The Iowa Hawkeyes football players appeared to get the last laugh after a heated pregame exchange in the annual rivalry game against Nebraska.

The rivalry between Nebraska and Iowa added another chapter on Friday night when Hawkeyes players were snubbed during the pregame coin toss before they

A handshake snub set the stage for Iowa’s narrow victory over Nebraska, but the real drama unfolded on and off the field in this heated rivalry.

Higgins was right, as the Nebraska-sparked tension boiled over into the pregame coin toss. As Iowa's captains extended their arms for a traditional pregame handshake, the Huskers' captains refused to return the favor, collectively looking down or blankly ahead. Spicy.

They do not like Iowa. Those Nebraska players didn’t want to engage in an act of good sportsmanship in the company of that opponent. They did not care about respecting the game in a series that has included repeated moments of disrespect — in their view — committed by the Hawkeyes and directed at Nebraska.

A pre-game controversy overshadows Nebraska’s narrow loss to Iowa, sparking online backlash and raising questions about sportsmanship.