Hawkeyes Add Middle TN State to '19 Schedule

I just find it bizzarre that some Iowa fans would prefer to drop Iowa state every year but continue to play 2 lower level teams every year like North Texas or Middle Tenn.

Iowa State is not the problem. 2 cupcakes a year is the problem. There should never be more than 1 cupcake per year on the schedule. This is embarrassing.

Amen! And anyone who has not gone to an Iowa vs Iowa State game in Ames should go. Tell me that does not prep the team for heading into Camp Randall or Lincoln later on. It is loud and the fans are into it. Do not discount that experience on team development for away game environments.
 
Deep deep deep deep deep deep down everyone on this board knows what the real problem is

Illinois State (FCS)
UNI (FCS)
North Dakota State (FCS)
FBS directional school
FBS directional school
FBS directional school
FBS directional school
FBS directional school infinity

I know Rob said, "We're not gonna play FCS schools anymore cuz it's mandated."

My reply: THEY SHOULD'VE NEVER been scheduled in the first place. That's the real issue. And whatever the excuse is/was for scheduling them cannot be justified . . . ever. But the people who did schedule them ARE STILL IN CHARGE OF SCHEDULING. And that's a problem that needs to be corrected.

I should be in charge of scheduling. And when that happens (soon probably) we will be playing Notre Dame 3 consecutive weeks in September. It's gonna be glorious.
 
My wife and I like it. Her son is in the athletic dept, of Middle Tennessee. That makes it easier to see him. Just compare approx. 10 hour drive, down to a 2 hour drive. Big difference. Thank you! That is if he is still there. Would love for him to get on closer. Maybe Iowa!!!
 
This is what we know. In order for Iowa to get in the playoff, we almost all the time have to go undefeated. Do they care much whether we play tough non-con or not if we go undefeated? Not so much. We go undefeated and win Big Ten title we are in no matter who we played in Non-con as long as no UNI, etc. Can we get in if we lose 1 game? Maybe. Has to be against a "name" opponent in the Big Ten and not have our asses handed to us in the loss, but MUST win the Big Ten title game. Iowa will NEVER get into the field of 4 without winning the Big Ten title game. That is how we end up with MTSU on our non-con schedule. And North Texas and Wyoming and Miami of Ohio. It is all prep for Big Ten and we have to almost always run the table if we want a shot of getting into field of 4. A loss maybe to Michigan on the road and a Big Ten title game win might get Iowa in, but anything short of that we are OUT. Once they change to a field of 8 or field of 16, then we can lose 1 or 2 and still have a reasonable shot of getting in. That is why it is what it is and because "iowa is a developmental program". We don't have 4 stars on the bench if a 5 star goes down with injury.

Well, if you've gotta schedule garbage like this to stay on undefeated, then you're not going to the playoff anyway. Not saying we've gotta play Alabama or anything, but come on. SOS matters too, yes? Unless Iowa goes undefeated, which isn't likely.

Man, kinda miss the Hayden days when there was usually someone half way interesting on the OOC schedule.

Yawn.

And I can't blame the ISU game but on this, either.. That's a should-win game and doesn't mean you've gotta schedule crap in the other two.
 
Here is the B1G non con schedule. Interestingly enough, the only team to play two P5 opponents is Purdue. Michigan's slate is pretty good with Florida and Cincinnati. Illinois with no P5 opponents, Wisconsin with no P5 opponents

Penn St: Akron, Pitt, Georgia St.
Michigan: Florida, Cincinnati, Air Force
Michigan St: Bowling Green, W. Michigan, ND
OSU: Oklahoma, Army, UNLV
Maryland: Texas, Towson, UCF
Indiana: Virginia, FIU, GA Southern
Rutgers: Washington, E. Michigan, Morgan St.
Nebraska: Arkansas St., Oregon, N. Illinois
Illinois: Ball St., W. Kentucky, USF
Minnesota: Buffalo, Oregon St., Mid. Tennessee
Purdue: Louisville, Ohio, Missouri
Northwestern: Nevada, Duke, Bowling Green
Wisconsin: Utah St., FAU, BYU
Iowa: Wyoming, ISU, N. Texas

Would you be happy playing 2 neutral site games vs a big opponent like Wisconsin did. So you don't get a home game at all out of it, and then in '17 and '18 you play no P5 teams at all? You play Utah St., FAU, W. Kentucky, N. Mexico and BYU home and away? That would suck.

