I agree with “eventually”, but Iowa is going to need to win more divisional and conference titles for this to happen. Nebraska made their bones through the years, especially from the 70s through the Pelini era. Iowa has had its best run ever 2002 to present, a 15 year run of being a little above average is not going to cause the hatred needed for a rivalry amongst the players. I want to see the players hate each other as much as the fans, then it’s a rivalry.
Nebraska's Rivalries?
- Thread starter zrob_rivals105618
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Hard to argue with these two. Both have been good series since we joined the B1G and they aren't manufactured like the Iowa rivalry.
Don't get me wrong, I would be okay with Iowa being a rival, but the corporate-interests of the rivalry when we joined the conference sour it. I think that's something both sides can agree on.
Just to let you know Nebraska and Oklahoma players had the upmost respect for they other programs, there was never no will ill toward each other.
OU and Nebraska rivalry was out of respect for one another...
As our run was from 1962- 2003 you could say Iowa run started in 1981 when they upset us in Iowa City till the present.
I mostly agree, the player respect thing happens after the game. When both teams play against each other and the players on both sides are playing up to the whistle and maybe a little after then it’s a rivalry. Riley’s teams lack of “fight” was very evident in nearly every game for theee years.
I think the message board warriors make it worse than it appears. I have a ton of respect for Nebraska. All the way around, its a great school. But I am from Eastern Iowa and I know its pretty tense out West. But I have nothing but good experiences with Cornhuskers. Especially at the CWS. They will take the time to ask you where you are from and talk knowledgably about sports.
Unfortunately my Gophers stopped being your "rival" in the 60's.Nebraska really doesn't have a true rivalry anymore, especially after they left the Big 12, or at least the rivalries we had are not nearly as strong as they were.
Name the top 5 teams that are currently Nebraska's biggest rivalries in your opinion... There are no wrong answers!
When 84-13 happened my Gophers waved the white flag and we didn't play again, till you joined the BigTen. I am hopeful that some day soon we can resurrect a strong series. Don't know if we'd ever truly be rivals. Especially Since Gopher fans are too preoccupied with Badgers, and Hawkeyes.Iowa and Michigan State have always been the outliers in the BIg10 without a natural one-and-only rival. In the west there is Wisconsin/ Minnesota, Northwestern/Illinois and Purdue/Indiana in the east Michigan/Ohio State all of which make sense geographically enhanced by a hundred years of tradition. But Iowa and Michigan State? Not so much.
Michigan State and Penn State were thrust upon each other much like Iowa and Nebraska but the Sparty/Nits match up just doesn't seem to be a good fit at least to me. Can't put my finger on it exactly probably a combination of lack of history and geographic proximity. it feels made up.
Iowa and Nebraska however seem much better suited to be rivals by way of geography and culture so its a natural...plus Iowa needs a date.
Go Blue!
If you are talking football, respectfully disagree. Floyd of Rosedale is still a big game. If and it is a big if Minnesota can be more consistent, Iowa vs Minnesota will be a strong rivalry again. Same with Minnesota vs Wisconsin. The Little Brown Jug is the one most Gopher fans really want, but most of us know it isn't a rivalry.
If we are talking all sports, then I agree that Wisconsin is the main rival for Minnesota.
With that said, Iowa vs Nebraska could and should be a big rivalry.
Nebraska should view Wisconsin as it's biggest rival, the road to Indianapolis now runs through Madison and nobody has been tougher on Nebraska since they entered the big Ten than the Badgers.
Too soon. I do get your point, but it will take time. Right now, it's just the biggest game for both teams on their schedules. Up to that point in the season anyway.
IMHO What makes Iowa and Nebraska more of a rivalry is that it goes well beyond the game. That and Iowa and Northwestern have shown that they can be more than spoilers. Iowa has been a fundamentally sound and stable program since the early 80's. The only real down time was the end of Frye and the beginning of the Ferentz eras.
