Are we or aren’t we Rivals

Is Nebraska and Iowa a rivalry

  • No it’s not, it’s being forced

    Votes: 57 50.0%

  • Sadly, yes

    Votes: 57 50.0%
  • Total voters
    114
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. 

 
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Well we have page after page saying we aren't concerned about Iowa being a rival.  Some seem pretty interested in this game.  How many years have they beaten us in row?  It might not be a rivalry in our minds, but I doubt they consider us one either.  We have done nothing to make them feel inferior lately.  Wisconsin the same.  

Do I have a deep hate for Iowa, hell no, same thing, just on a different side of the Missouri.  Do I hate Wisconsin, no they just mange to beat us every year, may still be running the Jet Sweep.

Respect your competition.  You don't have to like them, but currently we are not near being a rival to either one of them.

 
When Iowa lost 3 of the first 4 Kirk Ferentz was asked about the "rivalry" and he said something to the effect of, "Well it won't ever be a rivalry if we can't hold up our end of the bargain and win some of the time." 

I like that answer. It's self aware and honest. It's also so contrary to so many Nebraska fan's answer after we've lost four in a row still being, "nah, not a rivalry, they're nowhere near our level and they're obsessed with us but we don't care about them".

 
Landlord said:
When Iowa lost 3 of the first 4 Kirk Ferentz was asked about the "rivalry" and he said something to the effect of, "Well it won't ever be a rivalry if we can't hold up our end of the bargain and win some of the time." 

I like that answer. It's self aware and honest. It's also so contrary to so many Nebraska fan's answer after we've lost four in a row still being, "nah, not a rivalry, they're nowhere near our level and they're obsessed with us but we don't care about them".
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Exactly.  Someone argued with me a few months back that Iowa wasn't a tough opponent.  I reminded them of 1-5 since 2013 by a combined 227-126.

"We've been down though". Yeah,  because they've kicked our tails,  that's why we've been down.  Can't have it both ways. 

We're not rivals because we haven't been able to compete with them in 6 years.   

That's changing with this new regime however. 

 
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Fru said:
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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If OU ends up joining the Big Ten in a few years, it'll probably take about 6 seconds for Iowa to be dropped as our Black Friday game. (Then again, we do have Minnesota to look forward to in that slot for a couple years. Thanks again, Eichorst.)

 
In the 40s and 50s OU beat us 15 straight times. 

In the 70s and early 80s our record against OU was 1-9. 

In the 90s and early 2000s our record against them was 8-1. 

So, I guess during those spans OU and Nebraska weren’t rivals?

 
BigRedBuster said:
In the 40s and 50s OU beat us 15 straight times. 

In the 70s and early 80s our record against OU was 1-9. 

In the 90s and early 2000s our record against them was 8-1. 

So, I guess during those spans OU and Nebraska weren’t rivals?
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This is EXACTLY what I was thinking of.  Husker fans forget a lot of this stuff.  Some fans are creating the most insane parameters for what a rival is.

 
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For me, the biggest thing is feeling. Does Iowa feel like a rival to any of you? Can you honestly say that you think of that game any differently than you do games against any of our other conference opponents? Do you feel particularly elated by a victory against them, or crushed by a defeat? Do you think any of the players circle the date of the Iowa game as "the one we gotta win above all else"?

I don't know about you, but for me, the answer to those questions is no, and it's not even close. Yeah, obviously I want us to beat Iowa, but no more so than any other conference game. Until that changes, I can't see Iowa as a rival.

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BigRedBuster said:
In the 40s and 50s OU beat us 15 straight times. 

In the 70s and early 80s our record against OU was 1-9. 

In the 90s and early 2000s our record against them was 8-1. 

So, I guess during those spans OU and Nebraska weren’t rivals?
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teachercd said:
This is EXACTLY what I was thinking of.  Husker fans forget a lot of this stuff.  Some fans are creating the most insane parameters for what a rival is.
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There is more than one way to end up rivals and you are listing decades of history.  That can definitely create one despite inital results.  If the time period is much shorter and mostly one sided then it doesn't have the same effect in my eyes.

I like @Toe's analogy of defining it by a feeling.  The only reason I feel any different about Iowa is I have good friends who are Iowa fans. Take that away and I don't feel any different about playing them versus NW, Minny or Wisconsin. I have respect for Iowa, but no hate.  I am starting to hate Wisconsin and that's it in this conference, but I in no way consider them rivals.

 
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teachercd said:
Again, it is really simple.  College football is fun...having rivals is fun...I like fun and I want more of it.  

If some of you guys would rather not have fun, great, that is your thing...go for it!
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I am a kool aid drinker and love college football.  I love talking about it and how Nebraska is going 11-1.  

I don't feel the need to manufacture things that aren't there however.  Just let it happen.  You sound like the guy who created the heroes trophy...

 
runningblind said:
I am a kool aid drinker and love college football.  I love talking about it and how Nebraska is going 11-1.  

I don't feel the need to manufacture things that aren't there however.  Just let it happen.  You sound like the guy who created the heroes trophy...
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I don't know what that is...

But we are trying to let it happen...but some of you refuse.  OU IS NOT WALKING THROUGH THAT DOOR!

If you don't like it, that is fine with me...don't think of it as a game that has some extra juice to it.  It won't impact my life.  

Some of you guys would complain about the type of rope they used to hang you.

 
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teachercd said:
I don't know what that is...

But we are trying to let it happen...but some of you refuse.  OU IS NOT WALKING THROUGH THAT DOOR!

If you don't like it, that is fine with me...don't think of it as a game that has some extra juice to it.  It won't impact my life.  

Some of you guys would complain about the type of rope they used to hang you.
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And some folks would argue just to hear themselves talk.  :cheers

I don't give a darn about OU, stop lumping me in with the rest in the thread. We're not all the same like you keep saying.

 
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