theobserver
Well-Known Member
A rather jarring thought about Iowa football next year ... and conceivably for many years to come:
Will HawkeyeNation support a team that regularly finishes no better than fourth or fifth in the conference and potentially several slots below that? Ponder this for a moment:
- Urban Meyer clearly has brought his championship fairy dust to Columbus. Ohio State just defeated No. 19 Michigan 26-21 to go 12-0 for the season. If not for NCAA sanctions, the Buckeyes could be playing in the BCS title game. The best thing that could have happened to tOSU was getting caught in some player funny business and Tressel to getting fired, opening the door for Meyer to return to college coaching in one of the premier programs in the country. Ohio State will be very hard to beat in the Big Ten, likely for however long Meyer remains coach.
- Nebraska. Say what you will about Bo Pellini (and much can be said), he is a good, aggressive coach and proven winner. Nebraska is still Nebraska, and will be a step ahead of Iowa to compete for the best athletes of the central and upper Midwest, if not extending even to California and to the East. Forget 13-7. In better weather conditions, Martinez goes pass crazy and the Huskers win by two to three touchdowns. Again, this will always be a tough game for Iowa.
- Michigan. Brady Hoke appears to be the real deal and is getting the Wolverines back to the glory days. Listen to the guy in interviews and on television specials and what high school phenom wouldn't want to play for Hoke? Plus, he has the advantage of working with a hands-on AD who wants everything done first-rate. Under Hoke, expect the Wolverines to always be nosing around the top spot in the division, likely challenging Nebraska to play in the conference championship game.
- Penn State. The poor, embarrassed, depleted, near-dead Nittany Lions just happen to be 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the conference, and are giving Wisconsin a heckuva game even as I type this. One of those wins was an embarrassing 38-14 whipping of a listless Iowa team @ KINNICK. Bill O'Brien so far is proving to be one heckuva coach working miracles in a difficult situation. He clearly has used the "us-against-the-world" approach to great advantage. Do not be surprised if O'Brien gets Penn State back to the levels of JoePa's best years.
After those four teams, Iowa still would need to get past Wisconsin and Northwestern to even try to climb out of the middle of the conference and to contend for a division championship, much less making it to the title game in Indianapolis.
Even if Greg Davis remains as Offensive Coordinator, the head coach is Kirk Ferentz, whose conservative approach to the game, unwillingness to take a risk, strong reluctance to bench under-performing upperclassmen and, frankly, frequently questionable game management, make it increasingly unlikely he will be able to field a team that does much better than 6-6 or 7-5.
Just an observation...
Will HawkeyeNation support a team that regularly finishes no better than fourth or fifth in the conference and potentially several slots below that? Ponder this for a moment:
- Urban Meyer clearly has brought his championship fairy dust to Columbus. Ohio State just defeated No. 19 Michigan 26-21 to go 12-0 for the season. If not for NCAA sanctions, the Buckeyes could be playing in the BCS title game. The best thing that could have happened to tOSU was getting caught in some player funny business and Tressel to getting fired, opening the door for Meyer to return to college coaching in one of the premier programs in the country. Ohio State will be very hard to beat in the Big Ten, likely for however long Meyer remains coach.
- Nebraska. Say what you will about Bo Pellini (and much can be said), he is a good, aggressive coach and proven winner. Nebraska is still Nebraska, and will be a step ahead of Iowa to compete for the best athletes of the central and upper Midwest, if not extending even to California and to the East. Forget 13-7. In better weather conditions, Martinez goes pass crazy and the Huskers win by two to three touchdowns. Again, this will always be a tough game for Iowa.
- Michigan. Brady Hoke appears to be the real deal and is getting the Wolverines back to the glory days. Listen to the guy in interviews and on television specials and what high school phenom wouldn't want to play for Hoke? Plus, he has the advantage of working with a hands-on AD who wants everything done first-rate. Under Hoke, expect the Wolverines to always be nosing around the top spot in the division, likely challenging Nebraska to play in the conference championship game.
- Penn State. The poor, embarrassed, depleted, near-dead Nittany Lions just happen to be 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the conference, and are giving Wisconsin a heckuva game even as I type this. One of those wins was an embarrassing 38-14 whipping of a listless Iowa team @ KINNICK. Bill O'Brien so far is proving to be one heckuva coach working miracles in a difficult situation. He clearly has used the "us-against-the-world" approach to great advantage. Do not be surprised if O'Brien gets Penn State back to the levels of JoePa's best years.
After those four teams, Iowa still would need to get past Wisconsin and Northwestern to even try to climb out of the middle of the conference and to contend for a division championship, much less making it to the title game in Indianapolis.
Even if Greg Davis remains as Offensive Coordinator, the head coach is Kirk Ferentz, whose conservative approach to the game, unwillingness to take a risk, strong reluctance to bench under-performing upperclassmen and, frankly, frequently questionable game management, make it increasingly unlikely he will be able to field a team that does much better than 6-6 or 7-5.
Just an observation...
