Former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini says Big 12 'lied' in 2009 conference championship game loss to Texas

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Bo Pelini may forgive. But he certainly doesn't forget.

The former Nebraska coach appeared on a recent episode of "Pardon My Take" and delved into his view on the Cornhuskers' controversial loss to Texas in the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game.

A little backstory: the Longhorns entered into that game with a perfect 12-0 record. Mack Brown's squad was the No. 3 team in the nation, but No. 1 Florida was playing No. 2 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. The stakes were clear for Texas; beat Nebraska and the Longhorns were headed to the national title game.

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The Cornhuskers, who entered the game with a 9-3 record, frustrated the Longhorns all night long. Nebraska sunk Colt McCoy's Heisman chances, forcing Texas' star quarterback into three interceptions.

All that amounted to a 12-10 Cornhuskers lead in the last minute. With nine seconds left, McCoy rolled right and flung a ball into the sidelines. The clock appeared to have expired and Nebraska's players streamed onto the field. There was just one problem, though; the referees ruled that there was one second left in the game.

Brown sent kicker Hunter Lawrence on the field, who proceeded to nail a 46-yarder as time expired to send the Longhorns to the national championship.

Pelini made it clear that he believes Texas' victory in that game was ... undeserved. Fair warning kids, this language is NSFW.

“They (Big 12 Conference) f***ing lied. That (2009 Big 12 Championship Game) was a screw job… because they wanted Texas to go to the National Championship game. Lets face it, they wanted a team from the Big 12 went. We won the game. The game was over.” 

The Longhorns went on to lose the national title game to Alabama, 37-21. As for Pelini, who knows what would have happened if he had gotten his moment under the sun with the Cornhuskers. Pelini went 67-27 during his seven-year tenure in Lincoln and Nebraska made two more appearances in the Big 12 Championship Game.

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But the Huskers would never get as close as they did that brisk December night at Cowboys Stadium, a game that Pelini thought was already over. 

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David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News.