Iowa v. Nebraska: A Comparison

ChosenChildren

ChosenChildren

Well-Known Member
Obviously this rivalry will be played out on the field every year now, but a comparison of the programs over the past 10 years is interesting:

1. W-L record

Iowa 85-41
NE 84-46

2. Bowl Record

IA 6-3
NE 4-4

3. Top 10 finishes

IA 4
NE 1

4. Conference Championships

IA 2
NE 0

5. BCS appearances

IA 2
NE 1

6. BCS wins

IA 1
Ne 0

IOWA IS THE BETTER PROGRAM RIGHT NOW
 
Watch the Husker fans start posting...well lets look back the last 50 years though. Don't cloud Husker fans perspectives with facts. They just don't get it.
 
loesshillshawk said:
Watch the Husker fans start posting...well lets look back the last 50 years though. Don't cloud Husker fans perspectives with facts. They just don't get it.
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It's funny that Iowa fans like to cherry pick the timeline to make the comparison, but Nebraska fans can't. It is also hilarious to me that historical references can only be applied when they suit your needs. Why not go back the last 20 years, the last 30, or just simply include all of modern history.

Lies, damn, lies and statistics.

IOWA IS THE BETTER PROGRAM RIGHT NOW
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See the previous post. Last year Iowa went 8-5 and Nebraska went 10-4 in a better conference.

yup, a comparison of Iowas best decade of football and Nebraskas worst.
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This.
 
LOL!

It's not cherry picking the time-frame when you're trying to establish which program is better RIGHT NOW!

Nebraska fans had the benefit of having a longer string of consecutive great coaches ... and that is part of what helped build the great tradition that they have. Unfortunately, Iowa didn't have that same luxury. However, the luxury that Iowa DOES have is that Iowa has enjoyed great coaching continuity under Ferentz and that has equated to a pretty high level of success for the program.

I live in Lincoln and whether I like it or not, the Huskers are certainly a quality program right now. There's no disputing that. And, that is in large part due to the quality of the Husker faithful and the fact that Pelini has proven to be a pretty darn good coach.

I do not believe that it is a given that the Huskers will overtake Iowa. The issue there is that Pelini was hired because of his expertise on D ... and Osborn knew that the Huskers had to revive their defensive play for the program to flourish yet again. However, at this juncture, it also appears that Pelini doesn't have a clear vision of what he wants the Husker O to be. Like many defensive guys ... he obviously wants the O to be "multiple" ... and that's simply because such Os are harder to defend. Furthermore, in order to help the recruiting cause, he probably is predisposed to give the nod to spread Os too. However, the "problem" with Pelini's take on matters is that he doesn't have a clear vision for the O ... he doesn't really seem to have strong "convictions" with regard to the O.

In contrast, Ferentz has a clear vision of what he likes on O. Furthermore, he knew right away that he was going to hand the D over to Parker. Also, he knew that when you run a ball-control O, that it is critical that you place an emphasis on preventing the big play. Thus, Ferentz and Norm converged on a defensive philosophy VERY QUICKLY.

I think that those factors were also a reason why Iowa has been relatively consistent under Ferentz. I know that many Hawkeye fans loved Fry's "scratch where it itches" philosophy ... however, Fry was trying to do whatever he could to make Iowa a winner. The flip side of that approach was that the Hawks still rode a bit of a "roller coaster" under Fry. That's not to say that Iowa hasn't had its ups and downs under Ferentz ... however, I do believe that the bar is still being held a tad bit higher that it was before.
 
74Hunter said:
See the previous post. Last year Iowa went 8-5 and Nebraska went 10-4 in a better conference.
Click to expand...


Is it better because of teams like Texas that lost at HOME to ISU but yet beat Nebraska in Lincoln?

It is going to be fun watching Nebraska start off 0-2 in their new conference by getting pounded by Wisconsin and Ohio St.
 
hawkeyescott said:
Is it better because of teams like Texas that lost at HOME to ISU but yet beat Nebraska in Lincoln?

It is going to be fun watching Nebraska start off 0-2 in their new conference by getting pounded by Wisconsin and Ohio St.
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Is it better because of teams like Minnesota that lost at HOME to sdsu but yet beat iowa?
 
ChosenChildren said:
Obviously this rivalry will be played out on the field every year now, but a comparison of the programs over the past 10 years is interesting:

1. W-L record

Iowa 85-41
NE 84-46

2. Bowl Record

IA 6-3
NE 4-4

3. Top 10 finishes

IA 4
NE 1

4. Conference Championships

IA 2
NE 0

5. BCS appearances

IA 2
NE 1

6. BCS wins

IA 1
Ne 0

IOWA IS THE BETTER PROGRAM RIGHT NOW
Click to expand...

