A Realistic Wish List Of Opponents

[IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life]

So I realize the Iowa State game is not going away, but at the same time I get tired of facing the same teams (NIU, UNI, Miami-OH).

So I actually have a wish list of teams I'd like to face. Some would be home/home, while others would be strictly a home game for Iowa.

-Utah
-Notre Dame
-Colorado
-California
-Virginia
-Kansas
-Vanderbilt
-Old Dominion
-UTEP
-Presbyterian
-Charlotte
-Idaho

Like an ideal schedule would be....

Even Year
- vs Old Dominion
- vs Iowa State
- @ California

Odd Year
- vs Presbyterian
- @ Iowa State
- vs California

 

[nu2u]

Presbyterian? LOL

 

[m.stoops2013]

ND, Miami, Colorado, Texas Tech, TCU, Washington St., Missouri, Oregan, Kansas St., Louisville, NC State, Duke, Kentucky, Georgia Tech.

 

[millah_22]

@Oregon State. Get a G5 opponent with a P5 label.

 

[HumbleP1e]

I completely agree with you on the idea of not repeating the same directional schools. Unless you have a connection to those staffs or something, I don't want to see a Northern Illinois type of opponent but every 20 years or so as opposed to 5. It seems easy/lazy to schedule the same teams though I don't know what all goes into it.

On the flip side, I would like to see us schedule in recruiting targets. Georgia schools, Alabama schools, Florida schools, Tennessee schools... But, how much do recruits really care how we fare against Valdosta State or Middle Tennessee St.? We certainly aren't going to play those on the road. Not sure what we really gain. So, then how much does it cost to get them over say UNI? I guess I see why we end up on the cycle.

As for the home and aways...maybe an opportunity comes to squeeze them in. We'd all love a trip to Hawaii or UNLV...or matchups with ND or even Alabama. It's just not realistic with the current BIG. Back off to 8 conference games, yes. But, I'm not sure that's even good. Lots of reasons it is as it is.

 

[cocoem]

It takes two to tango and there very few (less than 6-8 teams) that will play more than one P5 out of conference opponent. Home revenue is way more important

 

[Hawkeye_311]

We are not playing on the west coast again with KF at the helm.

 

[GPRHAWK]

Assuming Iowa State game is not going away the only possibility for a OOC game with a power 5 team would be a neutral site game. We will NOT do a home and home with a power 5 team. Even a neutral site game is pretty unlikely as we are not willing to give up a home game. The ISU and 9 game B1G schedule forces us to have our current OOC schedule.

 

[grayhair81]

I.am surprised that in Delaney's endless quest for $$$, the B1G hasn't scheduled some form of conference challenge with either the SEC or Pac-whatever-number-they-are-now. They could parlay that into a mega TV contract, possibly even a pay-per-view event.

 

[Slappy Pappy]

How many programs have 11 of their 12 games against P5 opponents?

 

[anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba]

I'm pretty sure Alabama and/or other SEC powers have often played Presbyterian as part of their juggernaut scheduling.

 

[Hawktagonapus]

How many programs have 11 of their 12 games against P5 opponents?

Almost none. And absolutely no one does consistently.

 

[anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba]

I know, I know, but I can't help but remind people that Iowa, and most every other major team, played strong nonconference schedules back in the day. Many long-time fans will recall, for example, that Hayden's third season in1981 featured an 11-game schedule, and the 3 nonconference games were, in order, #7 Nebraska (not in the Big Ten back then: Iowa won, 10-7); Iowa State (a loss in Ames); #6 UCLA (Iowa won 20-7). Iowa, of course, went on to win the Big Ten title and appear in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1959.

Hayden said that kind of schedule was too demanding and that a 3-game nonconference schedule would be ideal if it included one national power, one decent major conference opponent, and one that should be a gimme. So Iowa, and most other schools, have gone from that 1981 type of schedule to pretty much the opposite. For Iowa, it's one sometimes decent opponent in Iowa State, and two that should be gimmes, like Northern Illinois and UNI this year.

 

[SoDakHawk]

Would love to see Iowa play a Virginia Tech, Arkansas, or Texas A&M. Those are not opponents that are too far fetched like saying let's schedule Alabama. Those would be actually attainable to schedule and would be interesting inter-regional matchups.

Just drop the Clones so we can have something different.

 

[KujawaFan]

I have said it before with 9 conference games and ISU we are hamstrung. We aren't giving up the home game. When we had 8 conference games we played the home and home with Arizona, ASU, Cuse and Pitt and Missouri was scheduled but they chickened out. ISU needs home and homes with Akron. ND and Iowa tried but Pollard wouldn't let us out for the 2 year ND game at Soldiers Field. And that's what humors me about ISU fans. They can't get a P5 home and home so hold us hostage. And they join the chorus of fake ID because of our schedule which has been ripped because we play ISU who is a historical doormat. Win ISU's Super Bowl and we drop in the rankings and lose and we are a fraud. It is a no win for Iowa and a win win for ISU. ISU needs the game and Iowa is stuck with it. That my friends is a losing proposition.

