JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
Wow. What a Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.
It didn’t end the way Iowa fans hoped it would, but you have to top your caps to the Hawkeyes for leaving it all on the field and giving Hawkeye fans a season for the ages.
Now all the attention turns to Sunday at 2pm central when the New Years Six Bowl games will be announced. This will serve as the final bowl projection for HawkeyeNation.com this year.
WILL IOWA BE IN A NEW YEARS SIX BOWL GAME? Given how things played out elsewhere on Saturday, the Hawkeyes will be in either the Rose, Peach or Fiesta bowls. Missing one of those three would only be possible if Iowa falls outside of the Top 11 in the rankings, which isn’t going to happen.
ROAD TO THE ROSE: Here were the rankings in this past week’s College Football Playoff poll:
1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Iowa
5. Michigan State
6. Ohio State
7. Stanford
8. Notre Dame
9. Florida State
10. North Carolina
Michigan State will be in the playoff. I think they will jump Oklahoma and be ranked 3rd, You can’t argue whether or not they are worthy to jump Oklahoma and the jump will serve a purpose; to keep Oklahoma out of Dallas, which is three hours from Norman, OK. Michigan State will face Alabama in the Cotton Bowl and Clemson will face Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
What comes next is what we care about the most and requires some logic.
Iowa is 12-1 with a Western Division Big Ten title and a last minute loss by three points to Michigan State. Ohio State is 11-1 without any divisional hardware and a three-point last minute loss to Michigan State. Iowa lost on a neutral field, Ohio State lost at home.
I won’t sit here and say other possibilities won’t happen, but here is what I think WILL happen:
5. Iowa
6. Stanford
7. Ohio State
Stanford has two loses, but they won a conference title. One of Stanford’s losses is to Northwestern, a team Iowa beat by 30 on the same field. The long list of Iowa doubters on this season has now been cleared out. Even Mr. SEC Paul Finebaum tweeted about how impressed he was with Iowa after the game.
The committee’s job is to put the best four teams in the playoff. The best four teams are not really debatable right now with the way the season has played out. What comes next isn’t as important as getting the best four teams. Which is why I believe the things I laid out will matter.
The Playoff Committee isn’t interested in TV ratings for the Rose, Fiesta or Peach. They are going to put forth compelling match ups, as is their charge. I also believe there are enough football minds on that committee who will look at the facts laid out above and come to the same conclusion.
So my final projection has Iowa in the Rose Bowl against Stanford. Iowa played well enough to give the committee a reason to look at the minutiae I laid out above and I believe in the end, that is going to win the day for Iowa.
If for some reason Ohio State is ranked ahead of Iowa in the final poll, it would be by just one spot in the rankings. The Rose ‘could’ still choose Iowa, but they have said all along the strong presumption would be that they go with the highest ranked Big Ten team available.
If they did that, Iowa would be in the Peach or Fiesta. The opponent would be either Notre Dame, Florida State or Houston.
If you are interested in traveling to Iowa’s bowl game, click on this link and enter your name and email address and we will send you all the details moments after they become official Sunday at 2pm central.
It didn’t end the way Iowa fans hoped it would, but you have to top your caps to the Hawkeyes for leaving it all on the field and giving Hawkeye fans a season for the ages.
Now all the attention turns to Sunday at 2pm central when the New Years Six Bowl games will be announced. This will serve as the final bowl projection for HawkeyeNation.com this year.
WILL IOWA BE IN A NEW YEARS SIX BOWL GAME? Given how things played out elsewhere on Saturday, the Hawkeyes will be in either the Rose, Peach or Fiesta bowls. Missing one of those three would only be possible if Iowa falls outside of the Top 11 in the rankings, which isn’t going to happen.
ROAD TO THE ROSE: Here were the rankings in this past week’s College Football Playoff poll:
1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Iowa
5. Michigan State
6. Ohio State
7. Stanford
8. Notre Dame
9. Florida State
10. North Carolina
Michigan State will be in the playoff. I think they will jump Oklahoma and be ranked 3rd, You can’t argue whether or not they are worthy to jump Oklahoma and the jump will serve a purpose; to keep Oklahoma out of Dallas, which is three hours from Norman, OK. Michigan State will face Alabama in the Cotton Bowl and Clemson will face Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
What comes next is what we care about the most and requires some logic.
Iowa is 12-1 with a Western Division Big Ten title and a last minute loss by three points to Michigan State. Ohio State is 11-1 without any divisional hardware and a three-point last minute loss to Michigan State. Iowa lost on a neutral field, Ohio State lost at home.
I won’t sit here and say other possibilities won’t happen, but here is what I think WILL happen:
5. Iowa
6. Stanford
7. Ohio State
Stanford has two loses, but they won a conference title. One of Stanford’s losses is to Northwestern, a team Iowa beat by 30 on the same field. The long list of Iowa doubters on this season has now been cleared out. Even Mr. SEC Paul Finebaum tweeted about how impressed he was with Iowa after the game.
The committee’s job is to put the best four teams in the playoff. The best four teams are not really debatable right now with the way the season has played out. What comes next isn’t as important as getting the best four teams. Which is why I believe the things I laid out will matter.
The Playoff Committee isn’t interested in TV ratings for the Rose, Fiesta or Peach. They are going to put forth compelling match ups, as is their charge. I also believe there are enough football minds on that committee who will look at the facts laid out above and come to the same conclusion.
So my final projection has Iowa in the Rose Bowl against Stanford. Iowa played well enough to give the committee a reason to look at the minutiae I laid out above and I believe in the end, that is going to win the day for Iowa.
If for some reason Ohio State is ranked ahead of Iowa in the final poll, it would be by just one spot in the rankings. The Rose ‘could’ still choose Iowa, but they have said all along the strong presumption would be that they go with the highest ranked Big Ten team available.
If they did that, Iowa would be in the Peach or Fiesta. The opponent would be either Notre Dame, Florida State or Houston.
If you are interested in traveling to Iowa’s bowl game, click on this link and enter your name and email address and we will send you all the details moments after they become official Sunday at 2pm central.
