Why Do Iowa Teams Chit The Bed So Much?

MelroseHawkins

Well-Known Member
What is it? Why can't we win, or at least the big games. First the football team has an epic year and folds in the Rose Bowl game. The basketball team was having what was going to be arguably one of the best seasons and hit the wall in the end. The game against 'nova was embarrassing and over by half-time of not sooner. It felt similar to watching the 1st half of the Rose Bowl.

Why can't Iowa win? Why can't us fans have our moment in the light on occasion? It's similar to being a Cubs fan, I guess.
 
What is it? Why can't we win, or at least the big games. First the football team has an epic year and folds in the Rose Bowl game. The basketball team was having what was going to be arguably one of the best seasons and hit the wall in the end. The game against 'nova was embarrassing and over by half-time of not sooner. It felt similar to watching the 1st half of the Rose Bowl.

Why can't Iowa win? Why can't us fans have our moment in the light on occasion? It's similar to being a Cubs fan, I guess.

Play bad teams during the year, especially in football, and then lose when they play good teams.
 
What is it? Why can't we win, or at least the big games. First the football team has an epic year and folds in the Rose Bowl game. The basketball team was having what was going to be arguably one of the best seasons and hit the wall in the end. The game against 'nova was embarrassing and over by half-time of not sooner. It felt similar to watching the 1st half of the Rose Bowl.

Why can't Iowa win? Why can't us fans have our moment in the light on occasion? It's similar to being a Cubs fan, I guess.
An undefeated regular season in football and a top 10 ranking in basketball for a good chunk of the basketball season isn't a moment in the light? We have average/good programs at Iowa, but not elite. When we have elite type years like this one, it makes the crash back to being average/good hard to take. I don't know why we can't seem to get over the hump but I have enjoyed these last 7 months more than any other I can remember.
 
If by "moment in the light", we're talking about winning national titles, most programs don't get that. It sucks, but is the way it is. It's one thing that bums me out about college sports - seeing most of the same programs dominate year in and year out.

But, I still think Iowa's sports programs are capable of having some big seasons, enough to make them interesting enough to make me believe there's a chance..

I'd love to see Iowa win a title in either football or hoops. Even just ONCE. Probably will never happen, but never is a long time. The football program has been at least in the picture a few times the past 15 years (2002, 2009, 2015). Just couldn't quite get there.
 
Because we don't have the athletes other schools do, so our boys tend to tense up when they actually have a shot.

Or, get completely killed when they don't.
 
the football team we should have seen coming, but most of us still had blinders on (including me). Iowa couldn't run the ball for the last several games of the year regardless of who the opponent was, that should of sent up a big red flag right there. Still, despite the rose bowl slaughter it was a great season IMO, they overachieved big time regardless of the easy schedule.

as for basketball, who knows
 
1. Iowa never seems to have complete teams. General example in basketball, we have wing players, but not elite guards or a center. Football team has a quarterback, but no wide receivers, elite tailback, safeties, etc.

2. Coaching Conservative or very good coaching M through F, but not on gameday.

3. Injuries and Lack of depth.

4. Losing players to academics and ******* in hotel lobbies. Girl and boyfriend problems. Lack of chemistry.

5. Other teams have more elite players in their front lines and back lines.

6. When Iowa has a chance to step forward into elite status or taste it, they don't take advantage of it. Iowa then losses out on getting the big fish when they Iowa got embarrassed in the big games. Vicious cycle.

7. The University has made some bad coaching hires (Lick, Alford) and is forever married to its historically good/mediocre, but not great coaches (ala Ferentz). Mr. Davis is the outer in the marriage department (probably similar to Ferentz, but with less brass), but the way that situation was handled was very destructive to the basketball program. Mr. Davis retires at Iowa you have more NCAAs and probably a title by now. He should have had one when Minny cheated that year.

8. Gable is like Wooden. UCLA is not the same without Wooden and Iowa Wrestling is not the same without Gable.

9. Three or four teams control women's basketball and then there is everyone else. We get some pretty blonde girls playing under Bluder. UConn gets the street ballers.

10. Iowa needs to update its home environments to get more intemidating. Students need to be courtside, etc.


Bonus.....let's not forget this Iowa basketball team lost to a Division 3 (or D2 school whatever it was) school at the beginning of the year. Very good D3 school, but that should not happen on your own home court ever for a major D1 program (unless the flu breaks out or something).
 
Last edited:
Bonus.....let's not forget this Iowa basketball team lost to a Division 3 school at the beginning of the year. Very good D3 school, but that should not happen on your own home court ever for a major D1 program (unless the flu breaks out or something).[/B]

We lost to a D2 school that is 31-2 on the season not a D3 school but who's fact checking.
 
Ok D2 School...whatever it was....still should not happen at home...ever......even 31-2. Like losing to third brother.

Pretty sure Syracuse has lost a couple EXHIBITIONS to D2 teams also over the years and had some good NCAA tourney runs with some of those teams.... it's not unheard of.
 
While we are disappointed with the way things turned out, would you rather be a cyfan who can't beat division 2 football teams and a basketball team that next year won't be competitive. I would rather get close and fail than be a total loser.
 
Pretty sure Syracuse has lost a couple EXHIBITIONS to D2 teams also over the years and had some good NCAA tourney runs with some of those teams.... it's not unheard of.

Still not acceptable.

But, my whole point is that was your big red flag there. Syracuse has other intangibles we don't have.
 
While we are disappointed with the way things turned out, would you rather be a cyfan who can't beat division 2 football teams and a basketball team that next year won't be competitive. I would rather get close and fail than be a total loser.

They've also been to 5 straight NCAA tournaments (no "Play-In" game") and 2 Sweet Sixteen appearances in those 5 years. What makes them capable of this while Iowa can't? In the same state with the same resources, Iowa should be able to have this kind of success as well.
 
Sounds like you want to be a cyfan. Is men's basketball the only sport we play. Do you just want to jump on the bandwagon of every team that's winning. I'll take our level of success in our sports over their 5 year run in basketball. Maybe you should take a trip over to cyfan to see how jealous they are of us. Even when we lose and they win they are still trying to measure themselves against us.

Maybe you're just a basketball fan but even then I don't think you're able to see the big picture.
 

Latest posts

Top