Big Ten's Third Memorial Stadium

As the Big Ten added Nebraska it also added a third Memorial Stadium. Indiana and Illinois already have stadiums with that name. And Nebraska has it too. Memorial Stadium is a nice of way of remembering either fallen heroes, but the rich traditions of some of these schools cannot offer an additional name that signifies their tradition. Or in the case of Indiana, you cannot find a sponsor who will add their name for the right price? And, Indiana and Illinois are so similar that their basketball areas share the same name - Assembly Hall.

Nebraska has played the day after Thanksgiving for a number of years. Most recently it was against Colorado, and before that the Oklahoma Sooners. Iowa now has become that team and this is new territory for the Hawkeyes. Game week preparation has been accelerated, and the work week has begun earlier. School is out for the team allowing them additional time to recover and prepare for what looks to become a holiday tradition.

This will be Iowa's first trip to Lincoln, Nebraska since 2000. On that September afternoon, the Hawkeyes played the Huskers as good as they possibly could. It was the second year for Kirk Ferentz and the team was still building to get to Nebraska's performance level. Up until the last play of the second half, Nebraska could only muster a one-point lead. But on the half's final play, Nebraska capitalized on a Hail Mary which gave Nebraska a 21-13 lead, and they never looked back.

This Friday's game begins at 11am on ABC.