JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
I’ll just lay it out right from the start; Iowa’s game on Saturday night against Michigan State is the biggest for the program since at least 1986.
It’s bigger than their game at Ohio State in 2009. That game was a de facto Big Ten title game. Iowa and Ohio State both had one loss with two to play; the loser would have two losses with one to play, the winner would have the head to head tiebreaker. That was a big game, but Iowa was ranked 15th in the AP Poll heading into that contest, falling from 8th the week before after their loss to Northwestern.
Iowa and Michigan State enter this game with both teams ranked in the AP Top Five. It’s the first time Iowa has played in a game where both the Hawkeyes and their opponent were ranked in the AP Top 25 since the 2003 Orange Bowl against USC where Iowa was #3 and USC was #5. There was no title on the line in that Orange Bowl, except for the Bowl title; Miami and Ohio State were undefeated and playing for the BCS National Championship.
This game is bigger; an Iowa win would move them two wins away from a national championship and would also give Iowa its first outright conference championship since 1985.
Iowa’s game against Michigan in 2002 was pretty big as both teams were highly ranked, but this game is bigger than that.
Iowa played big games against Michigan and Ohio State in 1997, but they never climbed higher than 11th in the AP Poll that year. The 1991 Hawkeyes climbed as high as 7th in the polls late in the year, but they lost their fourth game of the season to eventual Big Ten champion and 7th ranked Michigan.
Iowa went to the Rose Bowl following the 1990 season, but the Hawkeyes finished in a four-way tie for the Big Ten title and were ranked 17th heading into the Rose Bowl.
There were some huge games in the late 1950’s and Iowa was ranked #1 in the nation for three consecutive AP Poll’s in October of 1960 before losing just one game and finishing the season ranked 3rd in the AP Poll.
So this leaves two games in the 1985 season in contention with the 2015 Big Ten Championship game as the biggest the school has played in the last 55 years:
#1 Iowa vs #2 Michigan
The 1986 Rose Bowl against UCLA
The Hawkeyes were ranked #4 heading into the 1986 Rose Bowl, and as Scott Dochertman of The Gazette pointed out to me on twitter, Iowa still had an outside shot at the national title at that point. Penn State was #1, Miami was #2 and Oklahoma was #3 heading into the bowl games that year and national titles were still decided by votes.
Oklahoma beat Penn State 25-10 in the Orange Bowl that year while Tennessee beat Miami 35-7 in the Sugar Bowl. Iowa lost 45-28 in the Rose Bowl and finished the year ranked 10-2 and inside the Top 10.
When #1 Iowa played against #2 Michigan in late October of 1985, everything was at stake. The school had attained their first #1 ranking since 1960, a 25-year gap between appearances at #1 and something they have not risen to since. Iowa moved to 6-0 with that win and the national title was in their control; just win out. They won the following week against Northwestern 49-10 before falling 22-13 to then #8 Ohio State.
Is Saturday’s game between #4 Iowa and #5 Michigan State the biggest for the program in 30 years? Of that, there is little doubt. Is it bigger than those aforementioned games in 1985, since the Hawkeyes are just three wins away from a national title? I think you can make a strong case for that.
If you believe that is the case, then Saturday’s game against Michigan State in Indianapolis is the biggest game for an Iowa football team since at least 1960.
I am not as familiar with Michigan State history, but the same 'win three and you are a national champion' applies for them as well, so I would guess this is the most important game for their program since the mid 1960's, which is when they won their last national title.
It’s bigger than their game at Ohio State in 2009. That game was a de facto Big Ten title game. Iowa and Ohio State both had one loss with two to play; the loser would have two losses with one to play, the winner would have the head to head tiebreaker. That was a big game, but Iowa was ranked 15th in the AP Poll heading into that contest, falling from 8th the week before after their loss to Northwestern.
Iowa and Michigan State enter this game with both teams ranked in the AP Top Five. It’s the first time Iowa has played in a game where both the Hawkeyes and their opponent were ranked in the AP Top 25 since the 2003 Orange Bowl against USC where Iowa was #3 and USC was #5. There was no title on the line in that Orange Bowl, except for the Bowl title; Miami and Ohio State were undefeated and playing for the BCS National Championship.
This game is bigger; an Iowa win would move them two wins away from a national championship and would also give Iowa its first outright conference championship since 1985.
Iowa’s game against Michigan in 2002 was pretty big as both teams were highly ranked, but this game is bigger than that.
Iowa played big games against Michigan and Ohio State in 1997, but they never climbed higher than 11th in the AP Poll that year. The 1991 Hawkeyes climbed as high as 7th in the polls late in the year, but they lost their fourth game of the season to eventual Big Ten champion and 7th ranked Michigan.
Iowa went to the Rose Bowl following the 1990 season, but the Hawkeyes finished in a four-way tie for the Big Ten title and were ranked 17th heading into the Rose Bowl.
There were some huge games in the late 1950’s and Iowa was ranked #1 in the nation for three consecutive AP Poll’s in October of 1960 before losing just one game and finishing the season ranked 3rd in the AP Poll.
So this leaves two games in the 1985 season in contention with the 2015 Big Ten Championship game as the biggest the school has played in the last 55 years:
#1 Iowa vs #2 Michigan
The 1986 Rose Bowl against UCLA
The Hawkeyes were ranked #4 heading into the 1986 Rose Bowl, and as Scott Dochertman of The Gazette pointed out to me on twitter, Iowa still had an outside shot at the national title at that point. Penn State was #1, Miami was #2 and Oklahoma was #3 heading into the bowl games that year and national titles were still decided by votes.
Oklahoma beat Penn State 25-10 in the Orange Bowl that year while Tennessee beat Miami 35-7 in the Sugar Bowl. Iowa lost 45-28 in the Rose Bowl and finished the year ranked 10-2 and inside the Top 10.
When #1 Iowa played against #2 Michigan in late October of 1985, everything was at stake. The school had attained their first #1 ranking since 1960, a 25-year gap between appearances at #1 and something they have not risen to since. Iowa moved to 6-0 with that win and the national title was in their control; just win out. They won the following week against Northwestern 49-10 before falling 22-13 to then #8 Ohio State.
Is Saturday’s game between #4 Iowa and #5 Michigan State the biggest for the program in 30 years? Of that, there is little doubt. Is it bigger than those aforementioned games in 1985, since the Hawkeyes are just three wins away from a national title? I think you can make a strong case for that.
If you believe that is the case, then Saturday’s game against Michigan State in Indianapolis is the biggest game for an Iowa football team since at least 1960.
I am not as familiar with Michigan State history, but the same 'win three and you are a national champion' applies for them as well, so I would guess this is the most important game for their program since the mid 1960's, which is when they won their last national title.
