Hawkeyes And The Playoff Picture

[Fryowa]

Every one is talking about how Iowa needs to beat Oregon while winning out, but I believe the hardest game to win would be @USC. So far USC looks unbeatable at home and very beatable on the road. If it was reversed and Iowa hosted USC, I would like Iowa's chances against the Trojans, but not in Los Angeles.

Either way, the Iowa playoff talk is bogus. Ain't gonna happen.

I loved the win Saturday but anyone thinking all the sudden this thing is flipped on its head are dumb.

 

[trj]

Indiana, OSU, Oregon, and Michigan are the teams at this point that if nothing goes haywire have a chance at the 3 spots.

--OSU is going to be in.

--Indiana has a very soft schedule and unless they fall apart will be in.

--Oregon plays Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, USC, and Washington in that order. I don't see a loss in there but even if they drop one they are in.

--Michigan plays MSU, Purdue, NW, Maryland, and OSU. I see one loss in there and it being Ohio State will not be held against them. NW is not the dark horse people are saying they are. Even if they lose to NW it will be looked at same as ours against ISU.

To get in the playoffs Iowa would likely have to win out including Oregon. If it comes down to it and Michigan, Iowa, and Oregon have similar looking resumes...Oregon or Michigan are getting the nod over us, period. Even with a win over Oregon because they didn't get beat by ISU. Whether you think that should be held against Iowa or not is irrelevant. It's up to the committee, not fans.

Bottom line, the non conference schedule is a liability for the Hawks. They need to drop the ISU game. Indiana had 3 wet blankets and so did NW. If you're at the level of Iowa where everything has to go perfect to make the playoff, you need to have a 3-0 non conference slate guaranteed.

If the B1G/SEC decide to do the crossover non-con games then they definitely need to drop the ISU game.

Iowa/ISU hasn’t been renewed beyond 2027, so your wish could come true.

 

[Fryowa]

If the B1G/SEC decide to do the crossover non-con games then they definitely need to drop the ISU game.

Iowa/ISU hasn’t been renewed beyond 2027, so your wish could come true.

Can't come fast enough but it won't happen. The powers that be will make sure it sticks around because it generates tons of money.

 

[kicker22]

I think Iowa has a good chance to beat Oregon at home but it will be tough to also beat USC and Neb on the road. If Iowa loses all 3, the best they can do is 7-5.

The key is beat Minn first and get to the off week. Then Iowa can start thinking about Oregon.

The biggest unknown is Nebby. Agree that there's a chance we can beat Oregon if the weather decides to cool off and fall finally gets and stays here. USC will be a tough out and as you said it has to start with beating Minny. But how many times have we seen this from Nebby where they look scary early on only to quit by the time Black Friday gets here. Not saying they can't get us, but recent history has shown us that the Nebby we see in September and October generally isn't the same Nebby we see at the end of November. Who knows maybe Rhule will have a role in that, but I'm not sure.

 

[Fryowa]

The biggest unknown is Nebby. Agree that there's a chance we can beat Oregon if the weather decides to cool off and fall finally gets and stays here. USC will be a tough out and as you said it has to start with beating Minny. But how many times have we seen this from Nebby where they look scary early on only to quit by the time Black Friday gets here. Not saying they can't get us, but recent history has shown us that the Nebby we see in September and October generally isn't the same Nebby we see at the end of November. Who knows maybe Rhule will have a role in that, but I'm not sure.

Black Friday is annual nebraska Super Bowl Day.

 

[trj]

Can't come fast enough but it won't happen. The powers that be will make sure it sticks around because it generates tons of money.

If the B1G/SEC end up doing the non-con crossover games then you will have to drop the ISU game.

 

[kicker22]

Black Friday is annual nebraska Super Bowl Day.

True, and it's even better when its also about bowl eligibility.

 

[ICHawk24]

If the B1G/SEC end up doing the non-con crossover games then you will have to drop the ISU game.

If a B1G/SEC matchup happens, there are a number of SEC teams that won't want to participate due to their own OOC rivalry games (South Carolina/Clemson, Georgia/Georgia Tech, Missouri/Kansas [maybe], Oklahoma/OkSU [doubtful], FLA/Miami, FLA/FSU).

AND the B1G has 18 teams while SEC has 16 teams. So there would be something like 12 matchup games at most.

Iowa/ISU will continue to happen in that scenario. The game is easily the biggest money maker, even for Iowa. We charge the same prices for that game as any other premium game on the schedule, and it is the cheapest road trip we take.

 

[trj]

If a B1G/SEC matchup happens, there are a number of SEC teams that won't want to participate due to their own OOC rivalry games (South Carolina/Clemson, Georgia/Georgia Tech, Missouri/Kansas [maybe], Oklahoma/OkSU [doubtful], FLA/Miami, FLA/FSU).

AND the B1G has 18 teams while SEC has 16 teams. So there would be something like 12 matchup games at most.

Iowa/ISU will continue to happen in that scenario. The game is easily the biggest money maker, even for Iowa. We charge the same prices for that game as any other premium game on the schedule, and it is the cheapest road trip we take.

So what is the hold up extending the series beyond 2027? In the past didn’t they(Iowa/ISU) do the extension well in advance?

 

[Fryowa]

If the B1G/SEC end up doing the non-con crossover games then you will have to drop the ISU game.

The crossover games aren't going away. There are more teams than Iowa that have huge rivalry OOC games.

 

[ICHawk24]

So what is the hold up extending the series beyond 2027? In the past didn’t they(Iowa/ISU) do the extension well in advance?

We don't have Bumbling Barta rubber stamping whatever Pollard asked for.

In the past, the B1G schedule was set years in advance. Now it is set MUCH closer to the actual games. The 2026 matchups have been announced, but not the dates.

The CFB world is different.

 

[guffus]

If the B1G/SEC end up doing the non-con crossover games then you will have to drop the ISU game.

In order to make it work, they would probably have to go with 13 regular season games. 7 home games, 6 away games. Then the Big Ten can mandate:

9 conference games,
1 ooc game against SEC
2 other ooc games against P4 schools (or against some G6 exceptions like Wash St, Ore St, Navy, UConn, etc.)
1 game against FBS school of your choice