Iowa’s been better than Nebraska since ex-AD’s comment about the Hawkeyes

A win over Iowa that year didn’t move the needle much, but the Huskers would’ve been delighted to have one the year after.

After a 9-3 season in 2014, Nebraska fired head football coach Bo Pelini. His last game was a 17-point comeback overtime win at Iowa in the Huskers’ regular-season finale. Athletic director Shawn Eichorst fired him anyway, and he used the Hawkeyes’ mediocrity that year (they’d finish 7-6) to justify the timing of the Pelini firing.

“Our kids showed great character and resiliency in a tough environment, so it did play a factor,” Eichorst said. “But in the final analysis, I had to evaluate where Iowa was.”

Eichorst later tried to clarify that comment, saying he had “great respect” for Iowa and that neither team was playing for a Big Ten title that year.

Nebraska fired Eichorst Thursday, citing insufficient “on-field performance.”

The coach Eichorst hired to replace Pelini, Mike Riley, could very well be next.

Since that Iowa line, here’s how the two teams have done:

• Nebraska: 16-14 overall, with one of those losses being a bowl-game throwaway under interim coach Barney Cotton in 2014. One Foster Farms Bowl win.
• Iowa: 23-8 overall, with a Big Ten West title after a 12-0 regular season in 2015. No bowl wins, but again, went 12-0 one year.
• Iowa beat Nebraska 40-10 last year and 28-20 the year before that.

Of course, the Iowa game in 2014 isn’t the only reason Eichorst fired Pelini.

Pelini did not get along well with his bosses and has since shown bad judgment at Youngstown State.

The point is: be careful about even implying you’re using a specific rival as a benchmark.

Because once you do that, you better beat them.