(Photo courtesy of David Purdy/Getty Images)
Saturday marks the first of two real border wars this season (sorry Illinois, you guys just aren’t there yet). It also marks the first time this great rivalry has been played since this. Man that was a great game, and growing up in Dubuque, I’ve missed this rivalry.
This should be a tough, low-scoring game, as Iowa is having a much better season than was anticipated. With that said, we’re going to do something a little different here this week. Here’s a little Hawkeye hate.
1. A certain former coach graduated from Iowa.
And he has the tattoo to prove it.
I was going to go deeper into this, but after searching “Bret Bielema” on google images, here’s a screen-shot of what I got.
Enough said.
2. The Hawkeyes are a huge rival when it comes to recruiting wars.
Most of the time the Badgers come out on top (thanks for letting us have Gordon, btw), but one loss really hit close to home. Mike Meyer, Iowa’s solid kicker, was down to Iowa and Wisconsin before obviously choosing Iowa. This hit close to home since Meyer went to my high school and I’ll probably be stopping by his family’s tailgate at some point this weekend. You think Andersen would have been worried about getting the ball to the middle of the field against ASU with Meyer back there?
3. They used to bully us, like, real bad.
It’s become a lot more even lately, but pre-1997, the Hayden Fry Hawkeyes had their way with the Badgers. From 1977-1996 the Hawkeyes went 17-0-1 against the Badgers. They’ve also won the Heartland Trophy four times to the Badgers three. I think it’s time to even that up, and then bully them in the B1G West for years to come.
They also kept Wisconsin out of the Rose Bowl in what was one of the toughest games I’ve ever watched in person.
4. Black Heart Gold Pants can be witty, very witty.
Sorry this one’s basketball related, but that flier may be the greatest program flier I’ve ever seen. It also takes a little jab at the way Iowa fans only show up for basketball games if their team is good. That’s a shame, since Carver-Hawkeye is a cool place to watch a game with a great atmosphere.
5. They are the top party school in the nation, yet the students flock to Ames and Madison for their parties.
It’s official, too.
I think my question is, if you are such a huge party school, why visit two of your biggest rivals for VEISHEA and Mifflin Street Block Party? Iowa City is a lot of fun, but come on, get your own tradition.
BONUS!! – Nobody likes a tie.
I know Ted Lasso agrees with me. The overall Wisconsin/Iowa series is 42-42-2. That’s not right. Let’s change it Saturday.
I’ve always considered this rivalry to be a good one since both programs (and states) are built on the same hard-working principle. I’ll be in Iowa City Saturday, so hopefully I’ll have some good stories for you guys after.
What do you hate about Iowa? Tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment below or by following us on Twitter.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
