Nebraska-Iowa Is Going to Develop into One of the Best Rivalries in the Sport

If you watched Nebraska take on Iowa for the first time in years on Friday with no prior knowledge about rivalries, you probably would've thought it was one of the best and oldest rivalries in college football.

While it was a friendly game and not much was at stake, Senior Day in Lincoln had a lot of energy. Nebraska fans were into the game, as instead of shopping they packed the stadium for the 318th consecutive sellout at Lincoln Memorial Stadium.

Balloons were flying, cheerleaders were dancing and red was spread across the stadium. Just watching the game on TV, you could tell that the Cornhuskers really cared about the First Annual Heroes Game.

In Nebraska's 20-7 win, there wasn't a lot of scoring, or action for that matter, as it took awhile until points were put on the board. But every time the Cornhuskers scored, the air above the stadium filled up with red balloons.

Iowa and Nebraska are both good, but not great, and in a game featuring similar styles, the fans had plenty to be excited about, especially when Nebraska won the Heroes Game trophy.

The atmosphere in Lincoln was truly amazing, and if you wanted a quiet space, you picked the wrong place—with two of the best fanbases in the nation, the stadium was rocking.

Over the course of the game not too much happened, but Nebraska sealed the win and managed to secure a 9-3 record and a good bowl game berth. The Huskers should find their way to a top Big Ten bowl game, using the 20-7 Iowa victory as an impressive win on their resume.

While the rivalries between Ohio State and Michigan, Alabama and Auburn, Texas A&M and Texas (for now), and many others may have a longer history, the new matchup between Nebraska and Iowa should make college fans want to expand their rivalry taste buds.

When these two teams are atop the nation with a BCS berth on the line, the whole country will relish witnessing Nebraska turning its stadium Huskers red and Iowa covering its digs in black and gold.

This game will go down in history as the day that something special blossomed and the Heroes Game made its way into college football folklore.

Nebraska and Iowa—your tradition together has begun.