The proximity of the two teams played an important role in the early days of the game, with exclusive trains running between Iowa City and Lincoln to allow fans to travel.

[5] The first meeting of the series, which occurred on Thanksgiving Day in Omaha, Nebraska, was the first game Iowa had ever played outside of its home state.

[6] In the 1979 meeting, #7 Nebraska prevailed over unranked Iowa after overcoming a two-touchdown deficit late in the third quarter, which resulted in a standing ovation from fans of both teams.

"[8] When Nebraska moved to the Big Ten Conference in 2011, the teams resumed the rivalry on an annual basis and played on the Friday following Thanksgiving.

[4][11][12] In the end, due to schedule changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 games were ultimately rescheduled to Black Friday as well.