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Iowa vs. Nebraska

Iowa and Nebraska have 47 meetings on file, the first in 1899; Nebraska leads the series 26–⁠20–⁠1 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Iowa 9–⁠1, and Iowa has won the last 3. The winner takes home the Heroes Trophy, played for since about 2011. Iowa has held it since the 2023 game.

Iowa wins
20
Nebraska wins
26
Ties
1
Earliest on file
1899
Longest streak
8 Nebraska
Current streak
3 Iowa
Last 10 meetings
Iowa 9–⁠1
Most recent
2025

The series at a glance

’0’1’2’3’4’5’6’7’8’9W–L
1890s1–⁠0
1900s0–⁠3–⁠1
1910s2–⁠5
1930s1–⁠6
1940s4–⁠3
1970s0–⁠1
1980s1–⁠2
1990s0–⁠1
2000s0–⁠1
2010s6–⁠3
2020s5–⁠1
Average margin
15.1 points; 21 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
At Iowa
10–⁠11 Iowa’s record at home
At Nebraska
15–⁠10–⁠1 Nebraska’s record at home
Shutouts
10

Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.

Heroes Trophy

Played for since
about 2011
Held by
Iowa since the 2023 game
Games for it on file
15 Nebraska 4, Iowa 11

Who holds it comes from the games on file: the winner of the latest regular-season meeting since about 2011 (bowl rematches aren’t played for it); a tie leaves it with the holder (the usual rule; the article doesn’t say). The rivalry’s article counts the games for it: Iowa leads, 11–⁠4. From Wikipedia’s list of rivalry games and the rivalry’s article (CC BY-SA). More on the Heroes Trophy.

Games that tell the story

  1. Iowa’s biggest win2017: Iowa 56, Nebraska 14by 42 points
  2. Nebraska’s biggest win1980: Nebraska 57, Iowa 0by 57 points
  3. Upset2022: Nebraska 24, Iowa 17Nebraska had a 15% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  4. Upset1918: Iowa 12, Nebraska 0Iowa had a 18% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  5. Upset1981: Iowa 10, Nebraska 7Iowa had a 31% chance, by our ratings before kickoff

Coach against coach

YearsIowaSeriesNebraska
1913–⁠1915Jesse Hawley0–⁠3Jumbo Stiehm
1932–⁠1934Ossie Solem0–⁠3Dana Bible
1979–⁠1982Hayden Fry1–⁠3Tom Osborne
2011–⁠2014Kirk Ferentz1–⁠3Bo Pelini
2015–⁠2017Kirk Ferentz3–⁠0Mike Riley
2018–⁠2021Kirk Ferentz4–⁠0Scott Frost
2023–⁠2025Kirk Ferentz3–⁠0Matt Rhule

Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Iowa’s side (Hawley 0–⁠3 against Stiehm). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.

Both programs through the years

End-of-season Elo ratings of Iowa and Nebraska, 1899 on13001500170019001900192019401960198020002020

Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.

Stars of the series

Biggest days

A.J. Epenesa Iowa14 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 for loss2019 Defense

Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).

From the newspapers

  • The Omaha daily bee's story of the 1899 game: IOWA IS THE VICTOR Wearers Of the Gold Defeat Nebraska in Annual Foot Ball Contest DESPITE SCORE GAME WAS INTERESTING Iowans Make Total Of Five Touchdownu and as Many Goals. NEBRASKA UNABLE TO CROSS GOAL LINE Twice Garry the Pigskin Within Five Yards Of Score, SPITE SCORE GAME WAS INTERESTING

    1899 · Omaha daily bee, Nebraska, Nov 5, 1899

  • The The Minneapolis journal's story of the 1903 game: NEBRASKA is WINNER Cornhuskers Administer Decisive Defeat to Iowa Eleven.

    1903 · The Minneapolis journal, Minneapolis, Minn., Nov 2, 1903

  • The The Topeka state journal's story of the 1904 game: NEBRASKA DEFEATS IOWA. The Cornhuskers' Goal Was Crossed But Once.

    1904 · The Topeka state journal, Topeka, Kansas, Nov 7, 1904

  • The Omaha daily bee's story of the 1908 game: CORNHUSKERS The VICTORS Game with Iowa a Hard Struggle from Start to the Finish. iOwA's POINTS ON DROP KICKS Nebraska Players Twice Cross the IIRwkeye Goal Line and OutpIay the Iowans by a wide Margin.

