Phillip Jones, the school's vice president for student services, said many people asked what he had against corn - the state's hallmark crop - after he canceled the all-you-can-eat contest last year.
"I got a lot of complaints from around the state," he said. "'Why do you have something against corn?' It's not the corn; it's the concept."
The contest, part of a week's celebration leading up the annual football game against Iowa State, will be allowed this year - but students will compete to see who can eat a single ear of corn the fastest, not who can eat the most.
"They are doing it in a short and fun way and promoting the state's major product," Jones said.
