Seasons that end well are remembered well

[NCHawker]

I've come to believe this is true. And what I mean is we remember the last game. The bowl game. The way we felt when it was all over.

I just saw a clip on x.com of the 2015 BTCCG. It ended painfully and the rosebowl was horrible. So I remember that season as undefeated but without beating really good teams.

I remember 2008, 2009 and 2019 fondly because of the way it ended and the so many great players.

 

[Fryowa]

I've come to believe this is true. And what I mean is we remember the last game. The bowl game. The way we felt when it was all over.

I just saw a clip on x.com of the 2015 BTCCG. It ended painfully and the rosebowl was horrible. So I remember that season as undefeated but without beating really good teams.

I remember 2008, 2009 and 2019 fondly because of the way it ended and the so many great players.

Being 100% honest here, bowl games are the ones I remember the least. Other than the Rose Bowl in 2015 I can't name off the bowls we played in since then or the W/L without looking. I remember we played in the Pinstripe bowl but that's only because I was on an ice fishing trip with my son and didn't watch it which was the only game I never watched a single minute of. And I remember that we've played in the Hall of Fame bowl like 30 times since '04. That's it.

I remember Georgia Tech and Rick's Orange Bowl I guess, but Music City or Cheezits or Bad Boy Mowers or whatever? Nope.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

Fry's disdain for bowl games rears its ugly head again. I am with NCHawker. Winning a bowl game against a quality opponent frames my memory of the season and gets me excited for the next season. I understand that bowls have become watered down by volume and the opt out trend. But, the games are by no means the pro bowl. The vast majority of kids stay with the program through the bowl game and both teams play to win. It is a competitive environment against opponents we do not normally see. A win is always better than a loss.

Couple that with the fact that we almost always beat Nebbie, and I say the last two games of the season go a long way to framing my view of the season. 9-4 sounds a hell of a lot better than 8-5 for some reason.

 

[Fryowa]

Fry's disdain for bowl games rears its ugly head again. I am with NCHawker. Winning a bowl game against a quality opponent frames my memory of the season and gets me excited for the next season. I understand that bowls have become watered down by volume and the opt out trend. But, the games are by no means the pro bowl. The vast majority of kids stay with the program through the bowl game and both teams play to win. It is a competitive environment against opponents we do not normally see. A win is always better than a loss.

Couple that with the fact that we almost always beat Nebbie, and I say the last two games of the season go a long way to framing my view of the season. 9-4 sounds a hell of a lot better than 8-5 for some reason.

The nebraska game is how I remember seasons.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

The nebraska game is how I remember seasons.

That approach has the virtue of almost always having good memories of a season!

 

[Fryowa]

That approach has the virtue of almost always having good memories of a season!

I water my grass with husker tears and have never run out even in the heat of summer.

 

[SwirlinLingerie]

Fry's disdain for bowl games rears its ugly head again. I am with NCHawker. Winning a bowl game against a quality opponent frames my memory of the season and gets me excited for the next season. I understand that bowls have become watered down by volume and the opt out trend. But, the games are by no means the pro bowl. The vast majority of kids stay with the program through the bowl game and both teams play to win. It is a competitive environment against opponents we do not normally see. A win is always better than a loss.

Couple that with the fact that we almost always beat Nebbie, and I say the last two games of the season go a long way to framing my view of the season. 9-4 sounds a hell of a lot better than 8-5 for some reason.

For sure. I think bowl games have imprinted in the minds of most Hawkeye fans over the years.

Any Iowa fan who grew up in the 80s still has nightmares about the Rose Bowl. That was like making kids watch someone kill their family pet. There is some shit too brutal to expose kids to. 2016 triggered some PTSD for most of us.

But there were also some great memories. Chuck Long throwing for a kajillion yards in an ass whupping of Texas, a legendary program our dads seemed to talk about differently.

Staying up crazy late to watch back to back one point Holiday Bowl wins against fun teams San Diego State and Wyoming (these are two of the most underrated Iowa bowls games of all time from an entertainment standpoint.)

