I've noticed since graduating from Iowa then living in IC, having kids that have gone to ISU (yes I failed, although they are still Hawk fans) that there seems to be more energy attached to both the academics and athletics at ISU, relative to Iowa.
Iowa is both a better school and has a better athletic tradition. But Iowa has managed to take the student body out of the equation when it comes to supporting Iowa athletics and by extension the University itself. And it feels like the trajectory of ISU is going up and Iowa is going down. The fuddy-duddy athletic administration has sucked all of the energy out of the school. Boring football, events aimed at wealthy donors, asinine mantras like "Do it right, graduate", seem aimed at parents and grandparents of recruits, not the recruits. Who doesn't want to do it right and graduate? It is Barta's excuse for mediocrity, it was stupid in 2015 when he came up with it, and it is stupid now.
Iowa is both a better school and has a better athletic tradition. But Iowa has managed to take the student body out of the equation when it comes to supporting Iowa athletics and by extension the University itself. And it feels like the trajectory of ISU is going up and Iowa is going down. The fuddy-duddy athletic administration has sucked all of the energy out of the school. Boring football, events aimed at wealthy donors, asinine mantras like "Do it right, graduate", seem aimed at parents and grandparents of recruits, not the recruits. Who doesn't want to do it right and graduate? It is Barta's excuse for mediocrity, it was stupid in 2015 when he came up with it, and it is stupid now.