Lunatic Fringe

[homes]

I guarantee you this... If Iowa loses to either or both of ISU and Minny then seven wins is off the table. Being at home and that both of those teams aren't that good either if Iowa doesn't beat them Iowa is going to have a hell of a time the rest of the schedule.

If they fail to win those games and don't make up ground elsewhere and fall to 4-8 or 5-7, Jon may want to turn this in to a basketball only website until Fall 2013. However, that won't happen. They will win their first 5, and then, I think finish out 3-4, for an 8-4 season.

 

[xXxHerkyxXx]

If they fail to win those games and don't make up ground elsewhere and fall to 4-8 or 5-7, Jon may want to turn this in to a basketball only website until Fall 2013. However, that won't happen. They will win their first 5, and then, I think finish out 3-4, for an 8-4 season.

I agree we open up 5-0 too. I've just learned over the past few years to never count on conference wins.

 

[SpiderRico]

A couple of good posts in this thread,like CP87. I pretty much fall into category A.

I suspect older fans who have suffered thru the 1961-79 years mainly fall into that category.
Some fans are glass half full,and that would be me. I remember 2010 as disappointing,(with injuries to our linebacking corp devastating our defense)but also remember the upset of 12th ranked Missouri in the Insight Bowl to get that 8th win.

I remember 2011 as disappointing,(with injuries to Daniels and Nardo devastating an already thin d-line) but remember Iowa was one of only two teams to beat top ten Michigan.

My hopes for 2012 are that Iowa will suprise and win 9 games,losing only to Mich,MSU and maybe Nebraska,but my expectations are tempered a bit more with the knowledge that we are very thin in the d-line and rb spots.
I expect to win 7 or 8. Less than that,and and I will be disappointed.

As for this whole notion that we are in a horrible three year run...sorry,but in 2010 we won our third straight bowl game for the first time in program history,beating three BCS teams, South Carolina,Ga. Tech,and Missouri...that is not the disaster that cory seems to think.
Last year we lost in a 3OT game on the road at ISU,and in a close loss(with a couple of missed fgs ) by 2 to Minny on the road. We were very close to a 9-3 season...and that counts. You cannot just ignore the way we lost,the closeness of these games, the competitiveness of the team...it matters. We only really lost to MSU and Neb last year. PSU was a 3 point game on the road in the 4th qtr. With a healthy Nardo and Daniels,and a made fg and a bounce here and there,we are 10-2 and it is a wonderful season. It did not happen,but we were not uncompetitive,as those of us who remember the 50-6 losses in the dark era of Iowa football...we just longed to be in the hunt in the 4th qtr. Under KF we are always in the hunt in the 4th qtr.

First of all, there should be a caveat on this site that we no longer talk about the "dark era" of football when talking about how "competitive" we are now. That "dark era" ended 33 years ago. It is no longer relevant in this day and age of money, facilities, television revenue, etc. We are in the Top 20 in athletic department revenue and we are in arguably the richest, most successful conference in the country.

With that being said, I think the majority of people are happy with Ferentz's body of work over the past 13 years. 2 Big Ten titles, 2 BCS bowl appearances, a 6-4 record in bowls overall, Top 10 in NFL players on active rosters and not a sniff of sanctions or improprieties during his tenure.

However, success certainly breeds expectations. And if there is one thing that I can point to that tends to stick in fans' craw, it's the unexplainable losses to teams that had no business being within 2 td's of us. A few weeks back I did an analysis of KF's record against 3 tiers of teams....teams that finished with 8+ wins, teams that finished with 4-7 wins, and teams that finished with 0-3 wins. Since 2001, we have the best record of our "peers" in our conference (MSU, Mich, Neb, Wisc, and PSU) against teams that finished the year with 8+ wins. However, other than MSU, we have the worst record against teams in the 4-7 win range....by quite a large margin. Mich, Neb, Wisc and PSU win those games at an over 85% clip. We are just under 75%. Since the majority of games are against teams in the 4-7 win range, a 12% difference over 11 years is HUGE! It's the difference between avg'ing 7 wins per year and avg'ing 9 wins per year. It's the difference between going to a so-so bowl and going to a BCS bowl. Those losses have to stop if we want to take the next step. We have the money, we have the facilities, we have the conference affiliation and we have the players (as evidenced by the number of NFL players). What we need now is better game day coaching and more timely risk taking.

I look forward to seeing what KF and the new coaches can do moving forward!

 

[homes]

I remember 2011 as disappointing,(with injuries to Daniels and Nardo devastating an already thin d-line) but remember Iowa was one of only two teams to beat top ten Michigan.

As for this whole notion that we are in a horrible three year run...sorry,but in 2010 we won our third straight bowl game for the first time in program history,beating three BCS teams, South Carolina,Ga. Tech,and Missouri...that is not the disaster that cory seems to think.

