Thought this would be a fun exercise, trying to go back to the bowls of yester-year, and picking the best.
In my ratings, I balance the quality of our play with the quality of the bowl and the quality of the opponent.
Here's my Top Ten:
10. Freedom Bowl, 1984 - Iowa 55, Texas 14. The game featured two teams that failed to live up to pre-season expectations. The game was played in a virtually empty stadium in a driving rain - and as I recall was about the only "Freedom Bowl" ever played. But Chuck Long was masterful that night, and led him to declare for another season. We parlayed that win into a six-week #1 ranking the following season.
9. Outback Bowl, 2004 (conclusion of 2003 season). After Iowa's mortifying effort in the 2003 Orange Bowl, few expected much of Iowa against Ron Zook's Florida team. But KFz changed EVERYTHING about bowl preparation, and it showed. It capped off a surprisingly fantastic year by Nathan Chandler in his only season as the Iowa QB, as the Hawkeyes won surprisingly easily, 37-17.
8. Outback Bowl, 2009 (following the 2008 season). Earlier that season, Iowa seemed to be a team having to learn the sport of football all over again after very disappointing seasons the previous two years. They lost three in a row early on, changed starting QB's, and late in the season were still only 5-4. But the immense talent on this team FINALLY stepped forward in a 24-23 defeat of #2-rated Penn State. By the time they got to this bowl, Steve Spurrier's South Carolina team, who couldn't even settle on a QB, was totally outclassed, 31-10.
7. Alamo Bowl, 2001. As has often been the case, Iowa's reputation to travel well put them into a bowl higher than a 6-5 team generally deserved. In Kirk Ferentz' first bowl as Iowa's head coach (and first bowl of any kind for Iowa in a few years), Iowa stood tall defensively against a dangerous, high-powered Texas Tech team QB'd by their now current head coach, Cliff Kingsbury. The Hawkeyes got a late, long FG from Nate Kaeding, and held off a last-second Hail Mary attempt to win 19-16, and set the wheels in motion for a fantastic 2002 team.
6. Alamo Bowl, 1996. The game had Iowa playing with plain black helmets after the mother of Iowa's starting linebacker, Mark Mitchell, was involved in a fatal car accident on the way to the bowl. It may have been Iowa's most total and focused bowl effort ever, shutting out Texas Tech 27-0. Mitchell, while not playing, was given the game-ball.
5. Holiday Bowl, 1986. As was the case with UCLA the previous year in the Rose Bowl, the Hawkeyes found themselves essentially playing a road game, as local San Diego State was the Hawks opponent. The Hawks struggled defensively against Aztec QB Todd Santos and his passing attack, and trailed most of the night. But on a key 4th-and-long, midway through the 4th qtr., Iowa QB Mark Vlasic hit TE Marv Cook for a 29-yd. TD pass, then surprised the Aztecs with a 2-pt. conversion pass to TE Mike Flagg. San Diego State converted a late FG to take the lead, but then watched their celebration thwarted by a 48-yd. kick-off return by Kevin Harmon, and a winning 41-yd. FG by Rob Houghtlin to win 39-38, in what had been, for quite awhile, Iowa's most exciting bowl win.
4. Insight Bowl, 2010. The fact that these two teams were even matched up was a real head-scratcher, even though talent-wise, the two teams seemed similar. But Missouri finished the season 10-2 and BCS eligible, while Iowa watched its once-highly promising season melt down from a 5-1 start to a 7-5 finish. But the late-night game in Arizona was close throughout, and Iowa used 200+ rushing yards and two TD's by Marcus Coker along with two key interceptions of Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert to key the win - one in the Iowa end-zone by Brett Greenwood off a deflection by Tyler Sash at the end of the 1st half, and the other returned 72 yards for a TD by Micah Hyde late in the 4th quarter. Iowa won 27-24.
3. Orange Bowl 2010 (following the 2009 season). The win represented the first win in a major bowl for Iowa since two Rose Bowl wins in the late 1950's. Iowa, who finished an OT-loss vs. Ohio State in Columbus away from winning the Big Ten championship played ACC champion Georgia Tech and coach Paul Johnson's triple-option attack. The final score was 24-14 as Iowa used two early Ricky Stanzi TD passes, and a late Brandon Wegher TD run to win 24-14. Iowa finished the season rated #7, the highest end-of-season ranking to date by either a Fry- or Ferentz-coached team. (Although Georgia Tech did lose, they were still forced to vacate their appearance in this bowl due to NCAA infractions.)
2. Sun Bowl, 1995. Washington finished the season tied with USC for the Pac-10 championship, and expected a MUCH better bowl placement than this. Iowa had finished strong after a mid-season conference four-game losing streak, including three highly-ranked foes. But after Washington fumbled Iowa's punt after an opening 3-and-out, the game was ALL Iowa. Both Sedrick Shaw and Tavian Banks rushed for over 100 yards, and the game was nowhere near as close as the 38-18 final indicated.
1. Capital One (now Citrus) Bowl, 2005 (following the 2004 season). Do we really have to remind you of this one???? IOWA 30, LSU 25 in what was Nick Saban's final game as head coach of LSU.