I will say overall though, it would be nice to make the ISU game like every other year, or every 3rd year. Then we could play a Arkansas, K-State, UCLA, or teams like that as well.
 
Well, if you've gotta schedule garbage like this to stay on undefeated, then you're not going to the playoff anyway. Not saying we've gotta play Alabama or anything, but come on. SOS matters too, yes? Unless Iowa goes undefeated, which isn't likely.

Man, kinda miss the Hayden days when there was usually someone half way interesting on the OOC schedule.

Yawn.

And I can't blame the ISU game but on this, either.. That's a should-win game and doesn't mean you've gotta schedule crap in the other two.

The ISU game is a Big Ten like game in terms of intensity and the evironment. It gets them ready for Big Ten. The environment for that game is certainly more intense than it is for an Indiana or Purdue. Brother against brother. I go to it every year no matter here or in Ames and it is a great game to attend and everyone is into it. Love it more when it is a late game.

Anyone remember we just got obliterated by Florida just months ago, but yeah lets play teams like that early in the year. I'm sure that would go real well on average.

I don't get excited for these kinds of games either, but seems like they are a necessity for now. And it will be a kids discounted tickets game for sure. One good thing Iowa does for games like that.

With a 4 team playoff, Iowa never gets in without winning Big ten title game, and at most can have one respectable loss that occurred during the regular season. If not that we aren't getting in no matter who we played.
 
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The ISU game is a Big Ten like game in terms of intensity and the evironment. It gets them ready for Big Ten. The environment for that game is certainly more intense than it is for an Indiana or Purdue. Brother against brother. I go to it every year no matter here or in Ames and it is a great game to attend and everyone is into it. Love it more when it is a late game.

Anyone remember we just got obliterated by Florida just months ago, but yeah lets play teams like that early in the year. I'm sure that would go real well on average.

I don't get excited for these kinds of games either, but seems like they are a necessity for now. And it will be a kids discounted tickets game for sure. One good thing Iowa does for games like that.

With a 4 team playoff, Iowa never gets in without winning Big ten title game, and at most can have one respectable loss that occurred during the regular season. If not that we aren't getting in no matter who we played.

Put me down for one who's always liked the ISU game, too.. I think it's good for the state and the fans, even if there's nothing much in it for us when it comes to the outcome of the game itself. It's much more fun than your usual OOC game.

And yeah, I just said we don't have to go out and schedule Alabama (or Florida). Just someone better than MTSU for Petes sake. If we can't out of fear of losing, then it doesn't say much for the strength of our program, I guess.
 
Imagine the intensity of preparation that a big time opponent would generate during the summer months.
 
The stupid thing is, if ISU were good, we would still play them. So it's not like we are trying to play a weak schedule. It just so happens that our in state rival that the whole state wants to see happens to suck bad.

It doesn't matter if ISU is the worst program in the country (which they are) or was better than Alabama. We would still play them every year and leave ourselves no more room for home and home series.
 
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Well, if you've gotta schedule garbage like this to stay on undefeated, then you're not going to the playoff anyway. Not saying we've gotta play Alabama or anything, but come on. SOS matters too, yes? Unless Iowa goes undefeated, which isn't likely.

Man, kinda miss the Hayden days when there was usually someone half way interesting on the OOC schedule.

Yawn.

And I can't blame the ISU game but on this, either.. That's a should-win game and doesn't mean you've gotta schedule crap in the other two.

After 1982, Hayden's OOCs were pretty weak for almost a decade. Hayden admitted that the schedule HAD to change because every year the team went into conference season with multiple starters injured/lost.

Keeping ISU is justifiable IF we at least get some decent opponents every other year or so. But ISU plus two "directionals" each year is not going to cut it long-term.

The thing that gets me is the perception that all the "blue-bloods" and "power" schools are scheduling nothing but P5 schools. In 2015, people in the sports media screamed one week with, "Who does Iowa play this weekend? Purdue!" Something must have been wrong with computers and calendars that weekend, because they neglected to note that Alabama was playing Charleston or Charleston Southern. Or that the $EC plays many of those cupcakes in November in balmy weather while B1G schools are killing each other in less-than-balmy conditions.