Last year we lost in a 3OT game on the road at ISU,and in a close loss(with a couple of missed fgs ) by 2 to Minny on the road. We were very close to a 9-3 season...and that counts. You cannot just ignore the way we lost,the closeness of these games, the competitiveness of the team...it matters. We only really lost to MSU and Neb last year. PSU was a 3 point game on the road in the 4th qtr. With a healthy Nardo and Daniels,and a made fg and a bounce here and there,we are 10-2 and it is a wonderful season. It did not happen,but we were not uncompetitive,as those of us who remember the 50-6 losses in the dark era of Iowa football...we just longed to be in the hunt in the 4th qtr. Under KF we are always in the hunt in the 4th qtr.

Losing to Minnesota and Iowa State > Beating Michigan, at least last year it was. I would have taken 8-4 with a loss to Michigan over 7-5 with a win over Michigan. I don't see beating Michigan to being superior to having a better overall record, at least, not after the season is over. It left me wondering how do they beat Michigan, yet lose to the other 2. It makes those losses more inexplicable.

I wouldn't call the last 3 years horrible, but losses are losses. The rest is just rationalization.

 

[JHHawk]

If we are talking ''modern'' age only, well, NW is very close to spending equally to Iowa in football,so why should Iowa expect to not lose to them? Iowa spent 20 million on their football program last year, while Auburn spent 39 million...how can we compete with the Auburns?

Point is, relative to the era, Iowa football in 1961 was in a higher place in the pecking order than today. Won a national title in 1957, won a Rose Bowl in 57 and 59. Entered the 1961 season ranked #1 in the nation....that sounds strong to me.
What happened? Well, all our momentum went away...not just to middle of the pack,but to the bottom,very quickly. So,it gives us old-timers perspective on the current state of the Iowa football program...we are always a couple of bad breaks,or a bad coach away from dropping to the bottom,because of natural geographic disadvantages.
Even Bama fell off for years before Saban. It helps me live with mere winning seasons and bowl invitations to remember worse times. I can be disappointed but not devastated with a season like 2011,knowing that nothing is guaranteed with Iowa football and bb.

 

[JonDMiller]

Point is, relative to the era, Iowa football in 1961 was in a higher place in the pecking order than today. Won a national title in 1957, won a Rose Bowl in 57 and 59. Entered the 1961 season ranked #1 in the nation....that sounds strong to me.
What happened? .

Of of Iowa admin vs Forest Evachevski happened. Had them let him be AD & head football coach, who knows where this program would be, and who knows what would have happened with Nebraska, too.

 

[imported_ankle23]

Of of Iowa admin vs Forest Evachevski happened. Had them let him be AD & head football coach, who knows where this program would be, and who knows what would have happened with Nebraska, too.

JHH and JD - case in point about what a coach can do for a program. or be careful what you wish for. you can argue either side of that point. heck, look at Notre Dame regarding what they were, and what they now are. i'd wager that ND has more brand equity than does iowa.

Evy was tired of recruiting to iowa. my uncle played on his team his last two years - he was burned out on recruiting. you can look up and read the same thing.

 

[Dominate]

First of all, there should be a caveat on this site that we no longer talk about the "dark era" of football when talking about how "competitive" we are now. That "dark era" ended 33 years ago. It is no longer relevant in this day and age of money, facilities, television revenue, etc. We are in the Top 20 in athletic department revenue and we are in arguably the richest, most successful conference in the country.

With that being said, I think the majority of people are happy with Ferentz's body of work over the past 13 years. 2 Big Ten titles, 2 BCS bowl appearances, a 6-4 record in bowls overall, Top 10 in NFL players on active rosters and not a sniff of sanctions or improprieties during his tenure.

However, success certainly breeds expectations. And if there is one thing that I can point to that tends to stick in fans' craw, it's the unexplainable losses to teams that had no business being within 2 td's of us. A few weeks back I did an analysis of KF's record against 3 tiers of teams....teams that finished with 8+ wins, teams that finished with 4-7 wins, and teams that finished with 0-3 wins. Since 2001, we have the best record of our "peers" in our conference (MSU, Mich, Neb, Wisc, and PSU) against teams that finished the year with 8+ wins. However, other than MSU, we have the worst record against teams in the 4-7 win range....by quite a large margin. Mich, Neb, Wisc and PSU win those games at an over 85% clip. We are just under 75%. Since the majority of games are against teams in the 4-7 win range, a 12% difference over 11 years is HUGE! It's the difference between avg'ing 7 wins per year and avg'ing 9 wins per year. It's the difference between going to a so-so bowl and going to a BCS bowl. Those losses have to stop if we want to take the next step. We have the money, we have the facilities, we have the conference affiliation and we have the players (as evidenced by the number of NFL players). What we need now is better game day coaching and more timely risk taking.

I look forward to seeing what KF and the new coaches can do moving forward!

Excellent summary.

 

[ATLHawkeye]

Res ipsa loquitur.

Yeah, what Golfer said!

Come on... am I the only one who Googled it?

 

[homes]

JHH and JD - case in point about what a coach can do for a program. or be careful what you wish for. you can argue either side of that point. heck, look at Notre Dame regarding what they were, and what they now are. i'd wager that ND has more brand equity than does iowa.

Evy was tired of recruiting to iowa. my uncle played on his team his last two years - he was burned out on recruiting. you can look up and read the same thing.

