Omaha daily bee., 1911-10-01
CORNHUSKERS HOLD TIE KEY
Only Team to Play Both Michigan
and Minnesota.
MAY DECIDE THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Nebraska Boys Have a Chance 60 An
mex Title by Winning from
Both Minnesota and Mich
tran in Coming Games.

Foot ball in the middle west presents
q pec,iliar situation this fall, for the
University of Nebraska. never member
of the western conference. is likely to be
the chief factor In deciding the oham-
pionship of the section which Tor the last
two years has gone to the University OF
Michigan Last fail Michigan hao one
disputed with its claim IN the University
If Illinois, an indicated eleven.
This fall Michigan and Minnesota VIII
not meet, as they have done annually IN
the past. II was the meeting OF these
two teams that brought about settle
men of the championship question IN th1
minds Of the followers of the great COLI
lege game. Because of the conference
ruling the Gophers were forced to leave
the Wolverines off their schedule when
Il was made up last 'a.l. Now that these
two teams are nos to meet. the only
means Of determining which is the
stronger will be through the comparative
showing against a common foe This
common enemy is the University Of Ne
braska the only institution that each OF
the big elevens will encounter. So Nc
braska is to be the center of interest In
western foot ball this fall. as well as
the team which is to play an important
role in bringing the championship ques-
ton to a settlement
Gophers Have Hard Schedule.
1t may be, of course that the Corn
huskers will not play their part so well
as to make a fair comparison possible,
but this seems improbable. Minnesota
might fall before some eleven on its
schedule other than the Cornhuskers.
Illinois Wisconsin and Chicago all are
to be met by the pupils of Harry VIII
liams Should any of these eleven sue
coed in defeating the men from the north,
then the strategic position of Nebraska
might not be so important Should Min
nesota be defeated by Illinois, for in
stance, the Gophers would lose all claim
on the western championship Michigan,
however. meets no other western eleven
of prominence besides Nebraska, and will
go to Lincoln on November % with a
iustifiable claim to the championship Of
the west unless misfortune upsets the
! plans of Fielding Yost
Through the meeting of both Michigan
and Minnesota, Nebraska will have an
opportunity to annex the western title.
should it ruin the hopes of the Gophers
|
the Minnesota aggregation out of the
race. Then. later in the season. when
the Ann Arbor delegation goes to Lin
coin, should stiehm, the coach, have an
eleven capable of defeating the Wolver-
! ines-then the western championship
would be perched in Lincoln, Neb.
What all the rooters in the west do
hope is that Stiehm will get his proteges
into such shape that they will be able to
play both Minnesota and Michigan to al
most a standstill. Nebraska meets Min
nesota early in the season october p.
In past years the Cornhuskers have been
fairly we'll shaped for this contest, and
have been a worthy foe for the northern
team. with an excellent bunch of ma
terial for this fall, Stiehm probably will
have his men running about as well as
the Gophers, whose ranks have been de-
pleted through the loss of stars OF last
/ fall.