Nebraska-Miami occupies a special place in my heart and mind. Their games of the 1980s and ‘90s symbolized an era of college football. It was power versus speed, stability matched against flash.
The programs' styles stood in perfect contrast. Yet in four Orange Bowl meetings over 11 years, they made for the game's best of unlikely rivalries. Though Nebraska slipped from the top in the midst of that decade, by the end, it had supplanted Miami like the Hurricanes did to Tom Osborne's team after the 1983 season.
The Hurricanes visit Lincoln on Saturday night. The thought of those two helmets together again stirs emotions. It feels big -- bigger, apparently, than it is.
ESPN's matchup-quality metric ranks games on a zero-to-100 scale, based on the team's spots in the Football Power Index and the expected competitiveness. It was jarring this week not to find Nebraska-Miami among the top five matchups in Week 4.
It's Nebraska-Miami, after all. When these two have met historically, it's not just the biggest game of the week; it's the biggest of the year.
But today in college football, Florida-Alabama (91.6 matchup quality), Clemson-Florida State (90.5), Mississippi State-LSU (90.1), Oklahoma-West Virginia (87.2) and Auburn-Kansas State (87.0) earn higher billing than the Huskers and Hurricanes.
I heard an intriguing question this week: What program is better positioned, Nebraska or Miami, to make a run at the top again? I can't say definitively. Nebraska's infrastructure and internal resources favor it; Miami's natural resources are a big advantage.
But until Nebraska-Miami cracks the top five most important games on a September weekend, neither team is in position to join the national conversation.
Another interesting question: What Big Ten team on Saturday matched against a Power 5 opponent is most in need of a win this week? Other than Nebraska-Miami, Iowa visits Pittsburgh, Maryland visits Syracuse, Utah plays at Michigan and Indiana visits Missouri. While I'm tempted to pick Iowa, but my answer is Michigan. A loss by the Wolverines against the high-flying Utes, who won at the Big House in 2008, would serve to draw another parallel between this staff and the previous regime. And that's not good for Brady Hoke. Neither are all these turnovers.
Columnist Rick Brown of the Des Moines Registers urges Iowa fans upset with Kirk Ferentz to be careful what they wish for. I understand the sentiment and agree that Iowa does more with less better than several Big Ten counterparts. But have you watched the Big Ten lately? Why use Illinois and Minnesota as the measuring stick? It's OK to set the bar high. Fans ought to be upset with the Hawkeyes' offensive play. Don't apologize for reasonable expectations.
Around the rest of the league:
East Division
It's difficult for Rutgers players to turn the page from Penn State.
Billy Price, Ohio State's right guard, has experienced a roller coaster of a college career.
Will Michigan State be tempted to run up the score against Eastern Michigan? Mark Dantonio says no.
After the Bowling Green debacle, is Indiana football at a crossroads?
Penn State players are spending more time in the film room.
Maryland coach Randy Edsall evaluates the Terps' special teams units.
Don't panic, says Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald.
West Division
Tommy Armstrong Jr. ranks fifth among FBS quarterbacks in rushing yardage, but the Nebraska quarterback knows he needs to be smart about putting his body at risk.
Purdue offensive coordinator John Shoop likes Danny Etling's progress against Notre Dame.
Looks like the seeds of a quarterback controversy have been planted at Minnesota.
Bowling Green's offensive tempo is a concern for Wisconsin.
If the seat of Illinois coach Tim Beckman is hot, he's not alone in the Big Ten.