[NU Sports] Iowa-Northwestern Rivalry?

[Mike Nolan]

> Two reporters for the Daily Iowan debate whether NU is truly a "rival" for their beloved Hogs:
> http://www.dailyiowan.com/2010/11/09/Sports/19943.html
> ?
> If the second half of the article doesn't get your blood boiling for this Saturday's kickoff, nothing will.

Naah, I'm long past the point where writers with a specific bias (eg, writing
for the fans of THEIR team) rile me up.

In general I agree with the contention that Northwestern vs Iowa is not
a rivalry.  In fact, I'm not sure Northwestern really HAS a rivalry, though
the Illinois game is about as close as it gets, at least for Northwestern fans.

Think of the classic rivalry games:

Michigan-Ohio State
USC-UCLA
Alabama-Auburn
Harvard-Yale
Florida-Florida State

A true rivalry requires that the fans of BOTH schools buy in to the concept,
eg, make the game more important than any other game in the season, if not the
entire rest of the season.   Neither Illinois nor Iowa fans have done that 
with the Cats yet, and it isn't likely to happen soon.

Two examples of rivalries that IMHO didn't happen are Nebraska vs Colorado and,
sadly, Nebraska vs Oklahoma.  

The last 3 or 4 Colorado coaches tried their best to make Nebraska their 
'rivalry' game, it generated big yawns among Husker fans, even when the Huskers 
got thumped a few times.  Unless they meet in a bowl game (what would 
traditionalsts think of THAT for the Rose Bowl?), it is unlikely that 
Colorado and Nebraska will play again in the next 30 years.  CU
has expressed no interest in setting up a non-conference series, nor 
has Nebraska.  

Oklahoma-Nebraska games may have been national attention getters in the 
late 60's and 70's, even into the late 80's and early 90's, at least until 
the OU program hit a down cycle, but for Sooner fans, the only game that 
REALLY mattered each year was Texas, and the same thing was true in
Austin, even the Aggie game was of secondary importance.

When the Big XII was formed, Oklahoma had no interest in making the Nebraska 
game a protected annual rivalry, and some of us thought back then that the 
Big XII was starting off on shaky footing.  How much that contributed to
Nebraska's decision in June to move to the Big Ten is debatable.  

If Iowa gets a true rivalry game going in the next decade, Nebraska's probably the 
best candidate, and the same thing is true with regards to creating a rivalry game
for the Huskers.  (I know a lot of people in Lincoln would like Penn State
to become a rivalry game, but once JoePa retires that sentiment may fade.)  

The Floyd of Rosedale game hasn't quite achieved that status yet (though it 
is getting close), and apparently neither did Iowa-Wisconsin, since that 
wasn't made a protected cross-division game.
--
Mike Nolan