Iowa Football Thoughts 2017

[nilekinnick1938]

1) This season going in we had legitimate concerns with our offense having really only Akrum and Vandenburg returning and a seasoned offensive line .

Our defense returned and was expected to be very good.

I think for the most part that has been what we have seen. Our offense has played well in a few games but remains inconsistent. Our defense has done well and in several games has allowed us to be competitive i.e Penn State, Michigan State and today at Northwestern.

2) If you believe the above is true than you realistically should believe that Iowa would win 3 non conference games and 4 Big Ten Games.

Illinois- Win expected because Illini are well just really bad.
Purdue- Is improved but still not a good football team and we play them at Iowa
Minnesota- An inexperienced young team with a new coach and several question marks and we play them at home.

You would be correct to assume Penn State, Ohio State and away at Wisconsin would be tough games to win.

That leaves Michigan State, Northwestern and Nebraska on the road . I think that one win against these three teams would of been a reasonable expectation .


So 7-5 Right?

Unfortunately we now not only have to win against Minnesota and Purdue which I still believe we will do but we have to win either against Ohio State or in the road against Wisconsin or Nebraska to meet that minimum expectation .

I think anything less than 7-5 we should consider unacceptable for this year.

The Northwestern game today was a huge loss... an unacceptable loss.

 

[jloop]

Anything less than a minimum of 8 wins should be unacceptable with a 4 million dollar a year coach. Expectations should be high every year no matter what.

 

[Suterman]

1) This season going in we had legitimate concerns with our offense having really only Akrum and Vandenburg returning and a seasoned offensive line .

Our defense returned and was expected to be very good.

I think for the most part that has been what we have seen. Our offense has played well in a few games but remains inconsistent. Our defense has done well and in several games has allowed us to be competitive i.e Penn State, Michigan State and today at Northwestern.

2) If you believe the above is true than you realistically should believe that Iowa would win 3 non conference games and 4 Big Ten Games.

Illinois- Win expected because Illini are well just really bad.
Purdue- Is improved but still not a good football team and we play them at Iowa
Minnesota- An inexperienced young team with a new coach and several question marks and we play them at home.

You would be correct to assume Penn State, Ohio State and away at Wisconsin would be tough games to win.

That leaves Michigan State, Northwestern and Nebraska on the road . I think that one win against these three teams would of been a reasonable expectation .


So 7-5 Right?

Unfortunately we now not only have to win against Minnesota and Purdue which I still believe we will do but we have to win either against Ohio State or in the road against Wisconsin or Nebraska to meet that minimum expectation .

I think anything less than 7-5 we should consider unacceptable for this year.

The Northwestern game today was a huge loss... an unacceptable loss.

I predicted 7-5 before the season and I still think they get there. There is no such thing as an unacceptable loss. What are you going to do, kill yourself? Kill somebody else? Renounce your citizenship? What are you going to do?

 

[hawkeye54545]

I predicted 7-5 before the season and I still think they get there. There is no such thing as an unacceptable loss. What are you going to do, kill yourself? Kill somebody else? Renounce your citizenship? What are you going to do?

So accept mediocrity?

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I predicted 7-5 before the season and I still think they get there. There is no such thing as an unacceptable loss. What are you going to do, kill yourself? Kill somebody else? Renounce your citizenship? What are you going to do?

Maming is not murder......

I mean does Pat Fitzgeral really need all his toes at this point in his life?

 

[Hawks_Rock_12]

Unlike some of the crazies on HR I had the Hawks going 8-4 before the season started. I can live with 7-5 but 6-6 is not a good season.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

So accept mediocrity?

Yes. That is exactly how you should interpret that.......Time for you to take action.

