Do you really believe the Hawks are good enough to be a playoff team?

2002 and 2009? Yes.
We don't have that dominant OL and QB, like we had in 2002.
2009, we had balance, and NFL talent scattered throughout.

This year, we barely beat Pitt, Wisconsin and Iowa State.
but good teams, know how to win the close games.

Are we top 25? I'd say yes, based on the OL, QB, depth at RB and defense.
Are we top 15? Maybe, but that's all the higher I would go.


You can't start with '09 yes, then say this years team isn't because we barely beat 3 teams. '09 barely beat every team. Hell even '02 barely beat Penn State and Purdue. They even lost to ISU. I don't want to even get started on your barely beat Iowa State comment. They came strong for 1 quarter, then we dominated the rest of the game.
 
Yes, everyone in CFB sucks. TCU can barely beat a crappy Texas Tech team, they can't even beat Minnesota by double digits. Ohio St. nearly lost to both Norther Illinois and Indiana. Michigan St was in a one score game with Central Michigan in the fourth and needed a fourth down spike and epic punt screw up to beat Rutgers and Michigan. Alabama gave up 50 to an Ole Miss team at home that Memphis had no problem with. Stanford scored six ******* point against a team we dropped 40 on. Utah got housed by a .500 USC team. Baylor's best win is ISU .
 
Sure it's fun to think about but deep down I just can't buy into this team being 1 of the top 4 teams in the country.

The schedule sets up for a nice finish and I would be disappointed not to play in the Big 10 championship game. If we do make it to Indy, this team won't beat the Buckeyes. We've had some breaks to get where we with the fumble at Wisconsin and a last second field goal to beat Pitt. I still anticipate losing one game in the regular season.

Enjoy the ride but don't get your hopes up, Indy is the cap for this team.

Remember 2002? Was Ohio State really the best team in the country that year? Somehow, someway, they won 6 games late in the 4th quarter, and then defeated Miami in OT to win it all. You don't have to be one of the best teams, you just have to keep winning. If Iowa wins the division and wins the Big Ten title game, I believe they will be in the final 4 playoff. Are we good enough to defeat Ohio State? Perhaps one or two out of ten times, but it only takes that one time!
 
Yes, everyone in CFB sucks. TCU can barely beat a crappy Texas Tech team, they can't even beat Minnesota by double digits. Ohio St. nearly lost to both Norther Illinois and Indiana. Michigan St was in a one score game with Central Michigan in the fourth and needed a fourth down spike and epic punt screw up to beat Rutgers and Michigan. Alabama gave up 50 to an Ole Miss team at home that Memphis had no problem with. Stanford scored six ******* point against a team we dropped 40 on. Utah got housed by a .500 USC team. Baylor's best win is ISU .

A couple things. In MSU's defense it could possibly have been the greatest 4th down spike of all time. I mean seriously who saw that coming.

And in regards to the Baylor comment I lol'd and threw up in my mouth at the same time.
 
This is a great question...I watch a lot of college football and get sucked into the Twitter/ESPN echo chamber so my view is twisted. Based purely on the eye test, I can't say Iowa is a playoff team. However, if they do win out and beat OSU they have to be. At this point there is just no way to judge.

Ironically I think Iowa would stop OSU before Michigan state, simply because I'm scared Connor cook would just carve Iowa to pieces with midrange pass everywhere except Desmond kings direction. Even Desmond king gets burned a couple of times a game and Connor cook does not miss those reads like a JT Barrett would. I also think Iowa run defense matches up decently well to yeh spread option offense this year. Way more than in the past.
 
You can't start with '09 yes, then say this years team isn't because we barely beat 3 teams. '09 barely beat every team. Hell even '02 barely beat Penn State and Purdue. They even lost to ISU. I don't want to even get started on your barely beat Iowa State comment. They came strong for 1 quarter, then we dominated the rest of the game.


Isn't 2009 the year Iowa took two consecutive blocked field goals to beat UNI?
 
