (Rimington), and the occasional streak of lightning named Johnny (Rodgers).

It used to be crusty old Bob Devaney sending his Jeffs and Jerrys and Riches and Daves out there to crush some poor Iowa State 75-0 or something.

It used to be, you know, really good.

Now it's a lot of 5-7 and 4-8 and complaining and lawsuits. And wouldn't crusty old Bob grind his molars over THAT.

No, Bob would be saying, "Criminiddly, shut up and play" or something like that, and hiding his head in shame. Because his beloved Cornhuskers have become a bunch of candy-you-know-what bellyachers. A bunch of fraidy cats scared of a good challenge.

This is because everyone in Lincoln, it seemed, cried and whined and even filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten when the Big Ten initially decided not to play football this fall. Even threatened to bolt back to the Big 12 at one point.

And now?

Now that they've gotten their way, they've decided to bellyache about that.

Their athletic director the other day expressed some displeasure over the Cornhuskers' revised eight-game schedule, which includes games with Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State in their first four games. This despite the fact both OSU and PSU were on the Huskers' original schedule.

This despite the fact the Huskers still don't have Indiana's schedule, which includes Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State in its first five games.

Of course, the Hoosiers aren't complaining about that. They're just getting ready to buckle their chin straps and play.

In other words, they're kind of taking the attitude Nebraska used to have. 

Ouch.