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Agreed, but I was talking about THE rivalry. Michigan's rivalry with Michigan State, Ohio States budding rivalry with Penn State, Minnesota and Iowa all undeniable rivalries.
But ask your average Hawkeye prior to Nebraska joining the Big10 who was Iowa's main rival and I wager you would get a fair distribution between Iowa State, Wisconsin & Minnesota with Iowa State leading the pack. That wouldn't happen with Michigan/Ohio State, Indiana/Purdue or Northwestern/Illinois fans...they know.
Iowa State may always be Iowa's main rival and they probably should be. But Nebraska could be THE Big10 rival that Iowa needs and vice versa.
Go Blue!
You are truly talking out of your a$$. Iowa vs MN is one of the oldest and best rivalries in the sport. We have rivalries with Wiscy and MN in the B10 that have been going for decades. Iowa needs another "the" big 10 rival like michigan needs another 8 win season.
Oh undoubtedly. The College Football Nation holds its collective breath and the Big10 grinds to a halt when the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale is on.
Go Blue!
Uh, sorry, not the biggest game for UW, Iowa is much scarier to us and Northwestern has killed us too and is pretty closeby.
Nebraska/WIsconsin makes sense on a lot of levels, even girls volleyball.
1. Historically means nothing today. Back in Nebraska's era, you had facilities that were second to none, a great weight program, a walk on program that was phenomenal, and there were 105 scholarships per team(allowing you to stash talent when everyone played 4-5 years of college). And the OU/NU game was many times between 2 top 10 teams. None of this is true today.
2. Back in the Championship Era", there was limited TV market. The television world only showed games for the top 10-20 teams. The pulbicity world has totally changed. There was no ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU, no BTN , SECN, FS1/2, etc. Today is a totally different landscape for viewing. The rest of the nation does not care about Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio State, etc, except when they are ranked ahead of their team. They are going to spend the day watching their team play.
3. Recruiting world has changed. All of the Rivals/Nike/Etc. camps, the star rating services, and the 7 on 7 competition. Twitter, Instagram and other social media has players recruiting each other.
4. Graduate transfer rules, 3rd year players moving onto the NFL, and coaches lasting 3 years or less has changed the landscape.
5. Conference growth and realignments into divisions has changed the landscape.
At the end of the day, you can try to create/desire a rivalry, but they are far and few between. If your desire is for a rivalry that means something to the rest of the nation, it just is not going to happen. The short attention span of the world will limit any new rivalries. Rivalries will be created between coaches that hate each other, fans that hate each other, and sometimes the media trying to create a rivalry. Rivalries can be passed down from generation to generation, but there is too much other entertainment in the world to occupy peoples imagination today, except here with a little friendly bantering.
Wanting a "Rivalry" is hanging onto the past. Your rivalry is the next team you play, and what was the outcome of the last 3 years playing them. The trophies are for show and tell, and what the media tries to extract out of them. The media needs a story, but the rest of the world does not care. I do not care about the Auburn/Alabama game unless it moves my team up the rankings.
2. Back in the Championship Era", there was limited TV market. The television world only showed games for the top 10-20 teams. The pulbicity world has totally changed. There was no ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU, no BTN , SECN, FS1/2, etc. Today is a totally different landscape for viewing. The rest of the nation does not care about Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio State, etc, except when they are ranked ahead of their team. They are going to spend the day watching their team play.
3. Recruiting world has changed. All of the Rivals/Nike/Etc. camps, the star rating services, and the 7 on 7 competition. Twitter, Instagram and other social media has players recruiting each other.
4. Graduate transfer rules, 3rd year players moving onto the NFL, and coaches lasting 3 years or less has changed the landscape.
5. Conference growth and realignments into divisions has changed the landscape.
At the end of the day, you can try to create/desire a rivalry, but they are far and few between. If your desire is for a rivalry that means something to the rest of the nation, it just is not going to happen. The short attention span of the world will limit any new rivalries. Rivalries will be created between coaches that hate each other, fans that hate each other, and sometimes the media trying to create a rivalry. Rivalries can be passed down from generation to generation, but there is too much other entertainment in the world to occupy peoples imagination today, except here with a little friendly bantering.
