A loss is a loss.
They are all the same and they all suck
Those are memorable ways to lose, for sure. And yes, a loss is a loss. They call count the same on your record. But as your examples illustrate, all losses are NOT the same . . . not by a long shot.
If you play well but the other team is better and you lose, what can you say? You made no mental mistakes. No coaching errors. You gave it all you had physically. That's a loss that's just part of sports. There's nothing that you could have done to change the outcome. And one thing that's always true is this: Half the teams who play lose.
But games like Iowa vs. Iowa State on Saturday . . . they're in a different category. That's a game that Iowa should have led 21-0 at halftime, and the game would have been over since ISU only scored 20. Iowa beat itself. Poor play calling. Poor coaching "strategy." Mental mistakes by players. There were a gaggle of self-induced failures by Iowa . . . and despite it all, they were six seconds and a 54-yard FG from winning anyway.
No, there are no excuses for Iowa losing to Iowa State. None. That's a loss that will never completely stop hurting because it was entirely avoidable. Yes, give ISU credit for taking advantage of Iowa's failures. But make no mistake: Iowa beat Iowa on Saturday, and that hurts.