Revisiting Football Season Finale Options

Awww, you guys like us.

Like Ross said, it’s been an exciting, evenly matched series through the Ferentz era. Minnesota has been lopsided, we haven’t played Nebraska frequently enough lately (granted we have only played PSU 22 times) and for some reason just not excited enough about Wisconsin.

If Iowa plays Nebraska, we’ll be stuck with MSU.

No!

NCAA rules allow an extra game to a team that plays at Hawaii, because otherwise nobody would schedule them out of conference due to the logistical/$$$ nightmare that is traveling halfway around the world for a football game. That’s why Wisconsin has played @ Hawaii so many times (note that the Warriors haven’t traveled to Madison)

How do the rules change when we go to divisions and a championship game? Probably a lot.

but i’m sure we’ll always play the goofers, we tend to stick to some traditions well past their shelf life. no getting around playing a finale opponent who owns the “who hates Iowa?” cheer.

I like playing PSU at about the half-way point of Iowa’s Big ten season, or early in the Big Ten season.

And, for pretty much all of my life that I can remember, Iowa has played Minnesota for the pig for the last game of the year. While I don’t really like the idea of messing with that, there are two things that would let me consider making it the second-to-last game. First, Minnesota has really only “showed up” for the game about one out of every three times in the Ferentz era. Second, I do wonder how cold a trip it will be to “The Bank.”

Therefore, I voted for making Nebraska our new year-end game. I figure, Wisconsin has one of “our” basketball recruits, so let’s pay them back by stealing their hopes for the Nebraska year-end game. If they really want a year-end rivalry game, let them start it with the other NU (jNW).

and not only because of the convenient (and wildy entertaining) drive east from Denver to Lincoln.

let’s face it – Nebraska is still a big name nationally, and playing them annually would do a lot for Iowa. the tradition, the fanatic Husker fans, national perception, etc.

let’s think big picture here – 50 yrs, 75 yrs, etc. in that context, who cares about losing a rivalry with Minnesota. unless all of you believe in Brewster’s ability to take the Goofies to new heights…

FWIW

Bugeaters. Western Interstate University Football Association/Missouri Valley Conference/Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association foes (also a reason Missouri would be a good Iowa rival, Frank Holbrook etc). Split the conference title in 1907. There’s tradition there, but it’s been in a steamer trunk in great grandpappy’s attic for quite a few years. I think it could be brought out, polished up, and put up on the mantle again.

Did you know that once upon a time, the Hawkeyes were called the Cornhuskers and the Cornhuskers were called the Hawkeyes?

because a) it’s a fun game with honest rivalry blood lust; b) we usually win and that often catapults us to bigger and better things and; b2) with a looming Championship game the final game of the season is only a big deal to the lesser schools—I would hope Iowa plans on making it to the championship game often. Why have back-to-back ball buster games in that case.

because that game could become what Nebraska/Oklahoma used to be—a signature game on national television that everyone talks about. We already know that we can play with the big boys like UNL, but doing so in a signature game would raise our profile to the point where fans and recruits across the country think of us as a national power.

I understand the desire to always finish the season at home—at Kinnick or TCF, it’s always going to be full of Hawkeye fans. That’s not going to happen in Lincoln. But if we want to be considered one of the big boys, we have to finish the season with another big boy and not a cupcake like the Gophers.

Nebraska already has a yearly game on ABC at 2:30 p.m. every Friday after Thanksgiving. When I lived in Lincoln and went to school at UNL, it was a blast. In the few years since, I find an excuse to party. Thursday is for the family. Friday is for the friends and letting loose.

It would quickly become akin to Michigan-Ohio State if the two teams were good the first few years.

but I would be perfectly happy with Penn State or Nebraksa. As a side note, I think having Penn State vs Nebraska for the end of the season would be great as well.

Is the reason why I will vote for Nebraska. Hlas is right. They travel like we do but have the bigger name. If it was NU vs. Iowa for the Orange Bowl, they would have gone.

There is only one thing to do about that, which is beat them in the final game.

1. Border status means easy travel for Nebby in bad November weather.
2. I prefer PSU/Iowa as the conference opener.
3. Wisco and Minny is the most played rivalry in college football so they should be playing each other at the end of the year. Also, both teams’ fans like to tell us Hawk fans how much more they care about their rivalry than the one they have with Iowa…. usually after Iowa has beat them down, of course.
4. Nebby and Iowa fans already like to talk trash with each other and we haven’t even played in over a decade.
5. Bielema can take his twitter campaign and shove it.

Colors.

Nebraska wears red. Wisconsin wears an almost identical shade of red. Helmets are similar. Jerseys are similar.

Are you telling me that my buddies who’ve drunk themselves to Nolte Level 3 will be able to tell the difference in the 4th quarter? Some sad sack will go nuts when a Badger breaks a long TD run and his brahs will throw him off a balcony.

This must be prevented at all costs. Iowa-Nebraska: let’s keep each other safe out there.

Given the proximitiy of the two schools and coupled with the fact all of the denizens of the great state of Iowa vacation and secretly want to live in Minnesota, having Minnesota v Iowa as the regular season finale seems obvious to me.
Heck, even the cult hero Dan Gable spends his summers up here with us on Leech Lake.
Why would anyone want to change?

I married into a Cornhusker family and have respectfully cheered for them on the Friday after Thanksgiving against the Buffs. I would love to replace that tradition with one that has me decked out in Black and Gold screaming my guts out for the Hawks to whoop the Huskers. We can still beat Minnesota the week before.

wants to keep the same end of year rivals which they might for the sake of tradition. Wisc/Neb would have to happen because everyone else already plays someone at the end of the year. Minn would also be a good warm up game before the Big10ish conf champ game

I just made it in paintbrush and I think it looks pretty badass if i do say so myself

(I live in the Omaha Metro)
Husker fans think they are an elite, powerhouse, legendary, God of a program. They are so cocky and smug they pretty much pretend Iowa Football isn’t worthy of being in the same stadium. To have us as their designated “Rival” would force them to not only acknowledge us, but even better than that, it would really piss them off since they would expect to be paired with Michigan/tOSU/PSU and be assigned more our equal. It would be hilarious. I’m already excited to never have to hear “the Big Ten is Weak” or “If we played Iowa we’d kill you” ever again. Thinking of this possibility, there is a decent chance one of us could be undefeated going into that final weekend and if it is them I really really really want to be the ones to dash their hopes at a Big Ten Title in the last game. Nothing could be better. Minnesota? You have to be kidding me. Who cares about Minnesota? Please let Nebraska happen. I love the idea of taking over their annual Colorado game after Thanksgiving. Farmageddon? The Corn Wars? How could this NOT happen?