Is Nebraska in the Right Conference? Clay Travis Suggests a Jump Elsewhere

Manufactured rivalries and only one conference championship appearance in 14 years has Clay Travis wondering if Nebraska's due for another conference change.

A bye week filled with fall weddings and Husker recruiting has at least one national analyst wondering if Nebraska is actually happy in the Big Ten Conference. | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

It’s officially wedding season in Nebraska for at least one more week as the Nebraska football team takes its bye this weekend before beginning prep for its fourth-straight home game.

Bye weeks represent many things for a team — a chance to reset, an opportunity to add a few extra wrinkles against their next opponent, and for the coaching staff, recruit their tails off. Many coaches will be on the road this weekend trying to bring in high-end talent for the ’26 and ’27 classes, but the recruiting weekend also got one national pundit talking about Nebraska’s place in college football.

Clay Travis, host of “Outkick with Clay Travis,” made somewhat of a bold statement following Nebraska’s narrow loss against No. 21 Michigan this past weekend.

Another Big Ten team has left Lincoln with a marquee win, highlighting the fact that Nebraska hasn't beaten a ranked team since 2016. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

“Is this what happens when you pick the wrong conference?”

It’s a question he asked in a social media video that has since gone viral from Tuesday.

“I don’t mean pick the wrong conference for money, because the Big Ten has made Nebraska a lot of money,” he continued. “If you talk to Nebraska Cornhusker fans, would they rather play Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri..Arkansas? Would they rather play those teams or would they rather play Washington, Oregon, Rutgers, Maryland?”

Travis quickly suggested Nebraska is simply not a fit in the Big Ten and hasn’t been since joining the conference in July of 2011. In the past 14 years, Nebraska has played in just one conference championship game over that stretch, and it wasn’t pretty. Wisconsin hammered Nebraska 70-31 in 2017 to claim the league title.

Despite being a member of the Big Ten for 14 years, is Nebraska any closer to finding a "true home" in college football? | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

It’s one thing to not be competitive over the past 14 years, but Travis added on that Nebraska’s been a fish out of water since joining the league.

“I think Nebraska’s in the wrong cultural conference,” he said. “I think that Nebraska actually should be in the SEC. I don’t think it’s ever going to happen, but if you look historically — Nebraska recruited by going south. It’s a small state that doesn’t produce a ton of elite athletes. They went down to Texas, they went down to Oklahoma, and they were able to get dudes from those states. Where do they recruit now?”

It's important to not forget now that Nebraska isn’t in the same recruiting landscape it was during its years in the Big 12 Conference. Back then, teams were lucky to have half their seasons televised, making it all the more important for potential recruits to stay closer to home. That, piled onto the world of NIL and boosters with deep pockets, would make even Tom Osborne question his recruiting efforts.

Nebraska's rivalry with Missouri was one of its biggest during its days in the Big 12 Conference. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Travis’ main point came down to the fact that Nebraska really hasn’t latched on as a member of the Big Ten. The league has created a few rivalry games for NU, including its yearly meeting with Iowa, but Travis wondered if that was really enough to keep Husker fans satisfied.

“What’s the best rival that Nebraska has in the Big Ten geographically — Iowa?” he said. “I would argue with you that Nebraska would rather play Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas A&M and Arkansas. Five SEC teams before they would rather play Iowa. Who else am I missing? Minnesota, I mean come on. That’s not a rival. Wisconsin — not a rival. Michigan? I mean it’s a cool game because you have two big brands, but Nebraska and Michigan are very different. In other words, culture matters, and to me the culture disconnect here is significant.”

The video received thousands upon thousands of interactions, with most fans agreeing with his take on Nebraska’s place in college football. In the 14 years the team has been in the Big Ten, strong rivalries haven’t taken shape primarily due to Nebraska’s inability to be competitive in those games.

Since its move to the Big Ten, Nebraska hasn't been able to keep up with the conference's traditional powers. | Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

During its time in the Big 12, Nebraska was either dominant or competitive year after year. It’s something that simply hasn’t materialized for NU in the Big Ten to this point, and a proposed jump to the SEC via Travis’ video wouldn’t necessarily be the answer either. However, he suggests, it’d be enough to wake up a fan base that’s been hungry for a winner and hungry for true, deep-rooted rivalries.

“Culture matters,” Travis said in a tweet following the video. “Nebraska has nothing in common with most of the Big Ten schools. They still hate Texas and Oklahoma more than anyone in the Big Ten. Hell, they probably hate A&M and Mizzou more than anyone in the Big Ten too.”

Nebraska is in the wrong conference. They can’t recruit Texas and Oklahoma kids in the Big Ten. They have no true rivals in the Big Ten. There are five SEC schools that are better rivals for Nebraska than any in the Big Ten. pic.twitter.com/44n1pb1rCk

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 23, 2025

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