I have an opinion that’s contrarian to many, if not most Husker fans, I suspect:
Wisconsin, not Iowa, is Nebraska’s Big Ten rival.
Now, I have to qualify it: Nebraska isn’t Wisconsin’s rival. Specifically, Nebraska hasn’t made a case on the field for being Wisconsin’s rival. The Huskers are 1-11 against Wisconsin since joining the Big Ten. There have been competitive games, to be sure...but Nebraska hasn’t beaten the Badgers since 2012. Nebraska’s hasn’t earned the right to be Wisconsin’s rival.
That doesn’t change the fact that Wisconsin is the ultimate measuring stick for measuring the progress of the Husker football program.