LandOf10: Iowa-Nebraska series sizzling toward rivalry status

[JJ Husker]

 

 

In addition to the poll being fairly split, it would seem that if it were not at least somewhat a rivalry - there can be different degrees, can't there? - this thread would not be be on page five.

There are certainly degrees of rivalries. You could rank rivalries from the most inconsequential - when teams happen to be in the same division (Nebraska/Purdue) - to the most strident - when teams like Nebraska & Oklahoma competed yearly for conference supremacy. For example, Iowa has several rivalries, some more important than others.

 

In general, every team in your division is a rival, every team in the other division is a bit of a rival, every yearly or semi-frequent two opponents are rivals, etc.

 

It's where people's varying definitions of what is or isn't a rival that makes for conversation. To more than half the respondents on a Husker football message board, Iowa and Nebraska aren't "rivals" yet. That's probably the most damning thing for pro-rivalry folks. If you can't get consensus here, Joe Public isn't buying in.

 

I don't think 50 people voting on a message board is an indication of how "Joe Public" is or isn't buying in.

 

 

Maybe that's because you are wrong

[JJ Husker]

You know who I would rather consider as a rival than Iowa? Northwestern. They give us all we can handle every time they play us, or at least as much as they can that given season. The NW games have been far more exciting than almost every Nebraska vs Iowa game as B1G foes. Seriously, only the 2014 game stands out to me in memory other than 2015, and that's only because I was there and it was flipping cold

 

Agreed. The Iowa games thus far have just been plain boring and ugly.....and pathetic, did I mention pathetic?

Boring Iowa and Nebraska at their worst. No wonder I don't view it is a rivalry. A true rivalry game should hold your interest. So far I've prayed to fall asleep (or quit breathing) during these.

[Landlord]

I agree about the boringness of the Iowa/NU games, with the exception of 2014 which was a fantastic game. Every other year, at least one if not both teams fail to show up and provide any great excitement for the spectators.

 

If we're talking more about series that have been the most exciting and competitive, I'd say it has to be Penn State or Michigan State. MSU would get the nod as far as the series being more even and having higher stakes, but while we've won all 3 meetings with PSU, they've all been decided by either 3 points or less or decided late into the 4th quarter.

[Landlord]

Side note - I would love for the Nebraska/Iowa game to feature home vs home uniforms ala USC/UCLA.

[Redux]

I would like to move the Iowa or Northwestern game to Week 2 of the season. Gives the winner an early lead in the division and allows us to schedule a patsy late in the year like the SEC does. This would especially be grand if say OU were to join. Move Iowa to week 2, place OU on Black Friday, play Florida Atlantic the week before OU, profit.

[Redux]

Side note - I would love for the Nebraska/Iowa game to feature home vs home uniforms ala USC/UCLA.

Yes^

[JJ Husker]

Side note - I would love for the Nebraska/Iowa game to feature home vs home uniforms ala USC/UCLA.

Agree. There's no reason it couldn't be done with the color schemes involved.

[NUance]

 

You know who I would rather consider as a rival than Iowa? Northwestern. They give us all we can handle every time they play us, or at least as much as they can that given season. The NW games have been far more exciting than almost every Nebraska vs Iowa game as B1G foes.

Agreed. They've been good games nearly every year.

 

 

Might be again this year. NW is supposed to be pretty good this year. Especially on offense.

[JJ Husker]

I would like to move the Iowa or Northwestern game to Week 2 of the season. Gives the winner an early lead in the division and allows us to schedule a patsy late in the year like the SEC does. This would especially be grand if say OU were to join. Move Iowa to week 2, place OU on Black Friday, play Florida Atlantic the week before OU, profit.

 

I nominate Redux to be in charge of game scheduling henceforth.

[badgers007]

 

 

Wisconsin feels the same way about us as many in this thread feel about Iowa, except that we are even more of an afterthought to them.

Wouldn't go so far to say that Nebraska is any type of "afterthought" to Wisconsin, but the two programs do not have much history before 2011. They and the fan bases are still becoming familiar with one another.

 

Although Wisconsin and Minnesota has been one-sided (Badgers have won 13 in a row and 20 of the last 22), this is a long-standing rivalry that extends beyond football. The big one is reciprocity of tuition, meaning you see a lot of HS students from both states crossing borders. Outside of that, there is a large-contingent of Wisconsin alumni scattered throughout the Twin Cities and a number of towns/cities in Wisconsin are closer to Minneapolis than Madison/Milwaukee.

 

Really, for Wisconsin/Minnesota, the rivalry is personal and extends well beyond football, basketball and hockey.

 

 

As someone without a horse in the Iowa/Nebraska race, do you consider the Hawkeyes & Huskers a rivalry?

 

Do you speak with Iowa fans, and if so, do any of them consider the Nebraska game a rivalry?

 

 

Anyone else reading, keep in mind that I am an outsider to the Iowa/Nebraska matchup.

 

Spent much of my life in Madison. Grew up, went to high school, and eventually became a Wisconsin alumnus. Despite 100+ people from my graduating class ending up at Wisconsin with me, you can understand that many others wanted to leave. I would guess that close to 50 ended up at Minnesota (also some went to Iowa, which I will get into). Sort of plays along with my initial post of tuition reciprocity, among other factors, that deepens the Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe.

 

Now, Wisconsin/Iowa and Minnesota/Iowa also have longstanding rivalries. The former plays for the Heartland Trophy and the latter plays for Floyd, which is a pig. You likely are becoming more familiar with particular trophy games. Wisconsin/Iowa sees some overlap. Iowa City and Madison are, relatively, close to one another and many Iowa natives flock to Minnesota, whether it be Rochester or Minneapolis. Despite this, there is not the social/cultural overlap that you see from a Wisconsin/Minnesota perspective.

 

On the surface, I consider Iowa/Nebraska to be a bubbling rivalry. Its been a competitive series (3-3) since Nebraska joined the B1G. I am aware of the outcomes of each game. That being said, Iowa has deep roots in two other rivalries and Nebraska is still integrating itself into the B1G (congratulations on full-financial revenue, by the way). Because of that, I, personally don't look at this game as a fully-ingrained rivalry. However, I do like seeing the timing of this game after Thanksgiving. When the game kicks off, there is a tremendous atmosphere, which lends credit to Iowa and Nebraska's fantastic fan support. Assuming we keep seeing the back-and-forth nature of this series, and the continued animosity from the most die-hard on message boards, this rivalry will quickly become fully-ingrained.

 

I do speak with Iowa fans; some high school friends went there. As mentioned, Madison isn't very far. They, of course, don't speak for the entirety of Iowa's fan base, but there is a feeling of a rivalry. Might stem from the history etched in Nebraska and the fact that both programs were built on similar principles. Do Huskers fans dismiss Iowa based on their places in history?

[Guy Chamberlin]

Is it really still June?

[StPaulHusker]

Just to keep the non-rivalry going....

 

 

[Toe]

[Saunders]

[Redux]

I think we are skipping Rivalry and going straight to loathing.