Big Ten official: Iowa-Nebraska will play on Saturday in 2011, not Friday

IOWA CITY - Speculation has swirled that the Big Ten would move the 2011 regular-season football finale between Iowa and Nebraska to the Friday after Thanksgiving.

That won't happen, Big Ten associate commissioner for television administration Mark Rudner said.

"It'll stay on Saturday," Rudner said. "We'll play Saturday."

The schools are scheduled to compete Nov. 26, 2011 in Lincoln, Neb., and Nov. 24, 2012 in Iowa City.

Nebraska, which joins the Big Ten next year, was placed in the same division as Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Minnesota. Since 1990 Nebraska has ended its regular season on the Friday after Thanksgiving every year but once, which had many people speculating that Iowa-Nebraska would move from Saturday to Friday.

"I'm looking at the final weekend of the season: Ohio State at Michigan; Penn State at Wisconsin; Iowa at Nebraska; Purdue at Indiana ... it's strong," Rudner said. "I don't wish time away, but I can't wait for that."

When asked if the Big Ten plans to make the Iowa-Nebraska an annual season-ending game, Rudner said, "It's an annual thing for 2011 and 2012. We're just touching on '13 and '14."