It has been a great season, with potential to become even better, but I'd be pretty nervous watching the Hawks play a top team. Wisconsin and Northwestern were nice wins, but their quarterbacks this season aren't exactly Heisman quality. I'm afraid someone like Connor Cook might carve up Iowa's D. Ohio St. and some other top teams are loaded with talent and speed, as always, and I don't know if Iowa's 2- and 3-stars can keep up.


Why people can't realize this is a good thing is beyond me! The nervousness is back which is what we have been begging for the past 3 years. Time to raise the bar. Heck, I get nervous playing the Maryland's & Indiana's. It's good, trust me.
 
Yes, everyone in CFB sucks. TCU can barely beat a crappy Texas Tech team, they can't even beat Minnesota by double digits. Ohio St. nearly lost to both Norther Illinois and Indiana. Michigan St was in a one score game with Central Michigan in the fourth and needed a fourth down spike and epic punt screw up to beat Rutgers and Michigan. Alabama gave up 50 to an Ole Miss team at home that Memphis had no problem with. Stanford scored six ******* point against a team we dropped 40 on. Utah got housed by a .500 USC team. Baylor's best win is ISU .


All that spike did was prevent a chance at a hail mary.
 
My answer to this troll thread is yes. They are that good. Were they supposed to be? No, but that's why they play.

Now, your nitpicking:

ISU is a rivalry game, but if not for stupid mistakes that game could have been 40 - 17 or worse.

Wisconsin, only like 3 teams have won there in the past five years. That's a great win.

Pitt might win the ACC. They'll have to go through Clemson, but they're a good team, and that field goal was to win it in a tie game. The Hawks weren't behind, and it might have been the hardest-hitting college football game I've seen in years.

Northwestern beat Stanford at their house and gave up a pick six and a kickoff return to start the game against Michigan. They aren't built to come from behind, and that took the run game out of the equation.

North Texas sucks, but the third stringers were in there the entire 4th quarter. Had Iowa been Baylor, they could have scored 70.

Illinois State? Yep, an FCS team. Just like everyone else in the top ten has one off on their schedule.

Illinois is a decent team, but Iowa handled them, even beat up like they were.

This is not the 80's. There are fewer scholarships per team. There is more parity. The Big Ten might be the best conference inootball right now. I fully expect Pitt, Wisconsin, and NW to be in the top 25 to end the year. On the other side, Osu, MSU, and Mich. That's 7 of the top 25, and possibly 3 of the top ten at the end of the year. That's getting it done.

The question I have, is if the Hawks beat an undefeated defending NC Buckeye team in the BTCG, does the committee take two Big Ten teams?

The Pac-12 champ will have 1 loss. The SEC champ could be undefeated, but will probably have a loss. The Big 12 will have one possibly undefeated team, but probably not since all those top ten teams have to play each other. The ACC might have an undefeated team, but Clemson has a history of fading at the end of the year.

It's possible, though extremely unlikely, like the Hawks success this year.

Better start believing.
 
The only question is" Can we beat the Patriots? I think so.Nobody knows Belichick like Kirk and Brian Ferentz. Play assignment football. Limit turnovers and win the individual match ups. Brady throws 3 INTs to King and Koen kicks 2 FGs of 60+ to win a close one. 6-3 Good Guys! Lets talk Super Bowl! Flock the playoffs!
 
The only question is" Can we beat the Patriots? I think so.Nobody knows Belichick like Kirk and Brian Ferentz. Play assignment football. Limit turnovers and win the individual match ups. Brady throws 3 INTs to King and Koen kicks 2 FGs of 60+ to win a close one. 6-3 Good Guys! Lets talk Super Bowl! Flock the playoffs!

Oh give me a break. If you think we're so out of our league in the midst of the third best start in school history, go root for ISU. Delusion works both ways.
 
No. I don't think they are playoff material.
I Think anything is possible . Playoff material only if we stay healthy , defense stays strong and we continue to play to not lose but to win , there is an intense excitement and confidence in this team that makes me think this is the season for the HAWKEYES to soar .
 
