Here's how I look at this year (so far).
Exceeded my expectations. And I'm as fair weather as it gets on this board. I thought 8-4 was reasonable if injuries and luck were normal and maybe 10-2 to 6-6 if they were abnormally good or bad. Allowing for pre-season perceived strength of other teams in that as well.
Showing mental strength we haven't seen in years. The focus in-game seems to be astronomically better.
Yes...we can asterisk the schedule somewhat - but to me, you don't have to apologize for road wins at ISU, and Wisconsin/NW especially. Pitt, UW and NU are good wins nationally no matter how you slice it (at this point).
A bit of luck too. One doesn't reasonably expect a clock zero 57 yarder to work out most times. And the backups for those injured have responded nicely - if not in some cases we've gotten pleasant surprises and newfound capabilities. Keep in mind, every team every year has a little good luck, and a little bad luck. Iowa has overcome the so-called bad luck.
So...I think Iowa has rightfully earned that 7-0. Absolutely nothing to apologize for so to speak.
It's looking forward that involves guesswork. My guesswork...
Iowa definitely has the capability to go 5-0 the rest of the way. And a person can reasonably expect them to do so, barring the obvious unforseen circumstances that may crop up. They're all winnable. And if Iowa continues to improve and maximizes their execution, they might clobber all of them.
Can they lose yet? Hail yeah. But that is no reason to place any abnormal amount of fear and loathing at that possibility.
If Iowa does go 5-0, could they get their asses kicked against OSU/MSU/UM. Hail yeah also. But, I have a lot of confindence in any 12-0 team, no matter who they have played. On paper, those 3 teams might be better than Iowa.
Games ain't played on paper thankfully.
If Iowa goes 12-1...can they get their clocks cleaned by whomever they draw in a bowl? Sure...but again, they can also win. A 12-1 team - as long as they don't get creamed Nebraska style in the B10CG is going to be pretty healthy and confident.
12-2 - I don't care how the 2 losses go, that's something to be real proud of as a fan.
I tend to not be a looking forward guy in-season...it's just good mental common sense to take this all one game at a time. That's the only "fan control" I can handle when we're talking about potentially the best season in Iowa Football History.
It's what the team hopefully is doing...I see no reason for me to be any different as a fan. I see no reason to apply any more "fan pressure" onto myself. Do I want this to be a happy ending? Heck yeah...but at 7-0 there's too many banana peels out there to really go any farther than 1 game.
Sit back and enjoy the games, my fellow Hawk fans. That's why we live this life called being a Hawkeye football fan. Every year, we get to live 12 lives, 12 dreams. And if we're fortunate, maybe we'll get the absolute priviledge to live 1, or dare I say 2 or even 3 more after that.
