Fans of the Nebraska Cornhuskers cheer for their team following their victory over Iowa Hawkeyes in their college football game Friday, Nov. 23, 2012 at Kinnick Stadium. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

I’ve been on vacation.

Still, I had a pretty good discussion via Twitter over the merits of the Black Friday game with Nebraska. I think most are for it, see the opportunity for a national TV game and realize that, yes, Iowa has to win a few of these to make it a rivalry. The “no” votes fall along the lines of the logistics of playing a Friday game. It essentially 86′s a student presence (or stresses it with Thanksgiving break). Also, a lot of Iowa fans simply aren’t used to it and don’t like change. I can’t blame them for that.

Nebraska has a 20-year headstart on the Black Friday tradition. It will take time for it to take hold with Iowa fans. Or not. The changing Big Ten landscape assumes you’ll change right along with it.

If you don’t like it, don’t go. If enough people feel that way, it’ll change.

Here’s the release from Iowa:

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Administrators Council of the Big Ten Conference has approved the Iowa and Nebraska recommendation to move the Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013 football game to Friday, Nov. 29, and to schedule the annual Hy-Vee Heroes Game on the Friday after Thanksgiving in 2014 (Nov. 28) and beyond.  The approval was announced Tuesday by the Big Ten.

The third annual Hy-Vee Heroes Game will take place Friday, Nov. 29, 2013, in Lincoln.  Start time and television information will be released at a later date.  The teams met on the Friday following Thanksgiving in both 2011 (Lincoln) and 2012 (Iowa City).

“We’re excited about playing our annual football game with Nebraska on the Friday after Thanksgiving for a number of reasons,” said Gary Barta, UI’s director of athletics.  “This provides the student-athletes who have already lost the opportunity to spend the holiday at home with their families two days away from football.  In addition, the Friday television window provides great exposure for our program.  We greatly appreciate the adjustments in schedules that our fans, and those who help us stage the game in Iowa City every other year, will have to make.”

The Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes met in the Hy-Vee Heroes Game on Black Friday in each of the past two seasons, with Nebraska winning 20-7 in 2011 in Lincoln and 13-7 last November in Iowa City.  Both games were televised by ABC.  The Hy-Vee Heroes Game has raised $20,000 for the American Red Cross over the last two years.

Nebraska holds a 28-12-3 advantage in the series.  The teams have met just eight times since 1946.

Iowa and Nebraska met eight consecutive years (1891-98) on Thanksgiving Day, with those eight games played in either Omaha or Council Bluffs.

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For whatever reason, I really missed WR signee Derrick Willies track credentials.

Last year at Rock Island (Ill.) High School, Willies won the Illinois Class 3A 110-meter high hurdles (14.02 seconds) and finished second in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles (37.75 seconds).

Willies will run track again this spring.

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MAC and Sun Belt ESPN schedule for next fall (we’re a ways off, but you can see the outline of football, especially with spring practice kicking into gear).

2013 MAC and Sun Belt Schedule as of March 1 (additional selections will be announced):

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Here’s the start and finish dates for each Big Ten school for spring football: