What would the stories look like had Nebraska played Iowa's schedule and vice versa?
LINCOLN, Nebraska — The Nebraska Cornhuskers look to improve their bowl position Friday when they take on the struggling Iowa Hawkeyes in the regular-season finale at 12:30 p.m. in Memorial Stadium.
In Coach Scott Frost's season of redemption, the Huskers (7-4, 5-3) try to regain some of the momentum they had early in the season after a 5-1 start that included a home victory against Penn State — Frost's first win against a ranked team — after the Lions lost their starting quarterback in the first half.
Two tight losses to Purdue and Wisconsin slowed the Huskers' roll mid-season, but they came back to rout Northwestern and have split two home games against Minnesota and Illinois heading into this Friday's matchup. A Husker victory and losses by both Wisconsin and Purdue on Saturday would put the Huskers in the Big Ten championship game against Michigan or Ohio State.
"We've had some tough losses, such as at Iowa State and at home to Minnesota, but have momentum on the field and in the recruiting arena," Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Albert said this week when he announced that he had extended Frost's contract for another seven years.
Iowa (4-7, 2-6), on the other hand, has had to face a killer schedule that included blowout losses at Oklahoma, at Michigan State, at Wisconsin and at home against Purdue, Ohio State and Michigan. The Hawks also lost a tight game to Minnesota in Minneapolis.
That has left Coach Kirk Ferentz on the hot seat, particularly with a civil trial scheduled for sometime in the next 18 months in which former players have sued the program for cultivating and perpetuating a racist environment.
Despite all those problems, the Hawkeyes are just a four-point underdog to the bowl-bound Huskers.
"It has been a long and difficult year, for sure, but we still have the will to keep the Heroes Trophy in Iowa City," Ferentz said Tuesday.
LINCOLN, Nebraska — The Nebraska Cornhuskers look to improve their bowl position Friday when they take on the struggling Iowa Hawkeyes in the regular-season finale at 12:30 p.m. in Memorial Stadium.
In Coach Scott Frost's season of redemption, the Huskers (7-4, 5-3) try to regain some of the momentum they had early in the season after a 5-1 start that included a home victory against Penn State — Frost's first win against a ranked team — after the Lions lost their starting quarterback in the first half.
Two tight losses to Purdue and Wisconsin slowed the Huskers' roll mid-season, but they came back to rout Northwestern and have split two home games against Minnesota and Illinois heading into this Friday's matchup. A Husker victory and losses by both Wisconsin and Purdue on Saturday would put the Huskers in the Big Ten championship game against Michigan or Ohio State.
"We've had some tough losses, such as at Iowa State and at home to Minnesota, but have momentum on the field and in the recruiting arena," Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Albert said this week when he announced that he had extended Frost's contract for another seven years.
Iowa (4-7, 2-6), on the other hand, has had to face a killer schedule that included blowout losses at Oklahoma, at Michigan State, at Wisconsin and at home against Purdue, Ohio State and Michigan. The Hawks also lost a tight game to Minnesota in Minneapolis.
That has left Coach Kirk Ferentz on the hot seat, particularly with a civil trial scheduled for sometime in the next 18 months in which former players have sued the program for cultivating and perpetuating a racist environment.
Despite all those problems, the Hawkeyes are just a four-point underdog to the bowl-bound Huskers.
"It has been a long and difficult year, for sure, but we still have the will to keep the Heroes Trophy in Iowa City," Ferentz said Tuesday.
