Iowa lobbies Big Ten to make Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota main rivals

Iowa lobbies to maintain border rivals in Big Ten

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa athletic director Gary Barta says the Hawkeyes have identified Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota as three rivals they’d like to play as much as possible in a realigned Big Ten.

Barta tells The Associated Press that he’s told the Big Ten that Iowa wants to play the Badgers, Cornhuskers and Gophers on a regular basis, if not every year.

The Big Ten expanding to 12 teams in 2011 by adding Nebraska and is moving to divisional play and a conference championship game.

Wisconsin and Minnesota have long been border rivals of the Hawkeyes. Though Iowa has only faced the Huskers twice since 1982, Barta says it’ll be a terrific rivalry “right out of the gate.”

Barta says the Big Ten is down to two or three division models, which will be based on competitive fairness and traditional rivalries.