Wanting a "Rivalry" is hanging onto the past. Your rivalry is the next team you play, and what was the outcome of the last 3 years playing them. The trophies are for show and tell, and what the media tries to extract out of them. The media needs a story, but the rest of the world does not care. I do not care about the Auburn/Alabama game unless it moves my team up the rankings.
When you say Iowa needs "the" rival for the big10 you can't hide behind what the nation would want. Yes, Iowa, the team you don't know **** about, does stop everything for Floyd. It's a real rivalry founded in racism and a team (Iowa) having one of its guys backs to the point the Governors thought a Brawl was going to break out the next time they played. It's authentic, MN was affraid to stay in Iowa city because they were affraid fans would attack the hotel.... and you think Hyvee can manufacture that? Again, you don't know what the f you are talking about.
Unfortunately my Gophers stopped being your "rival" in the 60's.
I was actually talking about the Gophers being rivals to Wisconsin and Iowa being "rivals" to Nebraska. You guys are definitely on the rise though.
Did you just attempt, in a very small brain way I might add, to call me racist? Yupp you have the first part of the history down now add Floyd, Rosedale farms, "big blue", the significance in ag at the time of state fairs and you might have an idea of a true rivalry. Again, nothing a corporate sponsor can manufacture. I am not sure where you were attempting to go with the Iowa vs MN isn't national but again Iowa has true rivalries with people that have legitimate creations that have grown throughout time. If Nebraska needs a "the" rival may be purdont or NW could take them on but we already have real rivals not a corporate sponser. Then again a Michigan fan thinking corporate sponsorship having a value does kinda make sense.
I find the Volleyball quote interesting.
I guess you missed this post from me: "If and it is a big if Minnesota can be more consistent, Iowa vs Minnesota will be a strong rivalry again. Same with Minnesota vs Wisconsin."..."If we are talking all sports, then I agree that Wisconsin is the main rival for Minnesota."
Not that Nebraska was involved in anyway, but wasn't Iowa very close to being national champs in 1985? IIRC they had some solid teams in the 80's as well.
Yes they did that is why they Hate Ronnie Harmon's guts. Fans swear he threw the game for a payoff in the Rose Bowl...
He didn't play on defense and Eric Ball ran wild on the Iowa defense and won 45-28 I believe.
I can see now why so many Nebraska fans think Hawkeyes are douchebags.
Go Blue!
As you've pretty much defined, there are three types of rivalries. Long time traditional rivalries- USC/Notre Dame, OSU/Michigan, Nebraska/Oklahoma... Geographic rivalries- Alabama/Auburn, Muichigan/MSU... and mini-rivalries because two teams end up playing each other evenly, especially if the games are for championship stakes. Of course there can be crossover reasons among these three types.
OSU and Nebraska have neither a geographic or long time traditional reason to be rivalries. It makes it even less likely as they are in separate Divisions, but If our teams start meeting each other routinely in Indianapolis at the end of the year, we certainly could become rivals. That would be a fun rivalry, I'd like to see that.
Thats a whole lot of words to say next to nothing.
Agreed. That's definitely a "mini rivalry" I hope and think we will be seeing in the BIG Title game in the near future (fingers crossed).
Iowa didn't play ISU from 1934 to 1976.
Iowa and Minnesota for Floyd is the top rivalry game for Iowa, based on a legitimate trophy.
Iowa-ISU have revamped the trophy more than once, since 1977.
The Iowa-Wisconsin trophy is lame too. Like the Nebraska-OU rivalry, the Iowa-UW series went away annually, with Nebraska's entry into the famed Legends division with Iowa.
The GornDog and his fat friend Farrell. They are already Rivals and seem to want to be our rivalsNebraska really doesn't have a true rivalry anymore, especially after they left the Big 12, or at least the rivalries we had are not nearly as strong as they were.
Name the top 5 teams that are currently Nebraska's biggest rivalries in your opinion... There are no wrong answers!