Bottom line...is that our AD looks at the bottom line. Personally, I fail to see how it's enhanced with cream-puffs in September. What I would do is open with a conference game, possibly even Nebraska, then move ISU to Thanksgiving weekend. Less travel for both sets of fans, makes the weekend a real party weekend, kicks off the holidays, etc.
 
I won't be surprised if ISU beats Iowa this year. Put that in your pipes and smoke it.

Thats where Iowa is.
 
That's a big misconception that Iowa downgraded its non-conference schedule after 1982. There are a couple exceptions, but Iowa's schedule actual was pretty decent up to 1994. 1995 is really when the weak schedules started consistently.

Exceptions include 1985 and 1986, which were both extremely weak non-conference slates. 1991 and 1993 were not that tough either. But 1983, 84, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92 and 94 were decent non-conference schedules.
 
Imagine the intensity of preparation that a big time opponent would generate during the summer months.

Bingo. "Sense of urgency" is not a term in KFz's lexicon. He's happy with the plodding, punchclock mentality...and seems to treat the non-conf as extended practice. That's why ISU has beaten him so many times.

The idea of treating every game the same sounds grounded...but the reality is, they're not all the same. That's an area where Hayden had it over KFz, he knew that players needed to have their buttons pushed differently for some games...his players and coaches have told many stories to that effect.
 
Bingo. "Sense of urgency" is not a term in KFz's lexicon. He's happy with the plodding, punchclock mentality...and seems to treat the non-conf as extended practice. That's why ISU has beaten him so many times.

The idea of treating every game the same sounds grounded...but the reality is, they're not all the same. That's an area where Hayden had it over KFz, he knew that players needed to have their buttons pushed differently for some games...his players and coaches have told many stories to that effect.


It is a win-lose situation. It is the same mentality that allows Iowa to upset Michigan this year, the 12-0 start in 2015, the 9-0 start in '09, etc. KF is a good football coach, if he could have figured out how to push those buttons it would have made him a great coach. Maybe I am reaching, but he has never really been forced to have a "sense of urgency".
 
The stupid thing is, if ISU were good, we would still play them. So it's not like we are trying to play a weak schedule. It just so happens that our in state rival that the whole state wants to see happens to suck bad.

It doesn't matter if ISU is the worst program in the country (which they are) or was better than Alabama. We would still play them every year and leave ourselves no more room for home and home series.


This X 1000. If ISU were remotely relevant the game would be worth playing every year, no discussion. Even when Mac had ISU in 4 bowl games within a 5 year span they were still dog shit. As I stated in a earlier post, they can't even put together 1 magical year.....Kansas(2005) can do it yet ISU can't says everything.

And what no one is talking about is how long ISU will be in a power 5 conference. Does anyone trust Texas or the stability of the Big 12?
 
It is a win-lose situation. It is the same mentality that allows Iowa to upset Michigan this year, the 12-0 start in 2015, the 9-0 start in '09, etc. KF is a good football coach, if he could have figured out how to push those buttons it would have made him a great coach. Maybe I am reaching, but he has never really been forced to have a "sense of urgency".

I agree with you about the line between good and great.

As for him never really been forced to have a "sense of urgency"... I believe you're referring to Gary Barta.
 
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The stupid thing is, if ISU were good, we would still play them. So it's not like we are trying to play a weak schedule. It just so happens that our in state rival that the whole state wants to see happens to suck bad.

It doesn't matter if ISU is the worst program in the country (which they are) or was better than Alabama. We would still play them every year and leave ourselves no more room for home and home series.

You can't say, "Its not like we're trying to play a weak schedule" and then ignore the fact that playing Iowa State is a voluntary choice not mandated by law.

Iowa can play whoever the heck they want. And when there are 3 cupcakes in the OOC (which there are at the moment), that is by choice.

I know you'll reply with, "Well we didn't know Iowa State would suck." My reply is: "Everyone else knows that sucking is what they do, do you really think we're dumber than everyone else?"
 
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