No Friday game for Iowa vs. Nebraska

IOWA CITY - Speculation and rumors aside, the Big Ten won't be moving the 2011 regular-season football finale between Iowa and Nebraska to the Friday after Thanksgiving.

“It'll stay on Saturday,” said Mark Rudner, Big Ten associate commissioner for television administration.

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 the Friday after Thanksgiving every year but once, which had many people speculating 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.”