Beginning of The End for Kirk?

[Pink Bathroom]

Kirk isn't going anywhere for at least 5 more seasons.

Like others have stated, if fans really want to push the issue, the only effective way is to spend those dollars elsewhere. Don't go to the games and don't purchase the merchandise, and the deep-pocketed boosters have to withhold donations. I'm not necessarily advocating for this, but, to do it quickly, there would have to be some type of concerted social media organized boycott.

As long as there is money and fan support, Barta will sit on his hands. That's the bottom line for pretty much every major program in the country.

I agree but I think we need to fire Barta first. Kirk has a strong ally in the AD and Barta has the power to just hire Brian. Boycott games, merchandise, start an organized movement to fire Barta than wait and enjoy the remaining 6-6 seasons.

 

[BigD]

LOL, Iowa could 0-12. KF ain't going nowhere.

Barta should be fired plain and simple. Look where the sports programs are at Iowa. I strongly suspect their is a lot of politics involved with the board of regents. Politics? That’s what your thinking right? Your exactly right. When it comes to sports there is no room for political influence.

Can any of you explain why Barta is here? We are at a state of total mediocrity in the achievements of the two major sports programs. Plus you take into consideration the law suit. Most school can an AD’s ass after something like that. I thought at Iowa we were better than that. Apparently not. That’s why I suspect that this isn’t just about sports or ethics at the University of Iowa. It just doesn’t pass the smell test.

 

[TJERanch]

Sitting in lower North End Zone today - looked as full as it did for Maryland game.... Iowa has had 3 sellouts (or 4) - not sure how many empty seats it would take to start an in-house discussion. They had large season ticket drop after 2012... but then rebounded

We sit on the press box side and the top sections of the N end zone were spotty at best and near empty after halftime.

 

[hawkinstl]

Does the decline now begin in earnest?

KF is going no where because Gary Bar Bar is the AD and is scared shi!less of KF. Iowa will be 7-5 or 8-4 most years. They'll have a year of 6-6 or 10-2 every now and then. Many big doners are so far up KF's a$$, they are too blind to see how out of touch this program and coaching staff is.

Outside of Iowa, he!! inside of Iowa now, the program is becoming very quickly an after thought on Saturday afternoons. I fell asleep three times in the first half alone yesterday. What a bore fest it was.

Flipped back and forth to the ISU game as well. ISU is fun to watch most of the time. Kinnick cleared out a lot at halftime yesterday. Why do people want to freeze watching the crapfest that was Iowa football yesterday?

 

[Bluesman]

I think Iowa football stopped being must watch viewing for me after the 2012 season. For the last 5 or 6 I almost never watch. This year the only game I watched in its entirety was the PSU game; I also watched the 2nd half of the Maryland game. Last year I doubt I watched a full 4 quarters of Iowa football. The last bowl game I bothered to watch was the Rose Bowl after the 2015 season and that turned out great

I don't watch anymore because it's boring and that will never change as long as Kirk is the coach. I still follow them online and of course want them to win but they've lost me as a hard core fan. I haven't been to a game at Kinnick since 2011. It's just not as interesting as it used to be. A lot of Saturdays I don't even know what time the game is on anymore. If something isn't fun or interesting, why do it? Watching Iowa football ceased to be fun for me so I gave it up for the most part. It's kind of sad really and what's even sadder is that nothing is going to change anytime soon. When Kirk does finally step down we all know it will only be to pass the torch to his kid and the train of vanilla mediocrity will continue to roll on down the tracks. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Kirk is what, 3-4 in conference play this year? He's won 2 conference titles, both shared with another team, and the last title was in 2006. That's pretty uninspiring if you ask me.

 

[KFerentz]

There's no chance his seat gets hot. Firing him would make Barta look terrible because of this contract. This is going to continue until Kirk wants to leave, as it always has been.

They will fire Gary before they fire me.

 

[MoseSchrute]

Kirk is what, 3-4 in conference play this year? He's won 2 conference titles, both shared with another team, and the last title was in 2006. That's pretty uninspiring if you ask me.

2004, actually. Shared with a Michigan team who had the head to head on us. The University simply does not care about having conference contending sports programs.

 

[tksirius]

It's time.

 

[SmokeTownHawk]

Whomever is able to fire Barta that is something that needs to be done first. That act alone should send a message to Kirk and Fran.

 

[revkev73]

This is Iowa, nothing will change.

It isn't that complicated. Another Bowl? Bonus?

Only a few are upset with our "success."

 

[Xerxes]

It's time.

What is up with the “Wow” part?

Any intelligent Iowa fan or journalist who covers the team is well aware of this. Only a blind KF loyalist deludes themselves into this being being a “wow” type of thing. You generally have to win 9 games to end the season ranked. Kirk rarely does this. No surprise here.

 

[tweeterhawk]

This feels like the last few years of Hayden Fry, my favorite Iowa coach. Last four years under Fry: 8-4, 9-3, 7-5, 3-8. Even then, the Hawks finished in the Top 25 the fourth and third last seasons of Fry’s career.

