Is Nebraska football engaged in a rivalry with the Iowa Hawkeyes? When you poll the Husker fanbase, you're likely to get several different answers. While it appears the majority of Cornhusker fans are willing to admit it is at least a budding rivalry, there isn't much of a true consensus.

This seems to both Hawkeye fans to no end. The most interesting way that fanbase shows how much it annoys them the Huskers aren't willing to admit they are rivals. Often times that frustration is demonstrated by apparently trying to goad Nebraska into being a rival.

That explains the recent rant by Iowa anchor Andy Fales.

Nebraska football irrelevant to the Big 10?

Fales recently did an on-camera editorial where he ripped into Husker fans. The anchor referenced a recent article by Iowa writer Scott Dochterman talking about the growing rivalry between the two teams. Husker fans took quite a bit of offense apparently.

In response, Fales took quite a bit of offense himself. In the two minute video, the Iowa anchor took potshot after potshot at the Huskers and their fans. Some of the shots were old, quaint and not particularly funny. There was the joke about Nebraska football only being above Iowa if fans stood on the roof of their outhouses (does Iowa really get to make jobs about rural communities?)

Fales also claimed Cornhusker fans are stuck in the 1990s and still believe the program is as good as it was back then.

This, of course, ignores the fact that literally no one in Nebraska believes the program is as good as it was. The fanbase wouldn't be nearly as surly as it is if this was the case.

The rivalry

Fales made two other comments that stuck out and should stick out to Nebraska football fans in general. The anchor talked about the fact that in order to have a rivalry, you need a back and forth.

He pointed out the Hawkeyes' football team has won four in a row and five of the last six. He ignored the fact that the overall record when the two teams play favors the Huskers 29-17-3. Even if you only take from the 1980s on, the Cornhuskers lead the season series 7-5.

This is a matchup that has back and forth. Even Nebraska vs Oklahoma had winning streaks by each team.

NU once won seven in a row and eight of nine against the Sooners and still called that game a rivalry. The other interesting point Fales brought out in his "What's Bugging Andy" segment was the postseason last year. The anchor made a joke about Iowa being in the Outback Bowl, while the Nebraska football team was just wandering, out back.

That comment underlines why some Husker fans have a hard time calling the matchup with Iowa a rivalry. They are used to rivalries being about which team is going to be competing for a national title. Not which team is going to qualify for a third-tier bowl.
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