Ok, after going for a walk, here is my optimistic take, but still not great odds

[HaydenHawk56]

So, Iowa gets exposed for having the same nagging and glaring weaknesses they almost always have had under Ferentz and were exposed by a pedestrian Michigan team (likely heading for 8-4 or worse themselves). They need to regroup and regroup quick.

The Penn St game could be very similar to what the Michigan game against Iowa was for them. Kirk's job is not on the line, but if Iowa loses to Penn St they are done for having a shot at winning the West. It is a night game and at Kinnick. Penn St will get the press all week long. Iowa will likely be as much as a 7-8 point dog (I think at most). These are the spots where Iowa is dangerous. Before this year started, this was the one game were people thought Iowa had the most realistic shot at pulling an upset over one of the top east teams. Although Penn St looks better than we thought up to this point, Iowa could have the tangibles going for it here. Not to mention a revenge spot of the last 2 games with them.

Then Purdue at home and Northwestern on the road. Two very, very, very winnable games. Northwestern does not seem to have the it factor to finish teams off at the end of games this year.

Go 3-0 and you get your shot in Madison. It may not matter much if Wisconsin is rolling, but if the boys can't get up for what they still have in front of them then I don't know what to say then hello 8-4 or 7-5. Hopefully they can at least regroup and hold it together for a title shot showdown in Madison.

But it all starts with Penn St. Penn St becomes the hope/false hope game of the year.

 

[hawkeyes87]

Northwestern does not seem to have the it factor to finish teams off at the end of games this year.

Considering Iowa's been that way for 3 years, I'm not sure how that's an advantage for the Hawks...

 

[HaydenHawk56]

Considering Iowa's been that way for 3 years, I'm not sure how that's an advantage for the Hawks...

I mean I think they look even shitter this year....even for them. Yes they are a thorn in our side for sure, but I think we get them this year.

 

[hawkeyes87]

Yes they are a thorn in our side for sure, but I think we get them this year.

But, how often do you think "Nw's really good, they'll probably whip us?" Never? Almost never?

And, how often do they win?

 

[HaydenHawk56]

But, how often do you think "Nw's really good, they'll probably whip us?" Never? Almost never?

And, how often do they win?

They get us at a clip far more than we would like. But, first thing is first, Penn St. Then a shot at 2 winnable games. We shall see.

 

[Caddy]

PSU has one of the best defensive lines in the nation, and the #7 run defense in the nation. They don't need to blitz to get to the qb, and had 10 sacks against Purdue today. They will eat Stanley alive. NW also has a very good defense, and our offense is not good at all. People got all hyped up when we rolled 3 cupcakes, plus squeaked out a win against a bad ISU team. That Michigan team is not good. They are going to take an absolute beating in more than 1 game remaining on their schedule. We aren't nearly as good as some people think.

 

[Motigerhawk]

On another message board with some very astute gentlemen posting, one guy said Kinnick Iowa is scary, Road Iowa not so much.

Greatest summation of Iowa football under Ferentz ever.

 

[hawkeyes87]

On another message board with some very astute gentlemen posting, one guy said Kinnick Iowa is scary, Road Iowa not so much.

Greatest summation of Iowa football under Ferentz ever.

Kinnick Iowa has 7 losses since '16.

Not so scary for ND St, PU, NW(2x).

 

[Motigerhawk]

Kinnick Iowa has 7 losses since '16.

Not so scary for ND St, PU, NW(2x).

I paraphrased. He did say most years.

 

[iloveyoularrystation]

so here's the deal. 1. none of our goals were gone because of this loss today. Before the season most of us thought they would lose today. The reason this one hurts so bad is because we know this was more than winnable, and Michigan is not great by any stretch. 2. The hawks will either win or lose the west in Madison Wisconsin. Wiscy still plays ohio state and msu. The hawks could even lose next week and still, the game vs wiscy is the game for the west. No one else in the west should scare this team even despite todays horrifically bad offensive effort. The hawks should be favored against every team in the west other than wiscy. 3. Let me be the bearer of crazy positive news....the hawks win next week, and they actually with a win against wiscy could even lose a game after that and still be in good shape. Gotta win next week, and beat wiscy, and we all knew wiscy was the game of the year anyway.

 

[Motigerhawk]

And I believe in Unicorns.

Damn, I was really positive until today. But, as usual, Our offensive coaching staff let us down. When is that going to change. We win despite our offensive staff, not because of it. We win when our D and/or our STs score.

