Definition of a Successful Season?

N

Not4cy

Well-Known Member
I would define a successful/good season for Iowa when we finish in the top 25 at the end of the season. From 2005-2011, we will have finished in the top 25, two times out of 7 years. We will not finish in the top 25 this season.

Is finishing in the top 25, two times out of 7 seasons a successful program for Iowa? I say no.

I will make it 6 out of 8 after next season because no way does Iowa finish in the top 25 next year with what we have returning.


Iowa is 52-33 since 2005....61% winning percentage over 7 years.
 
Last edited:
How would Iowa State define a successful season?

It really is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?

My definition is a season that ends in a bowl game.

By the way, a 61% winning percentage for Iowa over the past 7 years is very good. Iowa's winning percentage the past 33 years under Fry and Ferentz is at about 60%, so 61% is above that average.

I will take 60% every year.

Your expectations are completely and totally unrealistic.
 
It is realistic to expect a Top 25 football program "overall". To say otherwise is asanine IMO. But it IS unrealistic to expect to be a Top 25 program each and every single year if you talk about finishing ranked in the final polls. There will be up and down years. No way around that.

Iowa's final ratings our past 4 years:
2008 - #23 or so
2009 - #7
2010 - unranked
2011 - unranked (presumably)

So where does that really put us? It's hard to measure this, but maybe that would be a Top 25 "overall"? Guess it would be pretty close anyway.

But season by season, I would say that depends on the team you have, as to whether you can call it a successful season.

2010 - an 8 win season IMO was not a success given the talent the team had. I don't care if they made a bowl game.. 6-6 teams are making bowl games these days..

But this year, an 8 win season could be considered fairly successful. Whether or not we get to 8 wins is a different discussion.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Last edited:
10 wins is what i call a great season. but unlike many, i do not feel it is obtainable every year. I'd say 8 is where I think we can be every year, anything less than 8 is a down year
 
HawkeyeMHA said:
10 wins is what i call a great season. but unlike many, i do not feel it is obtainable every year. I'd say 8 is where I think we can be every year, anything less than 8 is a down year
Click to expand...

Pretty much where I'm at. 8-9 wins I think is a pretty realistic goal from season to season.. 10 wins on occasion is obviously attainable, since Iowa has done it 4 times in the past decade.

6-7 wins I would call a down year. Guess that's what you'd call this year, then.

Big thing in my mind is to avoid stringing together too many "down years" in a row.
 
ChosenChildren said:
How would Iowa State define a successful season?

It really is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?

My definition is a season that ends in a bowl game.

.
Click to expand...


Just making a bowl? It seems like you are a terrible team if you can't get to a bowl this day and age. If you are from a BCS conference and get 6 wins are you not bowl eligible? I can't see a 6 win team from a BCS conference not making a bowl. Considering there are generally 3 automatic wins in Iowa non conference schedule that mens you only have to win 3 Big 10 games to be bowl eligible. It does not seem to be that great of a feat if you ask me.

I don't know what I would define as successful. Maybe this day and age 9 wins minimum.

8-4 is an OK season I guess.

It can depend on the level of competition/schedule as well.
 
I also look at top 25 finish as my benchmark.

Bowl eligibility is a joke. All but about 10 bowls are crappy and virtually meaningless.

How can anyone look at 7-5 and a New Mexico bowl as successful?

BTW...7 wins gives you a 60% win percentage. 7 wins blows in my book!
 
Successful: 11 Wins
Acceptable: 9 Wins
Meh: 7 wins
Unacceptable: 6 wins

Keep in mind that we should presumably play 13 games in a season which includes a bowl game. If we go 6-7 is that really acceptable to anybody?
 
If you take out the 2009 season as an outlier, Iowa is 42-31 since 2004, an average of 7-5. Wow, now that's worth the salary we are paying?
Jon mentioned that 3 mediocre years in a row might make things interesting. Well, we've had 5 in the last 7, so I guess that 3 mediocre years isn't going to be enough to shake some changes now, will it?
 
1977Hawkeye said:
Pretty much where I'm at. 8-9 wins I think is a pretty realistic goal from season to season.. 10 wins on occasion is obviously attainable, since Iowa has done it 4 times in the past decade.

6-7 wins I would call a down year. Guess that's what you'd call this year, then.

Big thing in my mind is to avoid stringing together too many "down years" in a row.
Click to expand...

This is about right for me. I've always felt that anything better than 4-4 in the Big Ten should be celebrated, as that is a tough road to travel. That may seem a little underwhelming compared to the expectations of some, but I also expect to beat Iowa State just about literally EVERY year, and other than making road trips to play BCS non-conference games out of region, the non-con should be 4-0 almost without fail.
 
I would say a successful season is a 3-1 or 4-0 non-con record with either a 3-5 or 2-6 conference record that yields 6-6 overall and continues the bowl eligibility streak. We just need to face facts that so long as we can put together those 6-6 or 7-5 seasons, we will be right where we should be, which is right there in a position where if we get some lucky breaks at the right times, we'll be a 10 win team.
 
okeefe4prez said:
I would say a successful season is a 3-1 or 4-0 non-con record with either a 3-5 or 2-6 conference record that yields 6-6 overall and continues the bowl eligibility streak. We just need to face facts that so long as we can put together those 6-6 or 7-5 seasons, we will be right where we should be, which is right there in a position where if we get some lucky breaks at the right times, we'll be a 10 win team.
Click to expand...

Spoken like a true straight C student who doesn't understand why he didn't get into Medical School.
God I hope this is a snark because otherwise it's pathetic.:eek:
 
Cover3 said:
and other than making road trips to play BCS non-conference games out of region, the non-con should be 4-0 almost without fail.
Click to expand...

And how many times has Iowa gone 4-0 in the non-conf under Ferentz, regardless of opponents? I mean, he's what, 6-7 against ISU? :(
 
7-5 should be the absolute basement for this program. that's 3-1 in non-conf and only 4-4 in conference. But I'd suggest 8-4 should be the standard, unless we start scheduling teams like Oklahoma or LSU.

I don't think that's asking too much.
 
With this years schedule along with the Big 10 not being as strong an 8 - 4 record would have been acceptable. Losing to ISU and Minn pretty much ruined that chance.

8 wins last season with the talent the Hawks had was definitely unacceptable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top