Why this Saturday REALLY REALLY REALLY Matters

[BSpringsteen]

This game is so mind blowingly important at both the micro and the macro.

Macro: We get a 7th win and guarantee a bowl game. I don't think we get one if we lose 3 straight to finish the season. And there is nothing to be proud of going to a bowl game with a 6-6 record and a 3-5 record in conference and a 4-6 record against FBS. This is clearly not a typical Iowa team, and if we can get through the season with at least 7 wins, it has to be considered a pretty big win. It might mean that we are weathering a KF downturn by still having 7 win seasons, as opposed to 6 wins like 2006 and 2007.

Micro: We are guaranteed of being relevant on the last week of the season. If we win Saturday, even if we lose at Purdue, we still can win the legends by beating Nebraska and having MSU lose. Likely, no but doesn't change the fact that it's possible. Last year sucked not having any part of the championship discussion the last week of the season. If there is one thing that we need to have EVERY year, it is a relevant game the last week of the season. Even if we were to lose the next two games and beat Nebraska we wouldn't have relevancy that week.

Plus it's senior day and I'm headed to Kinnick.

 

[BlackHawk]

Boss--you have persuaded me.

Before I was like: "Should I root for the Hawks this weekend?" Now I am like: "I will root for the Hawks this weekend."

 

[ssckelley]

Good post, I could not have said it any better. The game this Saturday is the biggest game of the year. If Iowa can get that 7th win it will put themselves in really good shape to get an attractive bowl bid as a 7 win team can jump other teams. I think Iowa can jump teams like Illinois and Penn State even if they finish with less wins. Like you said they could be playing for the Legends division on Black Friday no matter what happens at Purdue.

 

[metahawk]

Absolutely, I'll be pacing the floor every down.

 

[storminspank]

I agree w/ the importance of it, but Iowa is going to a bowl game w/ 6 wins regardless.
They are scrambling to find 6 win teams this year, so someone like Iowa w/ 6 is a shoe-in.

That said, it's a HUUUUUUUUGE game this weekend. HUGE.

 

[MissouriHerk]

Biggest game of the year

 

[rhawk8]

no question. HUGE game! let's go hawks! let's dominate MSU, repeat of lasy yrs game..plllleeeaaasse where there no question of the outcome!

 

[hawkeyescott]

I agree w/ the importance of it, but Iowa is going to a bowl game w/ 6 wins regardless.
They are scrambling to find 6 win teams this year, so someone like Iowa w/ 6 is a shoe-in.

That said, it's a HUUUUUUUUGE game this weekend. HUGE.

I agree, Iowa will go to a bowl game with 6 wins but the difference between 6 wins and 7 wins that makes it huge is not playing in Detroit for that bowl game and playing in either Dallas or Houston.

 

[BSpringsteen]

I agree w/ the importance of it, but Iowa is going to a bowl game w/ 6 wins regardless.
They are scrambling to find 6 win teams this year, so someone like Iowa w/ 6 is a shoe-in.

That said, it's a HUUUUUUUUGE game this weekend. HUGE.

A 6-6 team going to a bowl game with two of those wins going against an FcS is significantly more of an indictment of too many bowls than confirmation of anything but a tremendously disappointing season.

Go Hawks.

 

[Cover3]

Just to clarify something. I believe LA-Monroe is an FBS school. Definitely not in a BCS conference, but they are not FCS. Still, I will agree that going into bowl season at 3-5 in conference is not what you hope for when you set goals for a program.

 

[hawkeyescott]

Just to clarify something. I believe LA-Monroe is an FBS school. Definitely not in a BCS conference, but they are not FCS. Still, I will agree that going into bowl season at 3-5 in conference is not what you hope for when you set goals for a program.

And to clarify the bolded part, unless you are Iowa State.

 

[BSpringsteen]

And to clarify the bolded part, unless you are Iowa State.

Vegetable Lasagna

 

[EddyP]

 

[Cover3]

And to clarify the bolded part, unless you are Iowa State.

Hahaha. Indeed. They're just waiting for the number of bowls to get so ridiculous that 4-8 teams start getting berths.

BTW, I was really down after the Minnesota game, but I'm going to preempt the Kool-Aid drinkers' two-word phrase as to why this game is important:

ROSE BOWL!

It has not been a pretty season, but our D just played its best game, we control our own destiny, and we're in the friendly confines on Saturday! Keep the dream alive!

 

[BSpringsteen]

YOU WANT A DIVORCE? YOU GOT ONE.

Wait till you see my ATTORNEY! HE WEARS A CAPE!

 

[ICHawk24]

Just to clarify something. I believe LA-Monroe is an FBS school. Definitely not in a BCS conference, but they are not FCS. Still, I will agree that going into bowl season at 3-5 in conference is not what you hope for when you set goals for a program.

You are correct. Iowa has never played 2 FCS games in a season.

 

[HawkinGoferLand]

This game also carries significance because I am driving down from MN with a friend who is a NEB fan and also a Gopher fan (he grew up in SD cheering for NEB, moved to MN 20 yrs ago and developed a following for the Goofs).

I hope it's a great game, Kinnick is rocking, the atmoshere is electric and Hawks win!

 

[Enginerd]

And to clarify the bolded part, unless you are Iowa State.

Try flipping ISU and Iowa's schedules this year and you end up with Iowa going 6-6 at best.

None of that matters though if you win the next three.

 

[1hawkeye1]

Yeah. Those other games didn't and don't mean a thing. Now this game........now there's a game that matters. Until next week.

 

[ssckelley]

I agree w/ the importance of it, but Iowa is going to a bowl game w/ 6 wins regardless.
They are scrambling to find 6 win teams this year, so someone like Iowa w/ 6 is a shoe-in.

That said, it's a HUUUUUUUUGE game this weekend. HUGE.

At 6 wins Iowa is not guaranteed a bowl bid. The Big Ten has 8 bowl games and currently 8 teams bowl eligible. According to NCAA rules no bowl can select a 6 win team over a 7 win team and there are still 10 teams that can get to 7 wins. If either Purdue or Northwestern win out then they would get a bowl bid before a 6 win Iowa. I realize it is an unlikely scenario but it still exists. The at large bowls will end up getting filled with 7 win Sun Belt & 7 win MAC teams.

The big reason Iowa needs that 7th win is because a bowl can take a 7 win Iowa team over an 8 win Penn State, Illinois, or MSU. In that situation I think Iowa would be the 5th team taken which puts them in the Gator Bowl playing the SEC.