Evy didn't need the money, so I could see how he got burned out with recruiting, and took the job as AD that was less of a grind. After he got out of coaching I think his ego took over and he realized he liked the spotlight, but it was too late to turn back the clock.

 

[imported_ankle23]

Evy didn't need the money, so I could see how he got burned out with recruiting, and took the job as AD that was less of a grind. After he got out of coaching I think his ego took over and he realized he liked the spotlight, but it was too late to turn back the clock.

you can get burned out of recruiting and need the money. can't imagine the grind of recruiting, let alone recruiting to a state like iowa.

FYI - here is an article that has evy stating what i stated above:

"I just got tired of the recruiting," Evashevski said. "It was getting tougher and tougher to do, and it began to take its toll. I loved coaching. But I was spending more time recruiting, speaking and raising money than I was on my coaching duties."

Forest Evashevski, University of Iowa, 1989 | The Des Moines Register | DesMoinesRegister.com

 

[HomerChampless]

Ferentz will always be a conservative coach..
He will always want the defense to win games.

There are new coordinators at both offense and defense.

The defense will probably run the same schemes.
The defense will not have the same traditional strengths because the front four is a big question mark, and the defense will also retain all its traditional weaknesses.

The offense will be learning new schemes.
Don't count on the offense to produce like last year.

Every B1G game will be up for grabs.
Iowa better win all of their non-conference games.
This will be a trying season for Iowa.

Iowa will be better next year.

 

[hawkfan340]

Nice posts, CP87 and SpiderRico.

 

[homes]

you can get burned out of recruiting and need the money. can't imagine the grind of recruiting, let alone recruiting to a state like iowa.

FYI - here is an article that has evy stating what i stated above:

"I just got tired of the recruiting," Evashevski said. "It was getting tougher and tougher to do, and it began to take its toll. I loved coaching. But I was spending more time recruiting, speaking and raising money than I was on my coaching duties."

Forest Evashevski, University of Iowa, 1989 | The Des Moines Register | DesMoinesRegister.com

I think he missed coaching and the accolades that came with it. He left too soon. Being an AD was no fun for him.

 

[kmurp]

Ferentz will always be a conservative coach..
He will always want the defense to win games.

There are new coordinators at both offense and defense.

The defense will probably run the same schemes.
The defense will not have the same traditional strengths because the front four is a big question mark, and the defense will also retain all its traditional weaknesses.

The offense will be learning new schemes.
Don't count on the offense to produce like last year.

Every B1G game will be up for grabs.
Iowa better win all of their non-conference games.
This will be a trying season for Iowa.

Iowa will be better next year.

I think that Parker will try to switch things up a bit out of necessity. He isn't going to change the entire defensive philosophy and scheme for our (hopefully) one year defensive line deficiencies.

 

[Golfer]

I agree. They showed a lot of blitz on Saturday. A lot. This will make some folks happy, but generally when Iowa needs to blitz (the key word is needs), this isn't a good thing.

 

[JHHawk]

I don't expect Iowa to win 9, but I see it as an optimistic goal and I hope like hell for it...I'll put it this way...I don't go into ANY game resolved to the fact that the Hawks are going to lose it...does that make me a lunatic who predicts an undefeated season? Not at all...in fact, my feeling about "The Fringe" (there, the term is officially updated! happy now?) is that they are the gloom and doomers who feel that every loss should be the end of the KF Era and that this program is free falling to the bottom of the conference and "Kurt" is overpaid...

So if anything, I think Jon used the wrong term and should have said it's us Kool-Aid drinkers who are hoping for/expecting a 9 win season and "The Fringe" doesn't care about number of wins so much as they erupt and burn the house down with every loss...

Well said. I never have given a crap what KF is paid. I just want to win.
I know the amount he is paid does not factor into how many we win.
But I also know that winning at Iowa is never easy,so appreciate what we get. See Iowa bb.

 

[trj]

I

.in fact, my feeling about "The Fringe" (there, the term is officially updated! happy now?)

thrilled.

 

[DuffMan]

Ferentz will always be a conservative coach.. He will always want the defense to win games. There are new coordinators at both offense and defense. The defense will probably run the same schemes.The defense will not have the same traditional strengths because the front four is a big question mark, and the defense will also retain all its traditional weaknesses. The offense will be learning new schemes.Don't count on the offense to produce like last year. Every B1G game will be up for grabs.Iowa better win all of their non-conference games. This will be a trying season for Iowa. Iowa will be better next year.

KF doesn't give a flying **** whether the offense or defense wins games. The FACT is we've been a defensive first team the past decade because we've consistently lacked speed and big play potential out of our skill positions to win games in shoot out fashion. Traditionally our best chance to win has been to rely on our teams strength which has been our front five, our front four, and our conditioning.

 

[OUTofTOWNHAWK]

KF doesn't give a flying **** whether the offense or defense wins games. The FACT is we've been a defensive first team the past decade because we've consistently lacked speed and big play potential out of our skill positions to win games in shoot out fashion. Traditionally our best chance to win has been to rely on our teams strength which has been our front five, our front four, and our conditioning.

and not playing the last two minutes of any half because somthing bad could happen.