There’s no excitement any more in Iowa City for Iowa football. Ferentz would need to have a string of 9-win seasons or better, conference titles and placement in post-season polls to turn that around. I don’t think any sane person expects that to happen.

Plodding Gary Barta seems perfectly happy with Mediocre Kirk.

 

[Fryowa]

I agree but I think we need to fire Barta first. Kirk has a strong ally in the AD and Barta has the power to just hire Brian. Boycott games, merchandise, start an organized movement to fire Barta than wait and enjoy the remaining 6-6 seasons.

Barta should be fired plain and simple. Look where the sports programs are at Iowa. I strongly suspect their is a lot of politics involved with the board of regents. Politics? That’s what your thinking right? Your exactly right. When it comes to sports there is no room for political influence.

Can any of you explain why Barta is here? We are at a state of total mediocrity in the achievements of the two major sports programs. Plus you take into consideration the law suit. Most school can an AD’s ass after something like that. I thought at Iowa we were better than that. Apparently not. That’s why I suspect that this isn’t just about sports or ethics at the University of Iowa. It just doesn’t pass the smell test.

Whomever is able to fire Barta that is something that needs to be done first. That act alone should send a message to Kirk and Fran.

Donors determine the head football coach.

Barta is the puppet.

In no way, shape, or form, is Gary Barta going to have a single iota of say over who the current or any future head coach of football or basketball is. If he somehow went rogue and said, "I'm firing Kirk Ferentz," the donors would say, "No, you're not."

"In fact, Gary, you're fired now."

Why is is so hard for you people to get that through your heads? Is it a matter that you're not jaded enough to see the truth or do you genuinely believe that it works that way???

Gary Barta's job is to manage all the non-basketball/football sports, give tours and host suppers for people writing checks, and avoid scandal. He's failed at 2 out of those 3. He should have been fired after the Greasebomb thing, I agree...but he has nothing to do with the coaching situation for football and he damn sure wouldn't be able to change it even if he wanted to.

The sooner you people understand that Barta has zero say in anything football or basketball related the better. He irons McCafferey and Ferentz's underwear and washes their cars.

 

[eveningnewsteam]

Wondering if Iowa finishes poorly, Kirk might hang it up on his own?

And leave his son unemployed? No chance

 

[QuadCityHawkeye]

Kirk isn't getting fired unless he gets arrested for something major. He will decide when he goes.

Barta is the one who should have been fired years ago. His extensions alone should be cause for that.

 

[Hawk4Fan]

They will fire Gary before they fire me.

barta should have been FIRED when it showed he was a racist puke!

 

[BigD]

Donors determine the head football coach.

Barta is the puppet.

In no way, shape, or form, is Gary Barta going to have a single iota of say over who the current or any future head coach of football or basketball is. If he somehow went rogue and said, "I'm firing Kirk Ferentz," the donors would say, "No, you're not."

"In fact, Gary, you're fired now."

Why is is so hard for you people to get that through your heads? Is it a matter that you're not jaded enough to see the truth or do you genuinely believe that it works that way???

Gary Barta's job is to manage all the non-basketball/football sports, give tours and host suppers for people writing checks, and avoid scandal. He's failed at 2 out of those 3. He should have been fired after the Greasebomb thing, I agree...but he has nothing to do with the coaching situation for football and he damn sure wouldn't be able to change it even if he wanted to.

The sooner you people understand that Barta has zero say in anything football or basketball related the better. He irons McCafferey and Ferentz's underwear and washes their cars.

I agree that in the PAST donors had a lot of influence on the football program. That landscape has changed significantly with the Big Ten Channel handing out over sixty million dollars every year to each big ten school. Even the wealthiest of donors doesn’t come close to that. Thinking back I remember amounts from the big donors ranging between one and two million dollars. That was huge in the programs of school but the BTN has changed the landscape of everything.

I think the Kirk’s reign would be looked at with a little more scrutiny if revenue was generated the way it was back in the days of Coach Fry. Ticket revenue, tv commercial revenue, and bowl game pay outs ( that’s what made the New Years Day bowls so important). That two million dollar payout from the rose bowl back then was very important. Even if there was only $750,000 left over after the rose bowl trip expenses, that left over money was appreciated by the University. Also as you point out the donors one million dollar donations was huge back then.

Sixty effing million dollars to the University of Iowa every year, and that figure is going to keep going up. That money has allowed a lot of patience for most head coaches (not named Michigan) in the Big Ten. You can bet your bottom dollar that Minnesota would not have those new facilities without the BTN money.

So whether it’s the AD, Board of Regents, University President, or huge donors, some where there is a serious weak link for the enthusiasm for higher expectations for this football program.

I can’t help but wonder who some of the posters are on this board who seem happy to support Kirk with the 7-5 seasons year after year after year? It should be the wish of every fan to strive for a divisional title. It doesn’t mean you have to reach it every year but as weak as our division is we should be winning it at the VERY LEASTonce every three years if not every other year.

