F
Fru
Guest
I think some B1G rivalries don’t necessitate that each team be of equal value regarding history and prominence. Wisconsin and Minnesota is a big game for both schools, and Wisconsin obviously has much more to hang their hats on than Minnesota. Michigan-Michigan St as well (but then again that’s more of an in state thing).
For me the gauge of whether a game is a rivalry or not, is how you feel after you lose to them. For me, losing to Iowa and Wisconsin feels different than losing to Purdue or NW.
Is Iowa a rival? Sure. Does it have to be OU-NU level for it to still be fun? No. Some of us didn’t get to grow up with conference titles and Orange Bowls every other year. For a good chunk of us, our formative years were marred by Solich, Callahan, Pelini and Riley. I was 10 years old the last time we won a conference title. God forbid we want to partake in one of the best parts of college football by getting excited for a rivalry game.
That being said, the only thing I’d change about the Iowa game is the date it’s played on. If I was in charge, Wisconsin would be the Black Friday game. I know it’ll likely never happen, but just thinking about NU-Wisc on Black Friday with grey skies, 2:30 kick, slight snow flurries, West division on the line, rabid fan bases screaming their heads off, Red Vs Red... It would be an absolute slugfest of a game.
For me the gauge of whether a game is a rivalry or not, is how you feel after you lose to them. For me, losing to Iowa and Wisconsin feels different than losing to Purdue or NW.
Is Iowa a rival? Sure. Does it have to be OU-NU level for it to still be fun? No. Some of us didn’t get to grow up with conference titles and Orange Bowls every other year. For a good chunk of us, our formative years were marred by Solich, Callahan, Pelini and Riley. I was 10 years old the last time we won a conference title. God forbid we want to partake in one of the best parts of college football by getting excited for a rivalry game.
That being said, the only thing I’d change about the Iowa game is the date it’s played on. If I was in charge, Wisconsin would be the Black Friday game. I know it’ll likely never happen, but just thinking about NU-Wisc on Black Friday with grey skies, 2:30 kick, slight snow flurries, West division on the line, rabid fan bases screaming their heads off, Red Vs Red... It would be an absolute slugfest of a game.
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