I bet these words are posted prominently in the Iowa Football Facility.
"Our kids showed great character and resiliency in a tough environment," Eichorst said Sunday, "so it did play a factor. But in the final analysis, I had to evaluate where Iowa was."
When asked to clarify his comment about Iowa, Eichorst said, "As I looked back on the outcomes, I'm trying to look back at who are championship-caliber football teams at that moment and how competitive we were in those games.
"We weren't playing for a conference championship and neither was Iowa. I have great respect for Iowa. It's a great institution and a wonderful football program. But in the final analysis, their record was where it was and ours was where it was. Fair enough?"