The older I get, the more I accept and understand the notion that 'demanding more' is a fruitless mindset. I used to think there was no reason a championship couldn't be had in Iowa City. I find it easier as I get older to just enjoy having a team to watch that historically wins slightly more games than it loses. KF runs a clean ship and has an occasional exciting season. Not too bad.
Iowa football wins 60% of its games
- Thread starter General Tso
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You've surrendered........
Kind of gloomy, but yeah I get it. I've always seen Iowa as a 7-5 to 9-3 team with a few 10+ win seasons here and there. Look, does Iowa lose some games it shouldn't, most definitely, and it F'ing sucks complete ass when it happens. On the flip side Iowa certainly has more than a few wins against teams nobody gave them a chance.
That being said while I get so F'ing angry and disappointed when shit like this happens, I know we do the best we can with what we get. For some unknown reason a bunch of fans expect 10+ seasons where we reload every year with talent and whine about how we are somehow a destination school for top level coaching talent. For all Ferentz's shortcomings nobody can argue his ability to get the most out of 2 star guys, and yes, run a clean program. I'd puke if Franklin was our coach, I wouldn't trade success for respect anyday.
That being said while I get so F'ing angry and disappointed when shit like this happens, I know we do the best we can with what we get. For some unknown reason a bunch of fans expect 10+ seasons where we reload every year with talent and whine about how we are somehow a destination school for top level coaching talent. For all Ferentz's shortcomings nobody can argue his ability to get the most out of 2 star guys, and yes, run a clean program. I'd puke if Franklin was our coach, I wouldn't trade success for respect anyday.
The right coach is all it takes. Mike Dubose, Dennis Franchione, and David Shula could not get Alabama to the pinnacle. For the right amount of money, Iowa could attract any coach it wants. Iowa accepts what it has (I am not advocating for a change or staying the course). Instead, I am merely suggesting that the "Poor Old Iowa" mantra is an excuse.
Alabama kept searching until it landed "National Champ" Nick Saban. Of course, the same could be said of Clemson and their eventual hiring of Dabo Sweeney. The top players will come to Iowa City for the right coach.
Alabama kept searching until it landed "National Champ" Nick Saban. Of course, the same could be said of Clemson and their eventual hiring of Dabo Sweeney. The top players will come to Iowa City for the right coach.
Iowa will be favored in every remaining game except PSU. 10-2 looks exciting to me.
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We pay top money and have top facilities. Top fan base and one of top conferences. The settling is bull****. He wins 60% as we play no one including in the west where we dodge the eastern heavys most years. We deserve better. Save the nice guy crap. I want my coach to put a premium on competing nationally. I'm fine with losing as long as we are challenging ourselves, and constantly pushing forward. This staff settles for 8-4 yrs where we accomplish nothing other than a mirage
I hit the like button because I agree - but I do not like it.
I agree, but you are forgetting the 1-2 teams we “should” beat that we don’t in most seasons. Only once every 5 years or so do we accomplish something like 11-1. 2015 is too close in the rear view mirror, won’t be until 2020 timeframe.
Let the anger out - but realize it will not change until the university gets an administration, athletic director and boosters who expect more. The past ten years demostrates that they are quite satisfied. I personally wish it was different, but a big part of life is figuring out what you can and cannot control. I have no control over this, so I remain a cautious fan with the occasional surprise when they exceed expectations every 5 years or so.
I don't need every year to be 2009 or 2015. I know several Alabama fans. It's almost getting boring for them at this point.
What I miss are the teams/years like 2003-2004. Rosters of confident playmakers who defended Kinnick and won some damn tough games. Were never in the national title picture but damn those were fun teams to watch.
What I miss are the teams/years like 2003-2004. Rosters of confident playmakers who defended Kinnick and won some damn tough games. Were never in the national title picture but damn those were fun teams to watch.
With the administration, AD, and coaching staff that we have, truly expecting to play in the CCG every year is unrealistic. But I at least think every 2 or 3 years beating Wisc and winning our division is a reasonable expectation.
Well then, in that case surrendering doesn’t appear to be that bad a strategy...
That is very reasonable. Iowa has won their division 1/8 years, assuming they don’t this year, since the B1G went to divisions. That’s simply not acceptable considering we are in the far weaker division.
And you know how many teams wish they had that success?
Are you aware we've finished in the top 10 more than Miami Fla, Michigan, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Tennessee the last 20 years?
Yup, yesterday's loss hurt but quit acting like we haven't seen a lot of success under KF. We're not the only school that has a bad season now and again. It happens to every program out there.
You have your opinion. But most realists would not agree with you. We're not in a warm climate and we're in a high population state. So even if we would get a Saban to come and coach at Iowa, we couldn't keep him if he had success and 5 start recruits wouldn't come in groves. Just my honest opinion. Don't be like Nebraska and fire your coach every 4 years because you think you are a top 5 program. (Tom Davis)
And then people like to use the “but what about Wisconsin” argument. Wisconsin’s population is almost double Iowa’s and they are the only FBS school in the state. The only state similar to Iowa, that I can think of, is Kansas. Iowa=KSU and ISU=Kansas since KF took over in 1999.
