As an avid Hawkeye fan I'm proud of the fact Ferentz runs his program the way that he does. Now I realize that sometimes things happen that you would never expect to happen, but I'm pretty confident in saying that Iowa's football program does everything the right way. I'd be shocked if anything ever came out that proved Ferentz knowingly paid a kid or knew about a booster or member of the coaching staff paying a kid. The only thing you could argue Ferentz has been guilty of is possibly working the kids too hard (Rhabdo case) to try to get them better.
Now, with that said, how much does it bother you all when crap like this Laremy Tansil situation occur? Personally, I'm well aware that other programs are cheating. That much is obvious. Cheating is rampant in the SEC. Ohio State has been busted. I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan State is doing the same thing. It's going on all over the college football landscape and I'm having a difficult time trying to make sense of it all. I love college football. Like to a point that it's probably not healthy. I typically try not to focus on the fact other programs are cheating because it ruins the way I see the game, but when these things come to light it's really difficult not to think about it.
How in the hell is Iowa supposed to compete for a B10 Championship or National Championship when major college football programs are cheating? The reality is there isn't a whole lot stopping them from cheating either. What's the worst that can happen? They get caught and they still remember these special seasons that they put together. I'd be surprised if getting caught stops them from continuing to do it. Especially in the South. The SEC programs have money runners and all sorts of scumbags doing their dirty work for them. It's impossible to put an end to it. Tunsil gets paid millions to play for the Dolphins. Pete Carroll conveniently bolted from USC as soon as the hammer was about to drop.
Basically, the more I think about it the more frustrated I get. The Hawks, and many other programs I'm sure, are doing things the right way. The reality is the right way isn't good enough for them to consistently compete with top tier programs who are cheating. It's hard to keep it out of sight out of mind anymore, and it's ruining the game for me. Iowa has enough challenges that they face on a level playing field. When you add the fact other programs are paying players they just can't compete with that and it isn't fair.