    1908 · Omaha daily bee, Nebraska, Nov 1, 1908

  • The Omaha daily bee's story of the 1909 game: AND IOWA END EVEN

    1909 · Omaha daily bee, Nebraska, Oct 24, 1909

Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The earliest meetings with a story on file; each game’s page has the full text.

On television

2025CBS3.8 million viewers

Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.

Photos

From the rivalry’s and its games’ categories on Wikimedia Commons (free licenses only, each credited).

Every game

Nov 27, 2026Nebraska at Iowa upcomingat Iowa
Nov 28, 2025Iowa 40, Nebraska 16at Nebraska
Nov 29, 2024Iowa 13, Nebraska 10at Iowa
Nov 24, 202320Iowa 13, Nebraska 10at Nebraska
Nov 25, 2022Nebraska 24, Iowa 17at Iowa
Nov 26, 202117Iowa 28, Nebraska 21at Nebraska
Nov 27, 2020Iowa 26, Nebraska 20at Iowa
Nov 29, 201919Iowa 27, Nebraska 24at Nebraska
Nov 23, 2018Iowa 31, Nebraska 28at Iowa
Nov 24, 2017Iowa 56, Nebraska 14at Nebraska
Nov 25, 2016Iowa 40, 17Nebraska 10at Iowa
Nov 27, 20153Iowa 28, Nebraska 20at Nebraska
Nov 28, 2014Nebraska 37, Iowa 34at Iowa
Nov 29, 2013Iowa 38, Nebraska 17at Nebraska
Nov 23, 201217Nebraska 13, Iowa 7at Iowa
Nov 25, 201122Nebraska 20, Iowa 7at Nebraska
Sep 23, 20001Nebraska 42, Iowa 13at Nebraska
Sep 4, 19995Nebraska 42, Iowa 7at Iowa
Sep 11, 19823Nebraska 42, Iowa 7at Nebraska
Sep 12, 1981Iowa 10, 7Nebraska 7at Iowa
Sep 20, 19806Nebraska 57, Iowa 0at Nebraska
Sep 22, 19797Nebraska 24, Iowa 21at Iowa
Oct 12, 1946Iowa 21, Nebraska 7at Iowa
Nov 24, 1945Nebraska 13, Iowa 6at Nebraska
Nov 4, 1944Iowa 27, Nebraska 6at Iowa
Nov 20, 1943Iowa 33, Nebraska 13at Nebraska
Sep 26, 1942Iowa 27, Nebraska 0at Iowa
Nov 22, 1941Nebraska 14, Iowa 13at Nebraska
Nov 9, 194012Nebraska 14, Iowa 6at Nebraska
Nov 19, 1938Nebraska 14, Iowa 0at Iowa
Nov 20, 193711Nebraska 28, Iowa 0at Nebraska
Oct 13, 1934Nebraska 14, Iowa 13at Nebraska
Nov 25, 1933Nebraska 7, Iowa 6at Nebraska
Nov 5, 1932Nebraska 14, Iowa 13at Iowa
Nov 7, 1931Nebraska 7, Iowa 0at Nebraska
Nov 22, 1930Iowa 12, Nebraska 7at Iowa
Oct 4, 1919Iowa 18, Nebraska 0at Iowa
Oct 5, 1918Iowa 12, Nebraska 0at Nebraska
Oct 13, 1917Nebraska 47, Iowa 0at Nebraska
Nov 25, 1916Nebraska 34, Iowa 17at Iowa
Nov 20, 1915Nebraska 52, Iowa 7at Nebraska
Nov 21, 1914Nebraska 16, Iowa 7at Iowa
Nov 22, 1913Nebraska 12, Iowa 0at Nebraska
Oct 23, 1909Nebraska 6, Iowa 6at Nebraska
Oct 31, 1908Nebraska 11, Iowa 8at Iowa
Nov 5, 1904Nebraska 17, Iowa 6at Nebraska
Oct 31, 1903Nebraska 17, Iowa 6at Iowa
Nov 4, 1899Iowa 30, Nebraska 0at Nebraska

Every game is listed as played on the field.