How good is Iowa?

[trj]

It is a weird season for everybody outside Georgia's defense and Ohio State's offense.

 

[GesterHawk]

I hope you are not seriously blaming Kallenberger. I cant remember reading his main reasons for stopping playing football but he may have thought too much head banging, tired of it and not wanting to try the pros. I cant blame anyone for that. My freshman year at Iowa a guy lived two doors from me in the dorm and he was a backup guard on the football team, 1970, not a great team, he was a sophomore, and he quit the team by late Sept after August camp etc. He told me was just tired of getting beat up in practice and all the head banging. He had a really nice lady so he probably wanted to spend more time with her.

Not in a 'Mark is an asshole' way. And I totally have no problem with him walking away for any reason,.
But, yeah, his leaving left a big hole on the line to fill.

 

[ForeverHawk]

Sagarin has us at 19, Massey composite has us at 12.

I think the answer is closer to 19.

I can't be mad with this season, and I'll be completely happy if we beat nebraska. Purdue is a much better football team than people thought at the beginning of the year, and Wisconsin is legit.

There's almost zero chance that Wisconsin loses to Minnesota, and even if we made it to Indy we'd get 50+ hung on us by OSU and I don't care to watch that. The way I see things ending up is a 10-2 Iowa team going to either the Music City or Vegas Bowl which is whatever. I couldn't give a shit less about bowl games. They're completely meaningless other than some extra practices.

Given what I thought about the season before it started, I'd be ecstatic with 10-2. 9-3 would piss me off because it's nebraska, but eventually the streak has to die.

10-2 certainly gets Iowa a better bowl game than music city bowl or the Las Vegas bowl??!

 

[dahlhawk]

I hope you are not seriously blaming Kallenberger. I cant remember reading his main reasons for stopping playing football but he may have thought too much head banging, tired of it and not wanting to try the pros. I cant blame anyone for that. My freshman year at Iowa a guy lived two doors from me in the dorm and he was a backup guard on the football team, 1970, not a great team, he was a sophomore, and he quit the team by late Sept after August camp etc. He told me was just tired of getting beat up in practice and all the head banging. He had a really nice lady so he probably wanted to spend more time with her.

Ya, you don't know the trials and problems someone else is having. As if being a student isn't hard enough, try spending every waking hour working on your sports commitment. I remember going to college back in the dark ages and I had a football player on my floor. I asked him (a 175 pound defensive back) how fun was it playing college football? He said "It's all politics". I said "What?" He then said something I've never forgot. "There nothing fun about the politics of a 270 pound offensive lineman knocking you on your ass". It's not really fun, it's a hard job". Now with what we know about head injuries and the intense level of commitment needed I can't blame anyone for saying I don't need this.

 

[GesterHawk]

David Bell equals James Hardy of the 90's.

Only if Hardy almost went to Iowa.

 

[dahlhawk]

Looking at the big picture, this season has been awfully successful. We continue to beat our neighbors to the East and North. Hopefully to the West on Friday. Beat ISU again. Stayed in the national conversation for a quarter of the season. It hasn't been very pretty, but when is it? We still have a shot at the West title going into the last game of the season. I was not even expecting this good a record. The problem is we flew to close to the sun and now fans can't let it go. If Iowa doesn't win the west I still care very much about the bowl game. It's not meaningless to me. If Cinn. gets left out of the CFPs the playoff's will expand and then bowls will become meaningless. Iowa needs to be ready when the playoffs expand next year hopefully.

 

[thedukeofearl]

The best teams know how to win

No matter what stands in their way

Raise your hand if you thought the Hawks
would be on the verge of a 10-2 season

It is much better Not to play Ohio State for the
Big Championship

They can't wait and salivate at the mere thought
of playing the Hawks after that Solid Ass-Kicking
the last time we played

We put 54 points on those punks and hastened
Urban Myer's departure

Beat the huskers and we could very well play on New Year's Day

It's All Good

 

[spliff45]

I think the fact Iowa is shooting for a 10 win regular season on Friday is a real testament to the character of the players. The OL and QB play this year has been less than stellar more often than not

 

[HaydenHawk56]

I think Iowa is a good team, but not a great team. Good defense, good special teams, poor to below average offense. Average to below average game day coaching. 9 and above win seasons are good seasons.

I do think though, as I have said before, 9 and 10 wins is going to feel like a 8 or 9 win season on steroids without a West Title (or BTT). Iowa would need to defeat a blue blood in a bowl game to feel like a meaningful 10 or 11 win season.

 

[NCHawker]

10-2 certainly gets Iowa a better bowl game than music city bowl or the Las Vegas bowl??!

to me a good bowl is the one Iowa wins. I want to fight a small man and whip him.

 

[thedukeofearl]

to me a good bowl is the one Iowa wins. I want to fight a small man and whip him.

 

[kicker22]

The best teams know how to win

No matter what stands in their way

Raise your hand if you thought the Hawks
would be on the verge of a 10-2 season

It is much better Not to play Ohio State for the
Big Championship

They can't wait and salivate at the mere thought
of playing the Hawks after that Solid Ass-Kicking
the last time we played

We put 54 points on those punks and hastened
Urban Myer's departure

Beat the huskers and we could very well play on New Year's Day

It's All Good

So we'd win the division and OSU beats our ass in Indy rather than waiting until we see them next year. Curb stomped or not I'd rather win the West and get beat playing for a conference championship then side stepping it with the hopes of winning a New Years Day game.