I think its going to be hard to get the people from say out here in North Platte to consider Iowa a circled rival just because we share a border.
Firstly we hardly ever see Iowans out here so there's not much of a relationship for us out this way, secondly not only does, in my opinion Nebraska have to win sometime to make it interesting, Nebraska has to have something on the line.
You can't just shake and bake a rivalry, at least not for me, I don't bother spending my life hating someone because they root for a team other than my own. And I'd rather have a respected rival than a contemptuous one.
Firstly we hardly ever see Iowans out here so there's not much of a relationship for us out this way, secondly not only does, in my opinion Nebraska have to win sometime to make it interesting, Nebraska has to have something on the line.
You can't just shake and bake a rivalry, at least not for me, I don't bother spending my life hating someone because they root for a team other than my own. And I'd rather have a respected rival than a contemptuous one.
The same can be said for Eastern Iowans with regards to Nebraska. They don't interact with Nebraskans as much, that's why so many of them view Wisconsin or Minnesota as Iowa's rival. Iowa is a little different in that who you view as the Hawkeye's main rival depends on where you live. If you are in the eastern side of Iowa it is probably Wisconsin, to the north it would be Minnesota, western Iowa it is Nebraska, and in the Des Moines area maybe Iowa State because the Cyclones are just annoying, it's a game that should probably be dumped in order to free up our scheduling anyway.
There is something that is real and true about the rivalry with Minnesota though, there is lots of history, Floyd of Rosedale isn't some corporate creation, and Minnesota fans still chant "Who Hates Iowa? We Do!" at every Gopher sporting event no matter the opponent.
There is also something real and visceral about the hatred flowing through western Iowa for the Huskers. As an Iowa fan growing up and living on this side of the state, we've been bombarded with Husker propaganda spewing out of Omaha our entire lives. Every year we beat you is another year of bragging rights. Nebraska fans haven't had much of anything to say the last couple of years. It's been nice.
Nebraska is in a different place from their past, a new conference, new competitions, it's going to take time to acclimate. True rivalries have to be organic in nature and generally develop over time. I will say that several ingredients are already in the pot for an Iowa/Nebraska rivalry. Ingredient one, proximity. Ingredient two, success against each other. Ingredient three, denial. The fact that so many Husker fans are so quick to deny Iowa as a rival and so dismissive of Iowa is actual proof that there is something there. The meanest thing you can do to a competitor is be dismissive of them & deny their existence when you secretly hate losing to them. Several consecutive years of the Iowa/Nebraska game being for the West division and a trip to a BTCCG is the next ingredient needed. Huskers will come to hate the Hawkeyes when Iowa stands in their path a few times and takes from them, denying them of the championship they want, and vice versa for Iowa fans.
There is something that is real and true about the rivalry with Minnesota though, there is lots of history, Floyd of Rosedale isn't some corporate creation, and Minnesota fans still chant "Who Hates Iowa? We Do!" at every Gopher sporting event no matter the opponent.
There is also something real and visceral about the hatred flowing through western Iowa for the Huskers. As an Iowa fan growing up and living on this side of the state, we've been bombarded with Husker propaganda spewing out of Omaha our entire lives. Every year we beat you is another year of bragging rights. Nebraska fans haven't had much of anything to say the last couple of years. It's been nice.
Nebraska is in a different place from their past, a new conference, new competitions, it's going to take time to acclimate. True rivalries have to be organic in nature and generally develop over time. I will say that several ingredients are already in the pot for an Iowa/Nebraska rivalry. Ingredient one, proximity. Ingredient two, success against each other. Ingredient three, denial. The fact that so many Husker fans are so quick to deny Iowa as a rival and so dismissive of Iowa is actual proof that there is something there. The meanest thing you can do to a competitor is be dismissive of them & deny their existence when you secretly hate losing to them. Several consecutive years of the Iowa/Nebraska game being for the West division and a trip to a BTCCG is the next ingredient needed. Huskers will come to hate the Hawkeyes when Iowa stands in their path a few times and takes from them, denying them of the championship they want, and vice versa for Iowa fans.
