by Brandon Vogel

The saying goes that you rarely get second chances in life. You almost never get them in college football. That’s the beauty of it. One loss and you’re generally relegated to an also-ran. But the Nebraska Cornhuskers got another valuable chance at conference redemption when Missouri beat Oklahoma last Saturday. We knew all along that this was likely a Big 12 North title game, but now it’s more than that. The Tigers are the team with a top 10 ranking and, by record if not point-spread, the front-runner in the division. They’re also the team with their national reputation still intact. If we feel the need to cleverly market this thing, maybe we can call it a re-REDemption. Nebraska gets another chance to make the statement about its pecking order in the conference that they literally let fall through their hands against Texas — likely its last chance. The one big black mark on Bo Pelini’s record right now is his 5-4 record in home Big 12 games. He’s 7-2 on the road, but you can’t get anywhere if you’re only winning half the time at home. No better time to start making amends than now. Here the set up is simple: Missouri has to come to your place and you have to win. If Nebraska wants to get back to the nation’s elite, now or in the future, these are not just games they have to win; they’re game they should win. When it comes to hate in the Cornhusker state, Missouri’s not Texas but they’re not that far behind. Lose here and people will start prepping for the Big Ten in earnest. No pressure, but I’m not quite ready for it yet. The UNO Mavericks hockey team finally lost for the first time this season, falling 6-1 to Michigan last week, but they’ve officially put the college hockey pundits on notice with their 5-1 start. College Hockey News named the Mavs its “Team of the Week” after they shockingly swept Minnesota in Minneapolis two weeks ago. Splitting two games in Ann Arbor should only help UNO move up from its number ten ranking this week. No one would have questioned you if you predicted a 2-4 start for the Mavs but at 5-1 even non-hockey fans can start paying attention. UNO gets a break this weekend before hosting Minnesota State Nov. 5 and 6. The Jump takes you behind the local headlines. Email jump@thereader.com and look for daily updates at twitter.com/brandonlvogel.

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