So who are these people. Kirk relatives? Kirk’s neighbors? People who go to church with him and his family? Weak sauce fans who are those types who just like the game day environment regardless of results? Of course it’s their right to support the team and coaches regardless of their reasons, but it’s painful for those who want more. For those of us who believe the facilities, fan support, and revenue should be good enough to be better than what we are. Don’t have to say much other than to point at Wisconsin’s example. I get sick to the stomach just thinking about how we owned the badgers under Coach Fry. Yes, I realize that the BTN has leveled the field, but in the same breath there is absolutely no reason we can’t play at that level, well other than coaching and recruiting.

 

[hawkeyes87]

I can’t help but wonder who some of the posters are on this board who seem happy to support Kirk with the 7-5 seasons year after year after year?

I think many (most?) of the supporters are in-staters whose major wish is that they stay better than
ISU (or Nebby for the "westerners"), with no scandals that would open up "yeah but" counter-arguments.

They are terrified that a new coach might be an Alford, and drop the program below the Clowns.

My feeling for a long time has been that they are a) irrelevant nationally and b) incredibly boring to watch. As an out-of-stater (KC), the Hawks only come up in conversations if I bring them up. They're so irrelevant, I don't catch any shit when they lose- nobody cares. So to me, the risk of going 4-8 instead of 7-6 / 8-5 isn't that great. A change is way overdue.

 

[eveningnewsteam]

I think many (most?) of the supporters are in-staters whose major wish is that they stay better than
ISU (or Nebby for the "westerners"), with no scandals that would open up "yeah but" counter-arguments.

They are terrified that a new coach might be an Alford, and drop the program below the Clowns.

My feeling for a long time has been that they are a) irrelevant nationally and b) incredibly boring to watch. As an out-of-stater (KC), the Hawks only come up in conversations if I bring them up. They're so irrelevant, I don't catch any shit when they lose- nobody cares. So to me, the risk of going 4-8 instead of 7-6 / 8-5 isn't that great. A change is way overdue.

Agree. A change was overdue 6 years ago

 

[hawkeyebob62]

I agree that in the PAST donors had a lot of influence on the football program. That landscape has changed significantly with the Big Ten Channel handing out over sixty million dollars every year to each big ten school. Even the wealthiest of donors doesn’t come close to that. Thinking back I remember amounts from the big donors ranging between one and two million dollars. That was huge in the programs of school but the BTN has changed the landscape of everything.

I think the Kirk’s reign would be looked at with a little more scrutiny if revenue was generated the way it was back in the days of Coach Fry. Ticket revenue, tv commercial revenue, and bowl game pay outs ( that’s what made the New Years Day bowls so important). That two million dollar payout from the rose bowl back then was very important. Even if there was only $750,000 left over after the rose bowl trip expenses, that left over money was appreciated by the University. Also as you point out the donors one million dollar donations was huge back then.

Sixty effing million dollars to the University of Iowa every year, and that figure is going to keep going up. That money has allowed a lot of patience for most head coaches (not named Michigan) in the Big Ten. You can bet your bottom dollar that Minnesota would not have those new facilities without the BTN money.

So whether it’s the AD, Board of Regents, University President, or huge donors, some where there is a serious weak link for the enthusiasm for higher expectations for this football program.

I can’t help but wonder who some of the posters are on this board who seem happy to support Kirk with the 7-5 seasons year after year after year? It should be the wish of every fan to strive for a divisional title. It doesn’t mean you have to reach it every year but as weak as our division is we should be winning it at the VERY LEASTonce every three years if not every other year.

So who are these people. Kirk relatives? Kirk’s neighbors? People who go to church with him and his family? Weak sauce fans who are those types who just like the game day environment regardless of results? Of course it’s their right to support the team and coaches regardless of their reasons, but it’s painful for those who want more. For those of us who believe the facilities, fan support, and revenue should be good enough to be better than what we are. Don’t have to say much other than to point at Wisconsin’s example. I get sick to the stomach just thinking about how we owned the badgers under Coach Fry. Yes, I realize that the BTN has leveled the field, but in the same breath there is absolutely no reason we can’t play at that level, well other than coaching and recruiting.

<<Of course it's their right to support the team and coaches regardless of their reasons, but it's painful for those who want more.>>

Is it time to reload your EBT card? That kind of thinking is straight out of the self-entitlement playbook.

Unless you, personally, are going to pony up $100k or more, your opinion holds zero water. Like it, don't like it, but learn to love it, because it's fact.

But what we saw last Saturday was something else entirely. I have NO idea what the hell our game plan was. I'd be hard-pressed, even after watching the game again, to put it into cogent word or phrase. And if Uncle Bruce's money is enough to keep Rastetter on the field, at least let him be our "designated fake-FG/punt-throwing-QB". Teams have figured out, "Hey, let an up man field the kick!". We'll figure it out 19 games from now.