"A Meaningless Exhibition"

Hawk10k

Well-Known Member
It's a strange phenomenon when two people can have two completely differing opinions and yet both be correct. Deace's dismissal of tomorrow night's game against Pitt as a "meaningless exhibition" smacked of ridiculousness and probably twisted the drawers of many an Iowa faithful... but he's not altogether wrong. This non-conference, non-season-opening game with no trophy at stake and no playoff implications is in the strictest technical sense a worthless exercise. Where Steve and I part company is when we move from strict technicalities into the symbolic. Symbolically, EVERYTHING rides on Saturday's game. A win against Pitt means a perfect 4-0 start in a season that badly needs one. A win tomorrow blows the doors wide open for a 9-3 or even a 10-2 season. Beat Pitt and we start making a good case for a little number appearing next to our name for the first time in years. But the most important of all is the chance for a coach to redeem himself. I believe Kirk Ferentz when he claims to have rededicated himself to developing players and winning football games. I believe that he truly understands the importance of this year in restoring the brand's image and cooling his seat. A win tomorrow will silence all but the staunchest critics and make the fan base truly come alive (and Kinnick along with it) once again. A win adds evidence to the notion that Ferentz's focus has returned and there are still some good years left in him. Hitting the conference season undefeated with momentum in bunches and the enthusiasm of your fans sounds awfully important for such a meaningless exhibition and I hope Kirk and the Hawks treat it that way. Good luck and come out with guns blazing, gentlemen.
 
It's a strange phenomenon when two people can have two completely differing opinions and yet both be correct. Deace's dismissal of tomorrow night's game against Pitt as a "meaningless exhibition" smacked of ridiculousness and probably twisted the drawers of many an Iowa faithful... but he's not altogether wrong. This non-conference, non-season-opening game with no trophy at stake and no playoff implications is in the strictest technical sense a worthless exercise. Where Steve and I part company is when we move from strict technicalities into the symbolic. Symbolically, EVERYTHING rides on Saturday's game. A win against Pitt means a perfect 4-0 start in a season that badly needs one. A win tomorrow blows the doors wide open for a 9-3 or even a 10-2 season. Beat Pitt and we start making a good case for a little number appearing next to our name for the first time in years. But the most important of all is the chance for a coach to redeem himself. I believe Kirk Ferentz when he claims to have rededicated himself to developing players and winning football games. I believe that he truly understands the importance of this year in restoring the brand's image and cooling his seat. A win tomorrow will silence all but the staunchest critics and make the fan base truly come alive (and Kinnick along with it) once again. A win adds evidence to the notion that Ferentz's focus has returned and there are still some good years left in him. Hitting the conference season undefeated with momentum in bunches and the enthusiasm of your fans sounds awfully important for such a meaningless exhibition and I hope Kirk and the Hawks treat it that way. Good luck and come out with guns blazing, gentlemen.
I agree completely. If you treat it as an exhibition you'll probably lose. You always play to win. Welcome aboard. Solid first post except for the part about being 4-0 after beating Pitt. We still have North Texas before we get to 4-0.
 
On the national scene the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry is almost meaningless but we all know how the outcome affects all aspects of the two teams. Especially in the win loss column.

Just look at last year the hawks stumble bumbling around playing passive and lose to ISU, 7-5 instead of 8-4 and the hawks would have been 8-1 heading into the Minny game last year and probably ranked.

So really there are no meaningless games. Pitt is the team on the hawks schedule and we all want a win so therefore it cant be meaningless.

I deleted the offending text that you can read below.
 
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Yeah I don't really get where Deace was coming from there. This isn't the NFL preseason, every game counts. If these non-conference games didn't count, Deace wouldn't have had a meltdown in the previous podcast and called for the entire ISU coaching staff's head.
 
On the national scene the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry is almost meaningless but we all know how the outcome affects all aspects of the two teams. Especially in the win loss column.

Just look at last year the hawks stumble bumbling around playing passive and lose to ISU, 7-5 instead of 8-4 and the hawks would have been 8-1 heading into the Minny game last year and probably ranked.

So really there are no meaningless games. Pitt is the team on the hawks schedule and we all want a win so therefore it cant be meaningless.

Oh by the way, Deace is an idiot, always has been with his blabbering about religion out one side of his mouth but then being so conservative politically out the other side of his mouth as not to give a nickel to a poor person. He should read his New Testament again.

I really doubt you have ever read the New Testament from start to finish. I challenge you to do so over the weekend. All Scripture is good for the soul.
 
On the national scene the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry is almost meaningless but we all know how the outcome affects all aspects of the two teams. Especially in the win loss column.

Just look at last year the hawks stumble bumbling around playing passive and lose to ISU, 7-5 instead of 8-4 and the hawks would have been 8-1 heading into the Minny game last year and probably ranked.

So really there are no meaningless games. Pitt is the team on the hawks schedule and we all want a win so therefore it cant be meaningless.

Oh by the way, Deace is an idiot, always has been with his blabbering about religion out one side of his mouth but then being so conservative politically out the other side of his mouth as not to give a nickel to a poor person. He should read his New Testament again.


i very much doubt that he 'would not give a nickel to a poor person'.
 
On the national scene the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry is almost meaningless but we all know how the outcome affects all aspects of the two teams. Especially in the win loss column.

Just look at last year the hawks stumble bumbling around playing passive and lose to ISU, 7-5 instead of 8-4 and the hawks would have been 8-1 heading into the Minny game last year and probably ranked.

So really there are no meaningless games. Pitt is the team on the hawks schedule and we all want a win so therefore it cant be meaningless.