Everyone remembers the big bowl games. But even in some recent years that felt unfulfilled, the bowls were some of the best games of those seasons and where Iowa peaked. Putting an ass kicking on Florida in the Outback to cap a top ten finish, drilling Spurrier and South Carolina in Shonn Greene's finale, watching little old Nick Easley get past the best defense Kirk's maybe ever faced and running like hell for the end zone, seeing Bri Guy finally put it all together and unleash his NFL weapons in creative ways in a total ass kicking of USC (seriously thought he/we were on our way at that point)....good god, those were a fun few hours each holiday season.

 

[ssckelley]

For sure. I think bowl games have imprinted in the minds of most Hawkeye fans over the years.

Any Iowa fan who grew up in the 80s still has nightmares about the Rose Bowl. That was like making kids watch someone kill their family pet. There is some shit too brutal to expose kids to. 2016 triggered some PTSD for most of us.

But there were also some great memories. Chuck Long throwing for a kajillion yards in an ass whupping of Texas, a legendary program our dads seemed to talk about differently.

Staying up crazy late to watch back to back one point Holiday Bowl wins against fun teams San Diego State and Wyoming (these are two of the most underrated Iowa bowls games of all time from an entertainment standpoint.)

Everyone remembers the big bowl games. But even in some recent years that felt unfulfilled, the bowls were some of the best games of those seasons and where Iowa peaked. Putting an ass kicking on Florida in the Outback to cap a top ten finish, drilling Spurrier and South Carolina in Shonn Greene's finale, watching little old Nick Easley get past the best defense Kirk's maybe ever faced and running like hell for the end zone, seeing Bri Guy finally put it all together and unleash his NFL weapons in creative ways in a total ass kicking of USC (seriously thought he/we were on our way at that point)....good god, those were a fun few hours each holiday season.

That 1986 Rose Bowl did leave a bad taste in our mouths, we got cheated.

I do have fond memories of the Holiday Bowls. Back then it was the 2nd place Big Ten team versus the WAC champion, and the WAC was a decent conference in those days.

I know I'm the old man screaming at the clouds but I miss college football in that format. It was unique and going to a bowl game was a fun experience for everyone. It got ruined when they came out with a million different bowl games where anyone with a .500 record would get "rewarded".

 

[Fryowa]

I know I'm the old man screaming at the clouds but I miss college football in that format. It was unique and going to a bowl game was a fun experience for everyone. It got ruined when they came out with a million different bowl games where anyone with a .500 record would get "rewarded".

+1,000,000

 

[trj]

I’m old so all this shit blurs together in my head without Google to jog my memory. Without signature wins, I am not going to remember too much about this season in 10 years, without the assistance of Google and/or AI. I will be able to answer Gronowski trivia questions, but that will be about it. “The last Iowa quarterback to run, receive and throw a touchdown in the same game?” sorta question.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

For sure. I think bowl games have imprinted in the minds of most Hawkeye fans over the years.

Any Iowa fan who grew up in the 80s still has nightmares about the Rose Bowl. That was like making kids watch someone kill their family pet. There is some shit too brutal to expose kids to. 2016 triggered some PTSD for most of us.

But there were also some great memories. Chuck Long throwing for a kajillion yards in an ass whupping of Texas, a legendary program our dads seemed to talk about differently.

Staying up crazy late to watch back to back one point Holiday Bowl wins against fun teams San Diego State and Wyoming (these are two of the most underrated Iowa bowls games of all time from an entertainment standpoint.)

Everyone remembers the big bowl games. But even in some recent years that felt unfulfilled, the bowls were some of the best games of those seasons and where Iowa peaked. Putting an ass kicking on Florida in the Outback to cap a top ten finish, drilling Spurrier and South Carolina in Shonn Greene's finale, watching little old Nick Easley get past the best defense Kirk's maybe ever faced and running like hell for the end zone, seeing Bri Guy finally put it all together and unleash his NFL weapons in creative ways in a total ass kicking of USC (seriously thought he/we were on our way at that point)....good god, those were a fun few hours each holiday season.

I cannot believe you left off Warren Holloway!!!!!!!

 

[trj]

Also, I really didn’t get into the Music City Bowl last year until kickoff, then I became totally invested. I was rooting for Iowa to win it. The reality of it being an “exhibition game” didn’t really kick in until after Iowa had lost the game.