 

[hawkeyes87]

Let me be the bearer of crazy positive news....the hawks win next week, and they actually with a win against wiscy could even lose a game after that and still be in good shape.

Don't know if I'd call that "crazy positive news"!

IF you beat top-10 Penn St at home, and win at probable top-10 Wiscy, then you're in good shape to go get pummeled by OSU?

Yippee ! ? !

 

[iloveyoularrystation]

Don't know if I'd call that "crazy positive news"!

IF you beat top-10 Penn St at home, and win at probable top-10 Wiscy, then you're in good shape to go get pummeled by OSU?

Yippee ! ? !

i'd rather go get pummeled by ohio state in the big ten championship game then not play ohio state in the championship game. ummmm, I know it was a rough day but....I mean we should as fans of our team hope they win games and succeed.

 

[IAHawkFan]

I like the optimism. Maybe I need to take another walk or 6...

This loss is so hard to take because we were so goddamned awful against a team that isn't very good, in what should have been a big game that we were prepared for. How do you go into the Big House not ready to play?

 

[hawkeyes87]

I mean we should as fans of our team hope they win games and succeed.

Of course.

 

[kameltoez102]

I like the optimism. Maybe I need to take another walk or 6...

This loss is so hard to take because we were so goddamned awful against a team that isn't very good, in what should have been a big game that we were prepared for. How do you go into the Big House not ready to play?

This is what I am most disappointed about. Let's be honest how many people thought we would run the table realistically? Not many, but when the opportunity on the road presents itself and you have one half of the football team play very well where the other half needs to just show up to win and doesn't it gets old. On top of that when you look at how they lost and how no adjustment was made thru the game with a veteran coaching staff that is what I am not happy about.

Iowa Football is the definition of insanity.

 

[4thngoal]

This is what I am most disappointed about. Let's be honest how many people thought we would run the table realistically? Not many, but when the opportunity on the road presents itself and you have one half of the football team play very well where the other half needs to just show up to win and doesn't it gets old. On top of that when you look at how they lost and how no adjustment was made thru the game with a veteran coaching staff that is what I am not happy about.

Iowa Football is the definition of insanity.

Like I said, you literally could have put a HS teams offense in there and only scored 3 less points.
WE COULD HAVE PUNTED ON FIRST DOWN OF EVERY POSSESSION and still only scored 3 less points.
Let that sink in.

 

[NikeHawk21]

I would guess Iowa will be at least a 10 point underdog. Penn State is rolling right now and that Iowa offense just embarrassed itself in front of the entire country.

With that said even a loss to Penn State doesn’t technically end our chances at the west. The bottom line is we will have to win at Madison to have a chance, which is fairly unlikely.

 

[IowaWXChaser]

If we get to Indy it is a successful season...we get excited for a four star transfer from Michigan...Michigan has a bad recruiting season when they dont get multiple 5 star recruits. Reality sucks...maybe the huge Hawkeye fan base can buy players through "likeness" purchases and draw some better talent...hasn't seemed to work the the coaching staff...but we r eternally optimistic fans.

 

[dirtwrap]

This is what I am most disappointed about. Let's be honest how many people thought we would run the table realistically? Not many, but when the opportunity on the road presents itself and you have one half of the football team play very well where the other half needs to just show up to win and doesn't it gets old. On top of that when you look at how they lost and how no adjustment was made thru the game with a veteran coaching staff that is what I am not happy about.

Iowa Football is the definition of insanity.

I hear what you are saying and I know you are upset, but there were a lot of adjustments made within our scheme and they just didn't work. It's not like we could all of the sudden turn Stanley into a mobile quarterback or anything. We ran out of the I, we spread everything with a single back and sometimes no back. We threw, a lot, mostly out of shotgun where most all of us said Stanley is most comfortable. We ran some screens, we tried throwing short in the flat, we tried rolling stanley out of the pocket. Nothing worked. They jumped everything.

The game was won and lost on the edges, and it's either stanley cant throw it or the receivers cant get open or Michigans corners held the shit out of our Smith and ISM, or a combination of all of it. But no matter how you slice it, Michigans d line held their own against our o line and then some, and they brought more players than we could block by blitzing the gaps. When Michigan played inspired today, it put a tremendous amount of pressure on Stanley and he cant handle it. Brad banks would have made them pay. Drew Tate would have made them pay. A healthy CJ makes them pay. But
Stanley is not that guy. And I will say it again, if the quarterback in our system is going to be a statue, he better be able to sling it and beat them deep to slow down the blitz. It's his only weapon. And Michigan gambled today that he couldn't do that and they won that bet.