I found this at the link below, "huskerpedia.com"; according to this article:
-THERE WAS NO SIGNED CONTRACT BETWEEN UH AND NEBRASKA IN 1997: There was a signed "Letter of Intent" between the schools, but the agreement was contingent on UH getting out of another contracted game, which didn't happen.
-UH GAVE NEBRASKA A YEAR'S NOTICE: Notice was given in September 1997 for the game that was scheduled for September 1998. We didn't back out of the September 1998 game in July 1998 and leave you scrambling for a game, as many Nebraska fans have mistakenly stated.
Nebraska fans are making the 1998 situation out to be much worse than it truly was. It doesn't totally clear UH of responsibility for backing out of a signed letter of intent to play Nebraska, but we didn't dump you at the last minute. Schedule changes happen a year in advance on a regular basis in college football.
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College Football Plagued with Broken Promises and Voided Contracts
The University of Houston will not be playing the Huskers in football anytime soon. Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Byrne announced on Sept. 30, 1997 that the Husker vs. Houston series was off. Nebraska was to travel to Houston for a Sept .12, 1998 game and Houston was to play at Lincoln on Sept. 18, 1999. As recently as June, 1997 then Interim University of Houston AD Bill McGillis indicated that they would be playing the Huskers but as Nebraska tried to get contracts signed, the University of Houston, stalled, squirmed, then finally went back on their signed letter of intent. Instead of the Huskers, Houston will face the University of Minnesota in 1998 and the mighty Southwestern Louisiana in 1999. A University of Houston spokesperson stated that Nebraska knew their agreement was contingent on Houston getting out of contracted games on those dates.
Nebraska is working to find a school to fill these dates. The last time a the Huskers had to find a replacement on such short notice was in 1992 when Arkansas back out of a game and Middle Tennessee State was added. Nebraska hopes to announce a replacement for these games later this fall but fears the replacement team will come from Division 1AA.
Over scheduling is a problem, said Brian Tetter, Assistant Commissioner for Conference USA. Tetter speculated that after the break-up of the Southwestern Conference, Houston scrambled to fill their schedule and when they joined Conference USA they now have conference obligations. Over scheduling is a polite way to describe inviting two different girls to the same dance.
Amazingly, there is no organization that oversees and sets policies or codes of conduct with regards to college football non-conference scheduling. FanWire asked Ted Breidenshal of the NCAA if they offer a scheduling code of conduct or scheduling policies. What? So Nebraska doesn't schedule Akron again? Breidenshal quipped.
This response serves as a reminder that when opponents cancel on any team, in this case, when a contracted opponent canceled a game with Nebraska, the Husker's look bad because the replacement games, (in this case Akron and Central Florida) are rarely against top teams. And the media such as the hosts on ESPNs Sports Center only complain about the soft schedule, but rarely take to time to understand the many broken promises and contracts that sent Nebraska scrambling to find teams to play, resulting in exciting games like Middle Tennessee State-1992, or Akron and Central Florida-1998.
Canceled agreements are nothing new in college football. Utah State canceled their 1994 and 1995 visits to Lincoln, Wyoming canceled in 1993, Arkansas in 1992 and 1993, and Tulane backed out in 1989 and 1990. Even the 1995-96 Nebraska vs. Michigan State series almost didn't happen but Nebraska wouldn't let them out. To control this problem, Nebraska has increased their cancellation clause.
Big 12 Conference executive Bo Carter explained how widespread the problem is. Auburn's been burned in the past. So has Colorado, Florida State, and Kansas State. That is why FSU played Middle Tennessee State. Recently LSU backed out of their deal with Texas A&M.
So what can be done? For starters, the plethora of organizations that are involved in the business of college athletics must develop policies that encourage good, sound, ethical behavior in the area of non-conference scheduling. These organizations include the NCAA, the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA), the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), NCAA Football USA (a new organization formed in 1997 to "improve, preserve and promote the game of college football") and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
HuskerWire is written by Jay Mulligan aka HuskerWireJay. Jay is also the basketball BBS monitor.
