HuskerMax Staff Forecasts Another Close Win for Iowa over Nebraska and Matt Rhule

Rivalry week has officially arrived for the fast-moving college football season, and that means the annual Heroes Game showdown between neighbor state rivals Nebraska and Iowa, who will go to battle for the 56th time in the series.

The Huskers face a short week after getting demolished last Saturday night at Penn State, 37-10, in the Nittany Lions' senior night, setting the stage for Friday's result to be a barometer for the team's momentum going into the postseason. Head coach Matt Rhule looks to take his first win over Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes while trying to stifle the restlessness of a fanbase that envisioned better things for the 2025 Cornhuskers after opening up the season 5-1. A 21-17 defeat to a ranked USC team in NU's black out marked a decisive change in the wind for the season, which also saw star quarterback Dylan Raiola get knocked out for the season, and now there are rumors swirling on his future with the program.

Mix all of that together, and you get a boom-or-bust matchup against Iowa — one with some quietly compelling narrative stakes. Before waking up from your Thanksgiving dinner hangover on Friday morning, the HuskerMax and Nebraska Cornhuskers on SI crew make their official predictions. The group is confident in another narrow win for Iowa, with a 20-16 Hawkeye win the projected final.

Safe to say the panel didn't anticipate such a huge win for Penn State, despite guessing the correct winner. The average score was 24 points off the official final, with Jeremy Pernell's 31-20 prediction marking the closest prediction to the actual 37-10 score.

2025 Closest Predictors by Week

Week 1 vs. Cincinnati: Bob Frady
Week 2 vs. Akron: Jay Stockwell
Week 3 vs. Houston Christian: Bob Frady & Jay Stockwell
Week 4 vs. Michigan: Cole Stukenholtz & Chris Fort
Week 6 vs. Michigan State: ThotDoc
Week 7 at Maryland: Cole Stukenholtz
Week 8 at Minnesota: Jeremy Pernell
Week 9 vs. Northwestern: Geoff Exstrom, Tad Stryker & David Max
Week 10 vs. USC: Geoff Exstrom
Week 11 vs. UCLA: Geoff Exstrom
Week 12 at Penn State: Jeremy Pernell

*Indicates closest in previous week's prediction and how many "wins" over the season. Ties will result in wins for all parties.

Prediction	Predictor
Iowa 27-10	Kaleb Henry
Iowa 20-17	Geoff Exstrom***
Iowa 13-10	Josh Peterson
Iowa 23-20	Spencer Schubert
Iowa 24-14	Jeremy Pernell**
Nebraska 20-18	ThotDoc*
Nebraska 27-17	Tad Stryker*
Iowa 27-17	Eric Hess
Iowa 27-17	Cole Stukenholtz**
Nebraska 20-17	Jan Mudder
Nebraska 21-14	Jay Stockwell**
Iowa 28-10	Bob Frady**
Nebraska 17-14	David Max*
Iowa 27-13	Chris Fort*
Nebraska 20-17	Adam Carriker

Iowa kicker Drew Stevens (18) drilled a 53-yard field goal as time expired to beat Nebraska 13-10 last season in Iowa City. — Iowa place kicker Drew Stevens (18) drilled a 53-yard field goal as time expired to beat Nebraska 13-10 last season in Iowa City. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Why

Josh Peterson: Why would I expect anything else?

Spencer Schubert: Nebraska's inability to stop the run gives the Hawkeyes yet another chance to walk off with a one-score win in the currently one-sided rivalry.

Jeremy Pernell: We've seen enough evidence this season to know Nebraska's going to have its hands full trying to stop Iowa's outside zone running game. The Huskers are 94th nationally in rush defense (167.45 ypg) and are 115th out of 136 FBS teams, giving up runs at 4.82 yards per clip. They've also given up 62 runs of 10 yards or more (115th). On top of that, they've struggled all season trying to bottle up mobile QBs. So how are they going to handle the combination of Kamari Moulton and Mark Gronowski? On the other side of the ball, the Hawkeyes come to Lincoln with one of the best defenses in the country, ranking in the top 14 in every major category: total defense (8th), scoring (9th), pass defense (12th), and rush defense (14th). This has all the makings of a typical Iowa game, and I don't think Nebraska's ready to win a game like that. They just aren't good enough on either line of scrimmage.

ThotDoc: This is another game that is going to be won or lost in the trenches, which doesn't bode well for the Huskers. Nebraska is 1-9 against the Ditch Chickens over the last decade. The slide has to end at some point, and if the defense can bend and not break against the run, and if the offense can feature more rollouts and bootlegs in the passing game, allowing TJ to run or pass, and if EJ can have a solid day, we may just eek one out.

Tad Stryker: The long-term history says Iowa will be a tough nut to crack. The last time Nebraska beat Iowa in Memorial Stadium was a 20-7 decision in 2011, when Lavonte David suffocated the Hawkeyes with eight tackles, two pass breakups, a sack, a forced fumble and a recovery, and Rex Burkhead pounded them with 160 yards rushing and a touchdown on a school-record 36 carries. You beat Iowa when your playmakers make plays. The 2025 Huskers' short-term history suggests despite their flaws, they are a resilient bunch with a much-improved kicking game. The question is whether the Husker offensive line will give Emmett Johnson, TJ Lateef, Nyziah Hunter, Luke Lindenmeyer, and Jacory Barney enough daylight to operate. I think it will.

Eric Hess: The Huskers bounce back and play better than they did against Penn State. However, Iowa is built to take advantage of Nebraska's weaknesses and wins another close game against the Huskers.

Cole Stukenholtz: It's another team that will commit to running the damn ball, and that could spell trouble for the Husker defense. Plus, another tough defense for TJ Lateef to contend with, and unless they've been keeping a 15-QB-carries game plan under wraps so they can spring it against Iowa, I don't think he's ready to beat the Hawkeyes with just his arm. Emmett Johnson goes out with another 100-yard performance, but it's not enough to get the victory.

Jan Mudder: It's ALWAYS a one-score game, and Friday will be no different. Nebraska will have to play Iowa football, but the Special Teams are up to the task. TJ Lateef will make more special plays than Mark Gronowski, and that will be enough.

Jay Stockwell: At the outset of the season, I predicted 8-4 and said then it would be a step forward. To go beyond that, Matt Rhule will have to retool the offensive and defensive lines and retain Emmett Johnson, TJ Lateef, and Dylan Raiola. I predict the Huskers will rally and defeat Iowa 21-14.

Bob Frady: Without a strong TE game, Nebraska will continue to flounder against tough opponents. This ain't the Big 12.

David Max: It's about time that the Huskers win with the walk off field goal.

Chris Fort: Iowa dominates in the trenches and runs away with it in Lincoln.

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