Defining Success

[BSpringsteen]

There has been a lot of talk lately about what is success and if KF's success at Iowa.

Everyone acknowledges that KF's salary is not based primarily on results necessarily but based on keeping Iowa a relevant household brand in CFB.

So I am curious, based on the above what everyone's definition of a successful football season is.

For me it breaks down as follows... to be relevant you have to:

A successful season is a season which ends with Iowa hoisting a Big 10 championship trophy and/or a top 10 ranking.

An acceptable season is a season which ends with Iowa being in contention for the Big 10 Championship (even if it requires others to lose) during the last week of the season and a top 25 ranking.

Anything less then that is totally unacceptable.

So based on that, and throwing out KF's first two seasons and start with the 2001 season, we've finished in the top 25 5 times 9 seasons. If you throw out 2001, than it is 5 out of 8. If we do so this year, that will be 6 out of 9 or 66% of the time, roughly 2 out of 3 years.

Too lazy to look up if we were in the race on the last week of the season.

Starting next year, I would say a successful season is making the Big 10 championship game.

 

[MidnightBlueSix]

I also think there's a measurement of success that's become all too forgotten in today's sporting culture. Stability. It seems like the current climate would make it impossible for a Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden or Greg Robinson to even exist nowadays. If you have a bad year (or Heaven forbid 2 in a row) the boosters are out with the pitchforks and torches and you're immediately on the hot seat. I'll use Texas as a recent example.

After Texas lost ONE game this year, there was a movement among the boosters (I doubt a lot of current or recent students were involved but that's just a hunch) to remove Mack Brown. It wasn't just due to the loss, though, they were (in their minds) looking toward the future. Since Georgia is looking like they may fire Mark Richt this year and since Texas' DC/Head Coach In Waiting Will Muschamp is a Georgia guy, the fear was that Georgia would fire Richt and Muschamp would take the job. So rather than keep the one guy who's been able to make Texas a perennial power (before he got there they had I think one double-digit win season but it's been awhile since I heard the stat so feel free to correct me), they were talking about firing him to replace him with a DC who has no head coaching experience. After one loss.

The key to Iowa's success in the KF era is that for the most part the staff has been together so long. The recruits are brought into a system that's been around for over a decade and we're developing a profile of hard-working, smart, athletic "Iowa Guys." It's even translating to the NFL. Interesting fact: once JoePa retires, KF will be the longest-tenured head coach in the Big Ten. The University values predictability and reliability. I wouldn't trade KF for any coach in college ball right now and I mean that. Some people would want the flash of Urban Meyer or the recruiting of Nick Saban but those guys could be gone in the blink of an eye. KF just fits best with us.

 

[BSpringsteen]

The key to Iowa's success in the KF era is that for the most part the staff has been together so long. The recruits are brought into a system that's been around for over a decade and we're developing a profile of hard-working, smart, athletic "Iowa Guys." It's even translating to the NFL. Interesting fact: once JoePa retires, KF will be the longest-tenured head coach in the Big Ten. The University values predictability and reliability. I wouldn't trade KF for any coach in college ball right now and I mean that. Some people would want the flash of Urban Meyer or the recruiting of Nick Saban but those guys could be gone in the blink of an eye. KF just fits best with us.

I agree with this for sure.

 

[HaydenHawk56]

Really depends on your personal, schedule, and improvement being built towards were you want to go. I would hope with the things are now (year to year on average) that we can almost be a permanent fixture in the top 25, we can make a bowl game, can make a run at the Big Ten title at least every three years, can have a shot at the NT a few times a decade, and we are at least at 6-7 wins in our rebuilding seasons. Goal number 1 would always to do the very best you can every year of course...even if you can't (all the marbles of course).

This year, a successful and fulfilling season for me was at least winning the Big Ten and going to the Rose Bowl based on the returning talent, the likelihood of improvement from last year with key returning starters, and the schedule. I thought the losses at linebacker and in the secondary would probably hinder our chances for NT run, but I thought we had an outside shot of it.

This season can still be successful below the line of the Rose Bowl because a winning season can still be had, at least a share of the Big Ten title, and making a bowl game. It just won't feel as fulfilling based on all of the pre-season factors and building from the last 2 years.