 

[Birdmanil]

Guys Vegas had us at 6.5 wins, and it looks like we are on track for that. I'm not settling, but this year was expected to be the the way it is turning out. Now I do expect at leat 1-2 title contending seasons next 3 years and if we don't then it's time to reevaluate. But really what has changed in the last 20 years. We get a 6-6 season mixed in with an 8-4 season, then boom out of nowhere we get 10+ win season. Look around at all the other schools that border us, with the exception of Wisconsin, nobody has been better than us year in and year out

 

[cecilB]

Anything less than a minimum of 8 wins should be unacceptable with a 4 million dollar a year coach. Expectations should be high every year no matter what.

Blah, blah, blah. The salary thing is sooooo tired. Every coach makes obscene cash for what their responsibility is. On top of that, making obscene money, combined with a 3-5% raise which we all get, after 20 years that obscene first salary compounds nicely. You should really get new talking points

 

[laidbackdude2011]

KF simply doesn’t have the drive to win NCs. He’s content with occasionally making a New Year’s Day bowl game and sending OLs to the NFL. Not biggger

 

[Eternal Return]

If Northwestern had played well and Iowa had played well yet lost then we'd be having different discussions about records. But as bad as both teams played, I wouldn't pencil in a single victory for either team right now. Not if they keep playing like that. Iowa has been in a funk ever since losing to Penn State. It was like they blew their wad on that one game and have nothing left in the tank. I think Minnesota is the closest thing to a sure win and I'd put it at 70 percent right now. Purdue, 65-45, Nebraska, 40-60, Ohio State 5-95, Wisconsin, 5-95.

 

[Hawk-A-Doodle-Doo]

Guys Vegas had us at 6.5 wins, and it looks like we are on track for that. I'm not settling, but this year was expected to be the the way it is turning out. Now I do expect at leat 1-2 title contending seasons next 3 years and if we don't then it's time to reevaluate. But really what has changed in the last 20 years. We get a 6-6 season mixed in with an 8-4 season, then boom out of nowhere we get 10+ win season. Look around at all the other schools that border us, with the exception of Wisconsin, nobody has been better than us year in and year out

And you've hit upon the absolutely most critical factor that all of us (fans who pay the bills, administrators who run the operations, coaches and players who execute the program) should be most concerned about. It's not merely that we have fallen behind Wisconsin in the standings this season. The MUCH bigger and more pressing problem is that we are falling further and further behind them in overall program stature and achievement. While we have our occasional exceptional season mixed in with several of our typical 7-win years, they have ascended to a yearly conference championship contender and borderline national elite program.

And oh by the way, they have done this with FOUR different head coaches in the time that KF has been at the helm in Iowa City.....you know, to help balance the narrative of those who insist that only bad things will happen in a coaching change.

Just a little food for thought.

 

[kceasthawk]

And you've hit upon the absolutely most critical factor that all of us (fans who pay the bills, administrators who run the operations, coaches and players who execute the program) should be most concerned about. It's not merely that we have fallen behind Wisconsin in the standings this season. The MUCH bigger and more pressing problem is that we are falling further and further behind them in overall program stature and achievement. While we have our occasional exceptional season mixed in with several of our typical 7-win years, they have ascended to a yearly conference championship contender and borderline national elite program.

And oh by the way, they have done this with FOUR different head coaches in the time that KF has been at the helm in Iowa City.....you know, to help balance the narrative of those who insist that only bad things will happen in a coaching change.

Just a little food for thought.

True enough, but what they've also done is kept the architect of their rise in place. Barry runs the program in Wisky and has maintained that stability.

 

[cecilB]

And you've hit upon the absolutely most critical factor that all of us (fans who pay the bills, administrators who run the operations, coaches and players who execute the program) should be most concerned about. It's not merely that we have fallen behind Wisconsin in the standings this season. The MUCH bigger and more pressing problem is that we are falling further and further behind them in overall program stature and achievement. While we have our occasional exceptional season mixed in with several of our typical 7-win years, they have ascended to a yearly conference championship contender and borderline national elite program.

And oh by the way, they have done this with FOUR different head coaches in the time that KF has been at the helm in Iowa City.....you know, to help balance the narrative of those who insist that only bad things will happen in a coaching change.

Just a little food for thought.

Tv pays the bills.