JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
New rules for college football were a part of the discussion at the second day of the Big Ten's spring meetings. Marc Morehouse has a write up on that front here. The new rules on cut blocking give me a headache. Give it a read and decide where you are at. Seems real cloudy.
Morehouse also filed a notebook that talked about Brad Rogers status, Iowa's night game this year (he thinks its Northwestern at Iowa), Kirk Ferentz comments on the location of future Big Ten title games and more. If Northwestern at Iowa is the Iowa's night game this year (each Big Ten team is guaranteed to play at least one game in prime time, and this year that game will be on the Big Ten Network for Iowa), perhaps that will add some 'juice' to the 'rivalry' from Iowa's point of view.
Iowa has beaten Penn State seven of their last eight games, but Northwestern has beaten Iowa five of the last six tries, including the last three meetings at Kinnick Stadium. That's right; Northwestern has beaten Iowa three straight games in Kinnick Stadium.
In the last 14 meetings between the schools, Iowa is just 5-9 against the Cats. Reading these stats is making my eyes burn, and I hope that a fire gets lit in Iowa's locker room when these two teams hook up this year and as long as Pat Fitzgerald is the coach there. Fitz brings it for this game, as he holds a grudge against Iowa for breaking his leg and depriving him of the chance to play in the 1996 Rose Bowl. This goes back to the early 1990's in fact, when Northwestern was looking to change its paradigm. You can read those details here, including a Northwestern player quoted last summer saying that 'Fitzgerald hates Iowa.'
These two teams will play one another every year until...well...until the Big Ten decides to make changes to its divisional lineup, as the Hawks and Cats are in the Legends. It's a Division game now, you know they will be there every single year.
I know Iowa has dialed up the intensity for the Iowa State game and it's time to do something for this one...the danger in that is you play 12 games...if you turn the intensity up to 10 one week, do you go Spinal Tap the next week and turn it up to 11? Regardless, if this game is played at night, in Kinnick, I think for the first time maybe ever, the Hawkeye Nation will bring it's game face for the Northwestern Wildcats...let's hope the team follows suit.
By the way, the Big Ten Network will announce its Prime Time pairings on Thursday night at 7pm.
Scott Dochterman of The Gazette talks with Mark Rudner of the Big Ten about future TV contracts, the thought of playing games on Sundays this year if there is no NFL and much more...an entertaining read...Dochterman followed that up with this read related to Big Ten basketball games starting a littler earlier...perhaps before school ends in December....and then one final offering from Dochterman where he speaks with Fran McCaffery about the summer basketball plans for Matt Gatens, Melsahn Basabe and Bryce Cartwright...will they be in the Prime Time League?
STRAIGHT LINKS
Did ARob's Presser Doom His Iowa Future? | Sean Keeler asks this question..a good one
Remembering Whitey | Whitey Piro was a fixture in Iowa athletics for a long time. He died last month
Iowa's Slow Pace Key to Success? | I have said it before; give me stats and graphs and I will link it.
Breaking Down a 9 Game Conference Slate | Good stuff from BHGP
Morehouse also filed a notebook that talked about Brad Rogers status, Iowa's night game this year (he thinks its Northwestern at Iowa), Kirk Ferentz comments on the location of future Big Ten title games and more. If Northwestern at Iowa is the Iowa's night game this year (each Big Ten team is guaranteed to play at least one game in prime time, and this year that game will be on the Big Ten Network for Iowa), perhaps that will add some 'juice' to the 'rivalry' from Iowa's point of view.
Iowa has beaten Penn State seven of their last eight games, but Northwestern has beaten Iowa five of the last six tries, including the last three meetings at Kinnick Stadium. That's right; Northwestern has beaten Iowa three straight games in Kinnick Stadium.
In the last 14 meetings between the schools, Iowa is just 5-9 against the Cats. Reading these stats is making my eyes burn, and I hope that a fire gets lit in Iowa's locker room when these two teams hook up this year and as long as Pat Fitzgerald is the coach there. Fitz brings it for this game, as he holds a grudge against Iowa for breaking his leg and depriving him of the chance to play in the 1996 Rose Bowl. This goes back to the early 1990's in fact, when Northwestern was looking to change its paradigm. You can read those details here, including a Northwestern player quoted last summer saying that 'Fitzgerald hates Iowa.'
These two teams will play one another every year until...well...until the Big Ten decides to make changes to its divisional lineup, as the Hawks and Cats are in the Legends. It's a Division game now, you know they will be there every single year.
I know Iowa has dialed up the intensity for the Iowa State game and it's time to do something for this one...the danger in that is you play 12 games...if you turn the intensity up to 10 one week, do you go Spinal Tap the next week and turn it up to 11? Regardless, if this game is played at night, in Kinnick, I think for the first time maybe ever, the Hawkeye Nation will bring it's game face for the Northwestern Wildcats...let's hope the team follows suit.
By the way, the Big Ten Network will announce its Prime Time pairings on Thursday night at 7pm.
Scott Dochterman of The Gazette talks with Mark Rudner of the Big Ten about future TV contracts, the thought of playing games on Sundays this year if there is no NFL and much more...an entertaining read...Dochterman followed that up with this read related to Big Ten basketball games starting a littler earlier...perhaps before school ends in December....and then one final offering from Dochterman where he speaks with Fran McCaffery about the summer basketball plans for Matt Gatens, Melsahn Basabe and Bryce Cartwright...will they be in the Prime Time League?
STRAIGHT LINKS
Did ARob's Presser Doom His Iowa Future? | Sean Keeler asks this question..a good one
Remembering Whitey | Whitey Piro was a fixture in Iowa athletics for a long time. He died last month
Iowa's Slow Pace Key to Success? | I have said it before; give me stats and graphs and I will link it.
Breaking Down a 9 Game Conference Slate | Good stuff from BHGP