 

[ANYCHawk]

S
Like an ideal schedule would be....

Even Year
- vs Old Dominion
- vs Iowa State
- @ California

Odd Year
- vs Presbyterian
- @ Iowa State
- vs California

Let's all act surprised that OP doesn't understand why this is neither ideal or possible

 

[BubsFinn]

I know it would be a real challenge, but I'd like to play the service academies home and home. I think it would be great publicity and a blast for our fans. I'd like to think Hawkeye fans would travel. I know there are plenty in Colorado, so we'd fill the stadium @ Air Force.

 

[SoDakHawk]

I have said it before with 9 conference games and ISU we are hamstrung. We aren't giving up the home game. When we had 8 conference games we played the home and home with Arizona, ASU, Cuse and Pitt and Missouri was scheduled but they chickened out. ISU needs home and homes with Akron. ND and Iowa tried but Pollard wouldn't let us out for the 2 year ND game at Soldiers Field. And that's what humors me about ISU fans. They can't get a P5 home and home so hold us hostage. And they join the chorus of fake ID because of our schedule which has been ripped because we play ISU who is a historical doormat. Win ISU's Super Bowl and we drop in the rankings and lose and we are a fraud. It is a no win for Iowa and a win win for ISU. ISU needs the game and Iowa is stuck with it. That my friends is a losing proposition.

The perfect post.

 

[anon_p5xhdxl4apz5n]

The perfect post.

as a fan of little brother i agree. everyone hates the series isu needs to pad their schedule with cupcakes and iowa wants a different more prestigious power 5 team to play. lets all move on and we can mutually agree we hate each other and never speak again. pick it up in a decade for a few years maybe.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

I know, I know, but I can't help but remind people that Iowa, and most every other major team, played strong nonconference schedules back in the day. Many long-time fans will recall, for example, that Hayden's third season in1981 featured an 11-game schedule, and the 3 nonconference games were, in order, #7 Nebraska (not in the Big Ten back then: Iowa won, 10-7); Iowa State (a loss in Ames); #6 UCLA (Iowa won 20-7). Iowa, of course, went on to win the Big Ten title and appear in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1959.

Hayden said that kind of schedule was too demanding and that a 3-game nonconference schedule would be ideal if it included one national power, one decent major conference opponent, and one that should be a gimme. So Iowa, and most other schools, have gone from that 1981 type of schedule to pretty much the opposite. For Iowa, it's one sometimes decent opponent in Iowa State, and two that should be gimmes, like Northern Illinois and UNI this year.

And I can't help but remind everyone that HF did not schedule those games - they were on the schedule when he got here. Nebraska and UCLA scheduled Iowa because it was supposed to be an easy win - for them.

 

[gojojo]

Once the B1G went to a 9 game conference schedule, the idea of facing any P5 team other than Iowa State went out the window. Wish all you want but we will be facing two no name programs at home every year from now on.

 

[Bro D]

Week 1 vs some shit team nobody has heard at home
Week 2 vs a MAC team at home
Week 3 vs Notre Dame/Oklahama/Kansas State/Missouri/Arkansas on a neutral site

 

[SoFla-Hawkeye]

Miami plays Savannah State, Toledo, and FIU the next 3 weeks. They will be 3-1 and back in the top 10. We will be 4-0/3-1 and looking up at the top 25.

 

[BirdistheWord]

We must trade in the "power 5" ISU game for something better. It is not nationally relevant, or even regionally for that matter and an Iowa win gains us very little value.

Signed,
Dead Horse

 

[HumbleP1e]

The current playoff scenario - for a Big Ten team - does not reward a school for playing a 50/50 (or worse) percentage win game. In 2015, Iowa had an admittedly weak schedule and had little trouble being in the final 4 with a win over MSU in Indy.

I would love to see Iowa have more interesting non-conference games, but hearkening back to days prior to the current scenario where only 2 teams had national championship chances does not translate to today anymore on terms of risk/reward.

 

[GPRHAWK]

Many of these responses would be accurate if the thread were titled unrealistic wish list of opponents. I would also like to add the Pittsburgh Steelers to the list.

Seriously, how can people not understand the situation we’re in with the ISU and 9 game B1G schedule? It’s been discussed so many times on here and many still don’t get it.

 

[SoDakHawk]

I get it. That's why we need to drop ISU if we ever want to play another non-conference P5 ever again.

 

[Gridiron24]

When we're playing 9 conference games in the Big Ten, and the CyHawk game every year out of conference, we only have two weeks for "cupcake" opponents to get our feet wet against.

If we dropped the ISU game (a game I dread every year because IMO it doesn't benefit us very much... when we win it's treated as BAU and we move on to the next one, but if we lose it's a black-eye on the season) or even moved it to the weekend before Thanksgiving in November, we could get a good non-conference game in every year.

 

[iahawks10]

OP, your even year scenario has Iowa playing six home games.

You think that’s realistic in today’s world?

Like many have said, many times, Iowa will never play another game that requires a “home/home” series as long as ISU is on the schedule.