In my lifetime…I think Iowa’s two best teams were in 1985 and 2002. The 1985 team was ranked #1 for five weeks of that season. On 10/19/85, #1 ranked Iowa beat #2 ranked Michigan. Iowa went on to finish 10-2 with QB Chuck Long the runner-up to Bo Jackson in the closest Heisman race ever. In 2002, they finished 8-0 in conference, 11-2 overall, with QB Brad Banks finishing runner-up in the Heisman voting. From 2002 to 2004 Iowa finished season ranked #8 in final AP rankings for 3 consecutive years. I’m not saying that compares with Nebraska’s history, but not the irrelevant program that you think Iowa has been. With 138 FBS Division 1 teams and Iowa generally finishing in top 25, that’s certainly not an irrelevant program.
Regarding some of Iowa’s most memorable games…I already mentioned Iowa’s 1985 win over #2 Michigan when Iowa was ranked #1 in the nation. A 2008 win over #2 Penn State, which ruined the Nittany Lions national title hopes. A 2005 Capital One Bowl win over an LSU team coached by Nick Saban. A 2010 Orange Bowl win when #9 Iowa beat #10 Georgia Tech. A 2021 win of #3 Iowa beating #4 Penn State. My dad tells me about a 1957 Rose Bowl win…#3 Iowa beat #10 Oregon State. Also, since you Nebraska fans really like history…how can we forget Iowa’s 1939 7-6 win over #1 Notre Dame that likely cemented Nile Kinnick’s Heisman Trophy win.