Very good post and spot on...Neither program has denied the other in winning the division and when this happens the rivalry will take off.5 of the 7 years it has just been a game on the schedule at the end of the year..
I get that the western part of Iowa has more haters to Wisconsin and the northern part of Iowa hates Minnesota.
But Wisconsin and Minnesota also have a longer standing rivalry then no other in the conference regardless how lopsided it may be.
Don’t know who was behind the idea switching the games starting in 2020 with Nebraska playing Minnesota and Iowa playing Wisconsin, whether it was Delaney or Eichorst agreeing to getting rid of Black Friday games.
Myself I would rather keep Iowa as our rival for Black Friday.
Wisconsin vs Minnesota is the most played rivalry (FBS).
Agree! I've heard from a few players that the Iowa vs Minnesota is the hardest hitting. Going back to the OP, I could see Nebraska vs Iowa eventually becoming very heated for many reasons. Especially recruiting and sharing a border.
Edit: BTW I think Floyd is a cool trophy. I like the Jug, because that is the one that started it all, and the Axe is a very menacing trophy. Wisconsin fans will say the rivalry means nothing to them, but they refuse to return the slab of bacon, so it must mean something...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota–Wisconsin_football_rivalry
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They(Wisconsin) lead the series by one game (the series is full of streaks). Otherwise, I pretty much agree with your post. Funny thing is I think we've played Nebraska more than any other team in the conference. The programs however went in different directions. Nebraska fully supported football and it showed. Football became an after thought at Minnesota starting in the late 60's. The lack of support, the south opening their football programs to all, and other things lined up with the steady decline in football. That destroyed might have been a decent series between Minnesota and Nebraska. Nebraska adjusted. Minnesota did not.
Although I doubt Minnesota is even on Nebraska's radar, my hope is that Minnesota will continue to improve and one day make the series interesting again. Iowa and Wisconsin will always be there for us. A meaningful Nebraska vs Minnesota series would be a nice addition. I'm a fan, I'm allowed to dream.
I want Nebraska on Black Friday too. If the game in 2018 has the division title on the line, the rivalry will take off, as you said. I always enjoy when Nebraska loses but I’m starting to want the game to mean something. Iowa has pounded Nebraska the last two times but it’s an empty celebration because Iowa doesn’t go anywhere with it.
I don’t think I could hate Nebraska even more but if they were to beat Iowa in a head to head game to go to the CCG, I would probably hate even more. From what I’ve seen on this board, I think a lot of Nebraska fans will feel the same towards Iowa.
I don't like Iowa but I certainly respect their coach and the way they play. I think mutual respect is good for a healthy rivalry.
Not ALL NU fans have unhealthy and disrespectful thoughts about Iowa
I worked the entire state for 7-8 years and lived in Des Moines for 2-3
Iowa has OWNED NU of late- that is legit
Iowa knows who they are and have had some reasonable success
Heck theyve been pulling some good kids out of Nebraska since the 80s- kids that NU slow plays
Iowa has a good track record of developing lower ranked kids
They have very good fan support
Iowa City is beautiful place in the Fall
Fans are a bit harsh sometimes
Not giving Iowa their due- isnt cool, pooh poohing them is disingenuous IMO
They are a rival- like it or not- for now anyways
It is what it is
GBR
I worked the entire state for 7-8 years and lived in Des Moines for 2-3
Iowa has OWNED NU of late- that is legit
Iowa knows who they are and have had some reasonable success
Heck theyve been pulling some good kids out of Nebraska since the 80s- kids that NU slow plays
Iowa has a good track record of developing lower ranked kids
They have very good fan support
Iowa City is beautiful place in the Fall
Fans are a bit harsh sometimes
Not giving Iowa their due- isnt cool, pooh poohing them is disingenuous IMO
They are a rival- like it or not- for now anyways
It is what it is
GBR