AP

[NorthKCHawk]

Getting bitch slapped by stanford should eliminate any puffy chest you have for the team that was a yard away from the playoffs. We may have gotten into the playoffs in an incredibly weak b10 that year, but it would have resulted into “who doesn’t belong in this picture”.

I don't disagree that year had a disappointing ending. But, if you are going to focus on one game or one season or one event, you are not evaluating the state of the program in a way that makes sense. As Fry has stated many times, you also need to measure the program by WAR. What are the odds a new coach is better than KF? Below 50%.

KF's body of work, and the trendline since 2015, more than justifies giving KF a free hand to staff his program as he sees fit. That said, I think the rope is at an end on that with a new AD and historically bad offense. If the offense is putrid again this year, intervention may come.

But again, the discussion started by comparing why KF "gets away" with what he gets away with and Fran does not. The answer is that KF has earned it through performance and national relevance in a way Fran clearly has not achieved. That is just true. And I like Fran, a lot.

 

[dagdaj]

I don't disagree that year had a disappointing ending. But, if you are going to focus on one game or one season or one event, you are not evaluating the state of the program in a way that makes sense. As Fry has stated many times, you also need to measure the program by WAR. What are the odds a new coach is better than KF? Below 50%.

KF's body of work, and the trendline since 2015, more than justifies giving KF a free hand to staff his program as he sees fit. That said, I think the rope is at an end on that with a new AD and historically bad offense. If the offense is putrid again this year, intervention may come.

But again, the discussion started by comparing why KF "gets away" with what he gets away with and Fran does not. The answer is that KF has earned it through performance and national relevance in a way Fran clearly has not achieved. That is just true. And I like Fran, a lot.

I'm right with ya. How much Kirk "gets away with" is debatable. You could talk me into anything from "meh...some nepotistic coaching decisions" to "dude is allowed to do anything he wants". Or somewhere in between.

But I'm right with you. As an out of stater, my Hawkeye fandom started in '89. So, I missed the 1985 excitement. Football and basketball are completely different. Basketball has always been "the tourney". Football is ever evolving. It was "Rose Bowl". Then it was "BCS". Then it was "Conference Championship". Now it's "getting in the playoffs". And failing those, I want a #2 Iowa beating #3 Penn State (even though the season crapped out). Or even just a throttling of OSU in a good, but not spectacular year.

Granted, it's been awhile since they've achieved one of those years.

But, frankly, I have enough fingers to count the teams that have had that in the last same while.

I will always maintain that Iowa outpunches every other school on the very regular. I can repost my chart on the lowest ratios of population to D1 football positions and only one, maybe two (Montana and maybe South Dakota) have a lower ratio than Iowa. And I'll gladly take Iowa's production over them. Or anyone even close to them.

I've said for years the march to making the "national title" as prominent as it is, will ultimately be bad for NCAA football and NCAA sports as a whole. Not short term. But who knows long term. I doubt it will be.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

Iowa was ranked #2 in the country two years ago. Then they shit the bed against Purdue, but still, can you imagine how jacked we would be if Fran's boys were ever #2 nationally? Even for a week?

Between individual star players, big wins, and an occassional double digit win season, KF has forged Iowa as nationally relevant. Maybe not a national player very often, but relevant to the overall picture of college football. Fran has had the star players the last 4 years, but we are still waiting on a true break through season. May never happen.

 

[dagdaj]

Iowa was ranked #2 in the country two years ago. Then they shit the bed against Purdue, but still, can you imagine how jacked we would be if Fran's boys were ever #2 nationally? Even for a week?

Between individual star players, big wins, and an occassional double digit win season, KF has forged Iowa as nationally relevant. Maybe not a national player very often, but relevant to the overall picture of college football. Fran has had the star players the last 4 years, but we are still waiting on a true break through season. May never happen.

I'm not a basketball guy so much. I would be if 'something' was happening. I started watching the women 2 years ago. Cause, you know....something (or someone) was happening. I did watch the men in the Big 10 tourney that season too. I mean, it was a little something, winning that. But just a little. You're dead on about this.

Also...If you count Nebraska (2000) only one other BIg 10 team has been ranked at #1 at any point since the turn of the century. That was OSU. 8 YEARS AGO! Going back 10 years, only 7 teams total in all of the NCAA have been ranked #1 at any point during the season.

Over the last 26 years, only 17 teams total have been ranked #1 at any point in the season. Big10-wise, that picks up Michigan and PSU in 1997.

There was a stretch there when Iowa seemed to be playing a bowl game against a team that was either the previous year's national champion or the team that would be the national champion the following year. I really can't find a reason to complain. Except during certain years, I do seem to find a way to complain every couple Saturday's in the fall. And I will agree that this is maybe an inflection point here in terms of the offense/offensive coaching and possibly (because of that) the head coach. Certainly fair for someone to make that argument. But if/when the current coach moves on or out, I'll be damn glad we had him.

We could be Iowa State fans. Or Missouri fans (despite the fact they were ranked #1 in 2007), I still wouldn't trade my fandom. There's really only about 5 or 6 teams who's longterm relevance I actually covet.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

If you are looking at the last decade or so, clearly, OSU, Michigan, and PSU have had more success and we could covet that. Wisky has had our number more often than not, but they have not won a conference title since 2012 and never made the playoffs. Not sure I would trade places with Wisky or anyone else in the Big 10 beyond the Top 3.

Obviously, there are a number of SEC programs that are well-above Iowa stature. Clemson, FSU, USC, Notre Dame also jump out as coveted success. Beyond that, Iowa is in the conversation as a consistent Top 20ish program the last decade or so. Could be worse (hi Nebraska)

 

[hawkdrummer1]

Iowa was ranked #2 in the country two years ago. Then they shit the bed against Purdue, but still, can you imagine how jacked we would be if Fran's boys were ever #2 nationally? Even for a week?

Between individual star players, big wins, and an occassional double digit win season, KF has forged Iowa as nationally relevant. Maybe not a national player very often, but relevant to the overall picture of college football. Fran has had the star players the last 4 years, but we are still waiting on a true break through season. May never happen.

Probably not, I see Fran retiring in a year or two. He'll want to watch Jack play.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

Probably not, I see Fran retiring in a year or two. He'll want to watch Jack play.

Hard for me to see Fran hanging them up right now. If anything, he might want to try one last stop. That said, he is 64, so not sure how many other decent jobs will be available and want a coach of his vintage that has never been to a Sweet 16. He strikes me as the type of hire a fan base would hate.

I think Fran gets a pass this season if the team does not make the tourney. After that, he will be on the hot seat and may either retire or get retired. I hope Fran retires a Hawkeye and gets one deep tourney run before all is said and done. Basketball is quirky. Just need to get hot at the right time.

 

[CP87]

Iowa was ranked #2 in the country two years ago. Then they shit the bed against Purdue, but still, can you imagine how jacked we would be if Fran's boys were ever #2 nationally? Even for a week?

Between individual star players, big wins, and an occassional double digit win season, KF has forged Iowa as nationally relevant. Maybe not a national player very often, but relevant to the overall picture of college football. Fran has had the star players the last 4 years, but we are still waiting on a true break through season. May never happen.

Iowa Men's BB was ranked #3 for 3 weeks at the start of the 2020-2021 season, and they were #3 in January of 2016. In that most recent case, they were in or around the top-5 for about 6 weeks; in the older case, for about a month.

Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Basketball AP Poll History | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Check out Iowa Hawkeyes's Complete College AP Polls History and More About College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

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