That's my list - your thoughts?
In my ratings, I balance the quality of our play with the quality of the bowl and the quality of the opponent.
Here's my Top Ten:
10. Freedom Bowl, 1984 - Iowa 55, Texas 14. The game featured two teams that failed to live up to pre-season expectations. The game was played in a virtually empty stadium in a driving rain - and as I recall was about the only "Freedom Bowl" ever played. But Chuck Long was masterful that night, and led him to declare for another season. We parlayed that win into a six-week #1 ranking the following season.
9. Outback Bowl, 2004 (conclusion of 2003 season). After Iowa's mortifying effort in the 2003 Orange Bowl, few expected much of Iowa against Ron Zook's Florida team. But KFz changed EVERYTHING about bowl preparation, and it showed. It capped off a surprisingly fantastic year by Nathan Chandler in his only season as the Iowa QB, as the Hawkeyes won surprisingly easily, 37-17.
8. Outback Bowl, 2009 (following the 2008 season). Earlier that season, Iowa seemed to be a team having to learn the sport of football all over again after very disappointing seasons the previous two years. They lost three in a row early on, changed starting QB's, and late in the season were still only 5-4. But the immense talent on this team FINALLY stepped forward in a 24-23 defeat of #2-rated Penn State. By the time they got to this bowl, Steve Spurrier's South Carolina team, who couldn't even settle on a QB, was totally outclassed, 31-10.
7. Alamo Bowl, 2001. As has often been the case, Iowa's reputation to travel well put them into a bowl higher than a 6-5 team generally deserved. In Kirk Ferentz' first bowl as Iowa's head coach (and first bowl of any kind for Iowa in a few years), Iowa stood tall defensively against a dangerous, high-powered Texas Tech team QB'd by their now current head coach, Cliff Kingsbury. The Hawkeyes got a late, long FG from Nate Kaeding, and held off a last-second Hail Mary attempt to win 19-16, and set the wheels in motion for a fantastic 2002 team.
6. Alamo Bowl, 1996. The game had Iowa playing with plain black helmets after the mother of Iowa's starting linebacker, Mark Mitchell, was involved in a fatal car accident on the way to the bowl. It may have been Iowa's most total and focused bowl effort ever, shutting out Texas Tech 27-0. Mitchell, while not playing, was given the game-ball.
5. Holiday Bowl, 1986. As was the case with UCLA the previous year in the Rose Bowl, the Hawkeyes found themselves essentially playing a road game, as local San Diego State was the Hawks opponent. The Hawks struggled defensively against Aztec QB Todd Santos and his passing attack, and trailed most of the night. But on a key 4th-and-long, midway through the 4th qtr., Iowa QB Mark Vlasic hit TE Marv Cook for a 29-yd. TD pass, then surprised the Aztecs with a 2-pt. conversion pass to TE Mike Flagg. San Diego State converted a late FG to take the lead, but then watched their celebration thwarted by a 48-yd. kick-off return by Kevin Harmon, and a winning 41-yd. FG by Rob Houghtlin to win 39-38, in what had been, for quite awhile, Iowa's most exciting bowl win.
4. Insight Bowl, 2010. The fact that these two teams were even matched up was a real head-scratcher, even though talent-wise, the two teams seemed similar. But Missouri finished the season 10-2 and BCS eligible, while Iowa watched its once-highly promising season melt down from a 5-1 start to a 7-5 finish. But the late-night game in Arizona was close throughout, and Iowa used 200+ rushing yards and two TD's by Marcus Coker along with two key interceptions of Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert to key the win - one in the Iowa end-zone by Brett Greenwood off a deflection by Tyler Sash at the end of the 1st half, and the other returned 72 yards for a TD by Micah Hyde late in the 4th quarter. Iowa won 27-24.
3. Orange Bowl 2010 (following the 2009 season). The win represented the first win in a major bowl for Iowa since two Rose Bowl wins in the late 1950's. Iowa, who finished an OT-loss vs. Ohio State in Columbus away from winning the Big Ten championship played ACC champion Georgia Tech and coach Paul Johnson's triple-option attack. The final score was 24-14 as Iowa used two early Ricky Stanzi TD passes, and a late Brandon Wegher TD run to win 24-14. Iowa finished the season rated #7, the highest end-of-season ranking to date by either a Fry- or Ferentz-coached team. (Although Georgia Tech did lose, they were still forced to vacate their appearance in this bowl due to NCAA infractions.)
2. Sun Bowl, 1995. Washington finished the season tied with USC for the Pac-10 championship, and expected a MUCH better bowl placement than this. Iowa had finished strong after a mid-season conference four-game losing streak, including three highly-ranked foes. But after Washington fumbled Iowa's punt after an opening 3-and-out, the game was ALL Iowa. Both Sedrick Shaw and Tavian Banks rushed for over 100 yards, and the game was nowhere near as close as the 38-18 final indicated.
1. Capital One (now Citrus) Bowl, 2005 (following the 2004 season). Do we really have to remind you of this one???? IOWA 30, LSU 25 in what was Nick Saban's final game as head coach of LSU.
That's my list - your thoughts?