Oh by the way, Deace is an idiot, always has been with his blabbering about religion out one side of his mouth but then being so conservative politically out the other side of his mouth as not to give a nickel to a poor person. He should read his New Testament again.

You know--for a fact--Deace doesn't give money to poor people or to charities that support poverty-related causes?

Sounds like YOU could do some boning up on the NT, as well.
 
I really doubt you have ever read the New Testament from start to finish. I challenge you to do so over the weekend. All Scripture is good for the soul.

I have read the NT completely. Good stories, good parables. I will edit that post if everyone is so bent out of shape.

But believe me, I am one person among many who think the poor and low wage earners should get paid more and corporations and shareholders etc can give more.
 
Wow. The original post author writes extremely well. Great job.
Iowa needs to win to get back its fan base. HUGE game for Coach Ferentz, under the lights
 
Seasons over boys, sorry Iowa you can't have a Cinderella year Deace said so. In all seriousness, it's college football.. every game matters if you can run the table. This year, Iowa is good enough to have a punchers chance in every game this season.
 
It's a strange phenomenon when two people can have two completely differing opinions and yet both be correct. Deace's dismissal of tomorrow night's game against Pitt as a "meaningless exhibition" smacked of ridiculousness and probably twisted the drawers of many an Iowa faithful... but he's not altogether wrong. This non-conference, non-season-opening game with no trophy at stake and no playoff implications is in the strictest technical sense a worthless exercise. Where Steve and I part company is when we move from strict technicalities into the symbolic. Symbolically, EVERYTHING rides on Saturday's game. A win against Pitt means a perfect 4-0 start in a season that badly needs one. A win tomorrow blows the doors wide open for a 9-3 or even a 10-2 season. Beat Pitt and we start making a good case for a little number appearing next to our name for the first time in years. But the most important of all is the chance for a coach to redeem himself. I believe Kirk Ferentz when he claims to have rededicated himself to developing players and winning football games. I believe that he truly understands the importance of this year in restoring the brand's image and cooling his seat. A win tomorrow will silence all but the staunchest critics and make the fan base truly come alive (and Kinnick along with it) once again. A win adds evidence to the notion that Ferentz's focus has returned and there are still some good years left in him. Hitting the conference season undefeated with momentum in bunches and the enthusiasm of your fans sounds awfully important for such a meaningless exhibition and I hope Kirk and the Hawks treat it that way. Good luck and come out with guns blazing, gentlemen.

Great post. I would add that the 4-0 start you speak of would also be a huge step in the right direction when it comes to impressing young Mr. Epenesa who will be in attendance Saturday night. His recruitment absolutely matters. It's going to be an electric atmosphere. I'm thrilled I get to be a part of it.
 
I hope this doesn't make Jon mad but I've never been a big fan of Deace. Maybe it's just me but he comes off pretty arrogant most of the time...
 
Personally I like hearing Deace's perspective. He hasn't said anything that's made me want to break my TV or computer but maybe that's just me.
 
^Agreed. Nothing wrong with hearing an outside perspective from a non-fan. It was pretty dumb to say this game doesn't matter, though. In college football, every game matters.
 
It's a strange phenomenon when two people can have two completely differing opinions and yet both be correct. Deace's dismissal of tomorrow night's game against Pitt as a "meaningless exhibition" smacked of ridiculousness and probably twisted the drawers of many an Iowa faithful... but he's not altogether wrong. This non-conference, non-season-opening game with no trophy at stake and no playoff implications is in the strictest technical sense a worthless exercise. Where Steve and I part company is when we move from strict technicalities into the symbolic. Symbolically, EVERYTHING rides on Saturday's game. A win against Pitt means a perfect 4-0 start in a season that badly needs one. A win tomorrow blows the doors wide open for a 9-3 or even a 10-2 season. Beat Pitt and we start making a good case for a little number appearing next to our name for the first time in years. But the most important of all is the chance for a coach to redeem himself. I believe Kirk Ferentz when he claims to have rededicated himself to developing players and winning football games. I believe that he truly understands the importance of this year in restoring the brand's image and cooling his seat. A win tomorrow will silence all but the staunchest critics and make the fan base truly come alive (and Kinnick along with it) once again. A win adds evidence to the notion that Ferentz's focus has returned and there are still some good years left in him. Hitting the conference season undefeated with momentum in bunches and the enthusiasm of your fans sounds awfully important for such a meaningless exhibition and I hope Kirk and the Hawks treat it that way. Good luck and come out with guns blazing, gentlemen.

Deace is trying to cover his ***. In his podcast with Miller he told all Iowa fans to hope Iowa lost its games because it would be best that way to get rid of Ferentz sooner. He seen it as Michigan, hoped for it, it happened and now it needs to happen at Iowa. Iowa wins and that blows up the bs he put out on that podcast. He covered the clones and his team is Michigan, I'd expect nothing less from him.
 
JFC ...can we get past Deace. He has some really solid observations on college football .. he can also be a total ******, One doesn't necessarily invalidate the other.
 
Deace can't keep his own BS straight. He also thinks Rudock is due for a break out and UM runs an incredibly complex scheme that doesn't show up on any tape. Any Iowa fan can tell you exactly what Rudock is.
 
^Agreed. Nothing wrong with hearing an outside perspective from a non-fan. It was pretty dumb to say this game doesn't matter, though. In college football, every game matters.

Agree. At the very least it likely affects the bowl we end up going to.
 
Good grief, why would anyone pay attention to Deace. He knows squat about football, and is nothing but a fanboy for his favorite teams. Why is the game meaningless? It has nothing to do w/ISU or Mich!
 

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