** 2024 Opponent Preview : Iowa (Game 12) **

The whole West (and most of the East) was a pile of s#!t last year. Iowa was merely the most polished turd.

 
Many preseason polls that are coming out now, do have Iowa in the Top 25.  However, Phil Steele has them at #11......  ELEVEN

And yet, most of us here on Huskerboard are correct to think we shall beat them this year.  Maybe it's because it's a rivalry game (admo ducks and hides!!!) but also, we've played them pretty close most of the time, lost games we couldve won, and also, Iowa kinda sucks every - even though they win 10-11 times a season.  It's crazy

 
admo said:
Many preseason polls that are coming out now, do have Iowa in the Top 25.  However, Phil Steele has them at #11......  ELEVEN

And yet, most of us here on Huskerboard are correct to think we shall beat them this year.  Maybe it's because it's a rivalry game (admo ducks and hides!!!) but also, we've played them pretty close most of the time, lost games we couldve won, and also, Iowa kinda sucks every - even though they win 10-11 times a season.  It's crazy
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People who don't consider Iowa a rival are living in the past. While our success against them hasn't been great recently, since the end of the Riley era, it's always been close, and there is a mutual hatred between the two fan bases. Also, both fan bases consider themselves above the rivalry by claiming other rivals. This is the rivalry going forward for Nebraska.

 
admo said:
Many preseason polls that are coming out now, do have Iowa in the Top 25.  However, Phil Steele has them at #11......  ELEVEN
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I think he's just wrong on Iowa. First, he's basically treating this as last year's Iowa with a better offense. Well, Iowa was about 3 games over what their performance dictated they should have been last year. Second, and the real story to Iowa in 2024.....do they have a new offense or is this just someone else running Kirk's offense. The spring suggested it's probably still business as usual.

If they somehow magically transform arguably football's worst offense from last year and if they defense stays the same, they return a ton of talent so it's not that far fetched to suggest 11th. However, they're going to have to sell me on it. Defense doesn't tend to be as consistent year to year as offense and that offense has a ton of room to go to just win back the 3 games they're due from last year.

 
whateveritis1224 said:
People who don't consider Iowa a rival are living in the past.
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I'll be perfectly honest, and more than a bit blunt. I don't care about any Big Ten team. I haven't since they day we joined. Every single one of them feels like a non-conference opponent and probably always will. Most of us have been on this board more than a day or two, to put it mildly, and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not alone in that opinion.

 
whateveritis1224 said:
People who don't consider Iowa a rival are living in the past. While our success against them hasn't been great recently, since the end of the Riley era, it's always been close, and there is a mutual hatred between the two fan bases. Also, both fan bases consider themselves above the rivalry by claiming other rivals. This is the rivalry going forward for Nebraska.
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Maybe this is true for some fans, but I don't care about Iowa at all. Don't really care about beating them any more than the other teams in the conference. I'd much rather beat the top teams (tOSU, Mich, and Penn St right now) or even Wisconsin since they've had our number since we joined the conference.

brophog said:
I'll be perfectly honest, and more than a bit blunt. I don't care about any Big Ten team. I haven't since they day we joined. Every single one of them feels like a non-conference opponent and probably always will. Most of us have been on this board more than a day or two, to put it mildly, and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not alone in that opinion.
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x1000

The B1G is a business partnership. Could trade out any of the teams and it would make no difference.

 
whateveritis1224 said:
People who don't consider Iowa a rival are living in the past. While our success against them hasn't been great recently, since the end of the Riley era, it's always been close, and there is a mutual hatred between the two fan bases. Also, both fan bases consider themselves above the rivalry by claiming other rivals. This is the rivalry going forward for Nebraska.
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Honest question, do you live in Nebraska?  I think that feeling is there for people living close to Iowa, but to many of us who live out of state it still feels very meh.   I do agree that we aren't likely to gain another rival, just because we won't be playing teams year in and year out anymore. 

 
brophog said:
I think he's just wrong on Iowa. First, he's basically treating this as last year's Iowa with a better offense. Well, Iowa was about 3 games over what their performance dictated they should have been last year. Second, and the real story to Iowa in 2024.....do they have a new offense or is this just someone else running Kirk's offense. The spring suggested it's probably still business as usual.

If they somehow magically transform arguably football's worst offense from last year and if they defense stays the same, they return a ton of talent so it's not that far fetched to suggest 11th. However, they're going to have to sell me on it. Defense doesn't tend to be as consistent year to year as offense and that offense has a ton of room to go to just win back the 3 games they're due from last year.
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Steele was on the radio in Omaha yesterday.  His Iowa ranking is based entirely on their weak schedule.  He thinks Nebraska will beat them.

 
Growing up not in Nebraska and everyone hating on Nebraska I never had a personal connection to any rivalry.  It wasn't until Nebraska joined the BIG10 until I had that.  I worked at a bar in Chicago and for some reason every other person there was an Iowa grad.  So s#!t talking was common.  One of the owners was also a Michigan grad but that never really seamed like a rivalry.  Iowa is a very natural rival.  Its the closest to an in state rival Nebraska has.  Texas-texas a&m, oklahoms - okie st,  alabama - auburn, Indiana - Purdue, Duke - UNC, Florida schools.  Embrace the rivalry and make it fun

 
brophog said:
I'll be perfectly honest, and more than a bit blunt. I don't care about any Big Ten team. I haven't since they day we joined. Every single one of them feels like a non-conference opponent and probably always will. Most of us have been on this board more than a day or two, to put it mildly, and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not alone in that opinion.
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If and when we get good again, some team will repeatedly break our hearts, and become the mountain to get over in our quest for glory.  That will be the new rivalry. 

 
funhusker said:
Steele was on the radio in Omaha yesterday.  His Iowa ranking is based entirely on their weak schedule.
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You can't be predicted to be 11th just on a weak schedule. Not with an offense that bad. They simply play in way too many close games and if you can't put together more than a couple of scores then every conference opponent is good enough to potentially win.

 
brophog said:
You can't be predicted to be 11th just on a weak schedule. Not with an offense that bad. They simply play in way too many close games and if you can't put together more than a couple of scores then every conference opponent is good enough to potentially win.
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He called it something else.  It wasn’t a true “ranking”.

But I guess if people want to tell Phil Steele he doesn’t understand Phil Steele’s rankings that’s  their choice…




Edit: found the interview.  I haven’t relistened.  But I swear that’s what I heard the first time.

Second edit: after listening to the Iowa part again I’m not sure what I was listening to. But it’s around the seven minute mark they start talking he defends his Iowa choice.

 
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