Sure it's fun to think about but deep down I just can't buy into this team being 1 of the top 4 teams in the country.

The schedule sets up for a nice finish and I would be disappointed not to play in the Big 10 championship game. If we do make it to Indy, this team won't beat the Buckeyes. We've had some breaks to get where we with the fumble at Wisconsin and a last second field goal to beat Pitt. I still anticipate losing one game in the regular season.

Enjoy the ride but don't get your hopes up, Indy is the cap for this team.

I don't get how you can say making the field goal against PITT was a lucky break. It was a good football player in Koehn making a good football play. You wouldn't say CJ's pass to Vandenberg on 3rd and 21 at ISU was a lucky break.

We didn't get a break. We got a good play from a good player at the end of the game.
 
The two severe beatings Iowa took last year are still in the backs of everyone's mind. Don't tell me we all don't think about Tennessee or Minnesota. Still wondering what the heck happened. Could it happen again this year. What will happen if we face Ohio State. We got the syndrome and the cure is not more cow bell, it is facing a team we believe might be so good (5 start talent versus 3 star) they could blow us out and we hang in there and win or only suffer a close loss. We all don't believe there is a team left on the regular schedule that should be able to beat us decisively. But once we get to the title game we got that worry we are we stepping into a place we don't belong syndrome. I don't believe it. The toughest teams for Iowa to match up against I believe would be Alabama, LSU and probably Ohio State. I would have said Baylor also but we will wait and see how the backup QB is there. I still believe Baylor will suffer a loss and TCU will suffer a loss. Anything can happen in one game winner take all.
 
I don't get how you can say making the field goal against PITT was a lucky break. It was a good football player in Koehn making a good football play. You wouldn't say CJ's pass to Vandenberg on 3rd and 21 at ISU was a lucky break.

We didn't get a break. We got a good play from a good player at the end of the game.

Exactly. We gave up a blocked punt return TD and almost a pick 6 TD against Pitt. So I guess if they won they would have been lucky breaks????
 
My answer to this troll thread is yes. They are that good. Were they supposed to be? No, but that's why they play.

Now, your nitpicking:

ISU is a rivalry game, but if not for stupid mistakes that game could have been 40 - 17 or worse.

Wisconsin, only like 3 teams have won there in the past five years. That's a great win.

Pitt might win the ACC. They'll have to go through Clemson, but they're a good team, and that field goal was to win it in a tie game. The Hawks weren't behind, and it might have been the hardest-hitting college football game I've seen in years.

Northwestern beat Stanford at their house and gave up a pick six and a kickoff return to start the game against Michigan. They aren't built to come from behind, and that took the run game out of the equation.

North Texas sucks, but the third stringers were in there the entire 4th quarter. Had Iowa been Baylor, they could have scored 70.

Illinois State? Yep, an FCS team. Just like everyone else in the top ten has one off on their schedule.

Illinois is a decent team, but Iowa handled them, even beat up like they were.

This is not the 80's. There are fewer scholarships per team. There is more parity. The Big Ten might be the best conference inootball right now. I fully expect Pitt, Wisconsin, and NW to be in the top 25 to end the year. On the other side, Osu, MSU, and Mich. That's 7 of the top 25, and possibly 3 of the top ten at the end of the year. That's getting it done.

The question I have, is if the Hawks beat an undefeated defending NC Buckeye team in the BTCG, does the committee take two Big Ten teams?

The Pac-12 champ will have 1 loss. The SEC champ could be undefeated, but will probably have a loss. The Big 12 will have one possibly undefeated team, but probably not since all those top ten teams have to play each other. The ACC might have an undefeated team, but Clemson has a history of fading at the end of the year.

It's possible, though extremely unlikely, like the Hawks success this year.

Better start believing.


I can't even stand seeing the word troll anymore. It used to only be used to describe people saying extreme things to get a reaction. Now it desribes people who don't think their team is top 4 in the nation. What a joke.
 
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