"To help children (and their families) who are facing significant medical issues, to provide funds for the University of Iowa Children's Hospital for care of children, and to engage Iowa Hawkeye fans to have a common cause in 2010 which will have a significant impact on the lives of children, and to have some fun with this endeavor." - Touchdown for Kids Mission Statement

I stayed with my wife and son at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital when my son had surgery last fall. The staff at the hospital was excellent and the facility was nice. We were there just a couple of days in recovery, but it really was as good of an experience as you can have when your kid is having surgery.

Presumably, with the recent addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten the conference will be split into two six-team divisions. Aligning the division is no easy task. If my math is correct, there are 924 unique ways to divvy up the schools. Really though, there are only a handful of ways that make sense, and with the 3 constraints Delany has set forth (1. Competitive Balance, 2. Rivalries, 3. Geography) there are even less.

"While I've been at Iowa, this is far and away the greatest victory." - Iowa Football Head Coach Hayden Fry after beating Nebraska 10-7 in 1981.

Though Nebraska doesn't join the Big Ten until next year, they already have a long history with Iowa. Iowa has played Nebraska 41 times, which is tied for 10th with Michigan State on the list of teams Iowa has played the most and is behind only Iowa State for non-conference teams. From Nebraska's perspective, the 41 games against Iowa is the second for the most games against Big Ten teams (Nebraska has played Minnesota 51 times). Iowa's record against Nebraska is 12-26-3.

In reaction to the announcement that Nebraska would be joining the Big Ten Kirk Ferentz said:

The addition of the University of Nebraska to the Big Ten appears to be a very positive and an exciting development – much like when Penn State joined the conference years ago. I would anticipate the reaction to this development by players and fans to be extremely enthusiastic. From my vantage point, Nebraska is a natural and positive fit in all regards and this announcement is a real credit to all of those involved in providing leadership in the Big Ten.