I wouldn't call it surrender, it is more like aging and going bald, you just accept it. It is what it is, and as much as we would love to be an tOSU, were just not going to be. We go through this every year, but Iowa just doesn't have enough statewide raw talent to get us there, and the stud players are not going to choose Iowa over the Blue Bloods. Look at all the States rich with talent, and you will see teams in those states that are good. Texas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan. Even Wisconsin has an advantage over us in the talent pool arena. A lot of Nebbie fans wish they would have stayed in the Big 12 because they had a much better recruiting base in Texas. We end up battling Northwestern and Wisconsin for the left over kids in Ohio, Illinois and Michigan. So, as much as we wish we could be great every year, I just don't see it happening. For those who think a coaching change would make all the difference, may I remind you to look and our hated rivals out west in Lincoln, look at the humiliating beatings they are enduring, think that cannot happen here?
We've only finished the regular season 9-3 once if I recall (03) and 8-4 has happened in 09, 13, 16 but we lost bowl games 2 of those 3. I think 7-5 is more typical. I don't know one single Iowa fan who expects 10 yr seasons like Wisconsin where we reload every yr (Wisconsin doesn't reload, they just execute better and more consistently), I think they just want to go 9-3 sometimes and with who we play most years I don't think that's unrealistic. And score more points. We have failed to score 20 in 7 of out last 10 bten games. That's pathetic and worthy of criticism. I see 8-4 this yr, 9-3 or bettter a definite possibility if we execute well. And yes, Franklin is a douche but there are examples of decent guys who do well too. Like the guy who beat us yesterday
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Do you consider 5+ losses s bad season? Good programs do and it's happened 7 of out of the past 8 seasons
In regard to Iowa's fanbase, there exists a very small yet very vocal minority that won't be happy with the program until it achieves consistent success at a level that its never had. Essentially, these fans probably aren't ever going to be happy. And that's a pretty shitty life as a fan.
And this is why Iowa will NEVER take the next step with fans like this that are ok with lots of average years!
except with KF and BF running the show it will be more like 7-5 ot 8-4 more average garbage!
You young pups will have your souls sucked enough to accept iowa football for what it is in your older years.
'We?' What number do you wear? 'My coach' what team is that? Who is your coach? You gave up following, watching and supporting Iowa football years ago. How do you even know the schedule? That's right you write it.
What I don't get are fans that go to work each day, raise their kids, take care of the lawn, and then on Saturday afternoon they go to the game or turn on the TV and "expect", or even "demand" a better football team. Based on what? How hard they yell at the TV?
Then when the Hawks lose, they say it's because of the coaches - guys that are doing everything they can to win every game. "if only we have a better coach", the Hawks could win more. Why? Why will they win more with the next coach?
Then they claim the "Hawks lose to teams they are not supposed to lose to". WTH? Every team, and every coach, works their collective asses off to win games, just like Iowa. Who knows who is supposed to win? That's why they play the games. Oh, and Iowa wasn't supposed to beat Wisky. Many of the talking heads had Wisconsin in the playoff before the season started, but then of course, they "lost a game they weren't supposed to". Does Wisky have bad coaches?
These fans also think it's "manly" to demand more. Fans that don't demand more are pussies. Does it really take much testosterone to watch football and demand that they win more? Do you demand excellence in yourself? In the company you work for? Your family?
Putting together a football program to keep at a high level is a heck-o-fa-lot harder than some folks think it is. If it's easy, why don't other schools just pony up some dough and go do it? Minnesota? Illinois? How about Tennessee? Michigan went out and got the best coach in all the land and they can't get it done.
Iowa has a very good football program. When Iowa does get a new football coach, the probability that it will get better is less than the probability it gets worse.
Then when the Hawks lose, they say it's because of the coaches - guys that are doing everything they can to win every game. "if only we have a better coach", the Hawks could win more. Why? Why will they win more with the next coach?
Then they claim the "Hawks lose to teams they are not supposed to lose to". WTH? Every team, and every coach, works their collective asses off to win games, just like Iowa. Who knows who is supposed to win? That's why they play the games. Oh, and Iowa wasn't supposed to beat Wisky. Many of the talking heads had Wisconsin in the playoff before the season started, but then of course, they "lost a game they weren't supposed to". Does Wisky have bad coaches?
These fans also think it's "manly" to demand more. Fans that don't demand more are pussies. Does it really take much testosterone to watch football and demand that they win more? Do you demand excellence in yourself? In the company you work for? Your family?
Putting together a football program to keep at a high level is a heck-o-fa-lot harder than some folks think it is. If it's easy, why don't other schools just pony up some dough and go do it? Minnesota? Illinois? How about Tennessee? Michigan went out and got the best coach in all the land and they can't get it done.
Iowa has a very good football program. When Iowa does get a new football coach, the probability that it will get better is less than the probability it gets worse.
The programs you mentioned have not accepted mediocrity and continued to search to find the right fit. Yes, some have been coaching turnstiles, but they are willing to find the best. Iowa is content.
KF averages 7.5 wins a year but I think this year, and going forward, his teams will trend above that. A lot has changed in the last couple years.
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