Your data actually shows that Iowa had the better program for the past 10 years, not now.
 
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74Hunter said:
It's funny that Iowa fans like to cherry pick the timeline to make the comparison, but Nebraska fans can't. It is also hilarious to me that historical references can only be applied when they suit your needs. Why not go back the last 20 years, the last 30, or just simply include all of modern history.

Lies, damn, lies and statistics.


See the previous post. Last year Iowa went 8-5 and Nebraska went 10-4 in a better conference.

This.
Click to expand...

Easy now.
 
I had to stop readying these posts because my blood was already starting to boil. I can't wait to play those SOBs!
 
hawkeyescott said:
Is it better because of teams like Texas that lost at HOME to ISU but yet beat Nebraska in Lincoln?
Click to expand...

Simply, the Big 12 had 5 teams finish in the top 20 last year, while the Big 10 had 3.

Both had putrid bowl records.

How does that have anything to do with the conference strength last year?
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I think that the OP mentioned something about the time period being the last 10 years, and this may be where these numbers come from (not sure).
 
74Hunter said:
Simply, the Big 12 had 5 teams finish in the top 20 last year, while the Big 10 had 3.

Both had putrid bowl records.


I think that the OP mentioned something about the time period being the last 10 years, and this may be where these numbers come from (not sure).
Click to expand...

Your comment was specifically about last year.

Here i'll even find it for ya.

See the previous post. Last year Iowa went 8-5 and Nebraska went 10-4 in a better conference
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homerHAWKeye777 said:
Nebraska fans had the benefit of having a longer string of consecutive great coaches ... and that is part of what helped build the great tradition that they have. Unfortunately, Iowa didn't have that same luxury. However, the luxury that Iowa DOES have is that Iowa has enjoyed great coaching continuity under Ferentz and that has equated to a pretty high level of success for the program
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True, and I guess that Crapahan (and to a certain extent, Solich) helped bring DONU down. Ferentz has done some very good things with Iowa football, but they have their down years here and there. I do think that he is a damn good coach.

I do not believe that it is a given that the Huskers will overtake Iowa.
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There are no givens at all, but some would say that DONU has already surpassed Iowa. It depends on your perspective.

However, at this juncture, it also appears that Pelini doesn't have a clear vision of what he wants the Husker O to be. Like many defensive guys ... he obviously wants the O to be "multiple" ... and that's simply because such Os are harder to defend.
Click to expand...
I disagree. I remember Pelini saying (way back when he was hired) that he wanted a spread offense similar to what Florida runs. Now, he wants one more like Oregon's (I'm not sure about the similarities or differences between the two).

The problem was, the offense was ok when he got here, so he kept a couple of the previous coaches to keep some sort of continuity to the offense while he fixed the defense. It was important, as in that first year, if our offense wasn't able to outscore opponents, we would never had won 9 games and the whole program could have spiraled into the tank. Now that the D is "fixed" and the O sucks, he got rid of the dead weight, i.e. an offensive coordinator who is schooled in the West Coast Offense and could never grasp the concept of how to integrate spread principles into the offense he was comfortable with. Mix in a OL coach who didn't buy into his OC, and it was a cocktail of crap. Hopefully, he has "his guys" who can instill "his vision." Time will tell, but there is some hope.

In contrast, Ferentz has a clear vision of what he likes on O. Furthermore, he knew right away that he was going to hand the D over to Parker. Also, he knew that when you run a ball-control O, that it is critical that you place an emphasis on preventing the big play. Thus, Ferentz and Norm converged on a defensive philosophy VERY QUICKLY.

I think that those factors were also a reason why Iowa has been relatively consistent under Ferentz. I know that many Hawkeye fans loved Fry's "scratch where it itches" philosophy ... however, Fry was trying to do whatever he could to make Iowa a winner. The flip side of that approach was that the Hawks still rode a bit of a "roller coaster" under Fry. That's not to say that Iowa hasn't had its ups and downs under Ferentz ... however, I do believe that the bar is still being held a tad bit higher that it was before.
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While I can't comment on this, obviously both Fry and KF have had a good level of success at Iowa.
 
I think 10 years is a reasonable time period to determine which program is better right now. Most reasonable people would come up with that time period or something close to that.

If you're talking about who's been the better program in the past 50 years, of course, it's not even close. You're talking about the last 10 years, it's Iowa by a smidge.
 
DexterMorgan said:
Your comment was specifically about last year.

Here i'll even find it for ya.
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Right, and last year, the Big 12 had 5 teams finish in the Top 20 while the Big 10 had 3. Simply the point I was trying to make.

I believe that the BCS games, MNC's etc that ShockRerun was referring to may have been over the last 10 or so years, but I am not sure.
 
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