I guess I see it as the desire to compete. As a coach and former player (and even a fan) I'd rather get my ass kicked playing in a championship and having the opportunity to play for one then missing out on the opportunity. Sure OSU may kick our ass, but they've been kicking everyone's ass so I guess I don't see the shame in losing if it means winning the west.

So I guess my opinion is beat Nebby, hope for a Wiscy loss to win the west and then see what is to come with the Conference Championship and the bowl game.

 

[Gibsonian]

If Nebraska can give OSU a run for their money other teams can, any given Saturday. I watched Oregon get spanked very soundly the other day by a 16th ranked football team and they beat the Buckeyes. Let's beat Nebraska and see what transpires.

 

[thedukeofearl]

So we'd win the division and OSU beats our ass in Indy rather than waiting until we see them next year. Curb stomped or I'd rather win the West and get beat playing for a conference championship then side stepping it with the hopes of winning a New Years Day game.

I guess I see it as the desire to compete. As a coach and former player (and even a fan) I'd rather get my ass kicked playing in a championship and having the opportunity to play for one then missing out on the opportunity. Sure OSU may kick our ass, but they've been kicking everyone's ass so I guess I don't see the shame in losing if it means winning the west.

So I guess my opinion is beat Nebby, hope for a Wiscy loss to win the west and then see what is to come with the Conference Championship and the bowl game.

Good Luck with that, Partner

 

[kicker22]

Good Luck with that, Partner

So are you saying in your opinion it would be better to miss out on winning the division and a possibly getting it handed to us by OSU in the Big Ten Title game so we can save face and then go on to play in a New Years Day bowl?

Sounds like a "playing not to lose mentality" to me. IMO winning is always the priority. If the goal is to win the west (IMO it should be) then in my eyes that's the desired outcome regardless of whether or not we'd get our lunch money stolen by OSU in Indy.

 

[GesterHawk]

So are you saying in your opinion it would be better to miss out on winning the division and a possibly getting it handed to us by OSU in the Big Ten Title game so we can save face and then go on to play in a New Years Day bowl?

Sounds like a "playing not to lose mentality" to me. IMO winning is always the priority. If the goal is to win the west (IMO it should be) then in my eyes that's the desired outcome regardless of whether or not we'd get our lunch money stolen by OSU in Indy.

Nah, it is a straight up loser mentality.

 

[Ree4]

I will never turn down the opportunity to watch an additional Iowa game. in 2017 OSU opened as 17 point favorites, we all know how that turned out. I'd say this year they appear to be much better but as others have said, that's why you play the game/any given Saturday yadda yadda

 

[hawkdrummer1]

After opening Day against Indiana... I was thrilled with the DB's and the defense...not shocked. the running game was a big concern and I thought if they can't run they won't win very many games.... And honestly Indiana didn't look all that good on offense...So after the fact Indy wasn't the test we thought.


After the ISU game, was sure the Defense was going to be good. Again the running game looked suspect...I wasn't sure why. And ISU didn't look as good as I expected they'd look.

Kent State and Colorado State games - Those games confirmed that this offense was going to struggle in conference play.

Maryland - going in I was concerned that their speed and passing might be too much to keep up with. We'll never know, first that key injury for them and the wheels came off. MD self destructed so bad, I had fun watching this game. Still not a lot of confidence in this team to beat a good time like PSU.

PSU - Two top ten teams. Even though I did not feel like Iowa was a top ten team, I wanted to believe it. Hey after all they're undefeated . The defense was good. PSU moved the ball with ease and I was getting a sick feeling. When Clifford got hurt, I said, we're going to win. And we did. The fun did not come until the last few minutes of the game. What a momentous game!

Purdue + Wisconsin- After PSU, I was exhausted and numb. If the season ended after PSU I might have been just fine. I wonder of the team and coaches had the same feeling. The OLine issues came home to roost in these two games and I wondered on this forum if IOWA could win another game.

jNW, Minnesota and Illinois. New QB gives hope, fewer sacks and TFL surrendered, Somehow they won, the OLine still not that great but hey its a Wx3.

Not one of Iowa's better teams but ...I don't know. Strange

Indiana, ISU, Maryland, Penn St...have all proven to be not be as good as thought when we played them.

4 of our 9 wins are against teams with a winning record. PSU leads at 7-4, the other 3 are each just 1 game over .500. Cumulative record of our opponents: 64-68.

Lucky we missed Michigan, Michigan St and tOSU this year. Things would look a bit different.

 

[NCHawker]

Indiana, ISU, Maryland, Penn St...have all proven to be not be as good as thought when we played them.

4 of our 9 wins are against teams with a winning record. PSU leads at 7-4, the other 3 are each just 1 game over .500. Cumulative record of our opponents: 64-68.

Lucky we missed Michigan, Michigan St and tOSU this year. Things would look a bit different.

I guess this looks like a typical 7-5 team

 

[thedukeofearl]

So are you saying in your opinion it would be better to miss out on winning the division and a possibly getting it handed to us by OSU in the Big Ten Title game so we can save face and then go on to play in a New Years Day bowl?

Sounds like a "playing not to lose mentality" to me. IMO winning is always the priority. If the goal is to win the west (IMO it should be) then in my eyes that's the desired outcome regardless of whether or not we'd get our lunch money stolen by OSU in Indy.

That is exactly what I am saying

Beyond a shadow of a doubt

Don't really want to see wounded Hawks carried off the field with
perhaps career-ending injuries

There is no doubt in my mind that the buckeyes will be looking for
blood after being humiliated solidly at Kinnick

I respect your opinion, but that is all it is: An Opinion

Same as my opinion, Nothing Else