Iowa vs. Wisconsin (A 10 year comparison)

[spbc7]

O$U subsequently vacated all wins from the 2010 season.

2011 was the year the Big Ten made more headlines off the field. Ped St somehow mustered up a 6-2 Big Ten record while dealing with the Sandusky stuff (remember JoePa was fired late in season). We don't know what that season could have been for Ped St had there not been that whole child touchy-touchy stuff going on. 2011 was the gap year between Tresell-ball and Urban Meyer when Luke Fickell was handed the keys to the kingdom. O$U went 3-5 in conference that year.

My point is Whisky took advantage while the other premier teams in the then Leaders division went haywire. 2012 Wisky made it again despite a worse record than O$U. O$U had a post season bowl ban, not to mention ended up having to vacate all wins from the 2010 season.

I'm still confused as to what you believe was wrong with the 2010 season. Neither PSU nor OSU were facing any sort of sanctions before or during the season. Vacating wins after the fact changes nothing.

Nobody knows how 2011 would've played out, but it's not as if MSU and Wisky were any less talented than PSU and OSU were that year. One could easily argue that they were more talented.

2012 Wisky benefited greatly, no doubt about that.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Figured I'd pile on with some head-to-head stats as well:

Overall: 3-5
Home: 1-4
Away: 2-1

2007- #7 Wisconsin 17, Iowa 13
2008- Iowa 38, Wisconsin 16
2009- #11 Iowa 20, Wisconsin 10
2010- #10 Wisconsin 31, #13 Iowa 30
2013- #22 Wisconsin 28, Iowa 9
2014- #14 Wisconsin 26, Iowa 24
2015- Iowa 10, #19 Wisconsin 6
2016- #10 Wisconsin 17, Iowa 9

Fun fact- I'm gonna try to look up if Wisconsin has ever beaten a higher ranked Iowa team (at the time of the game), or won an unranked vs ranked game against Iowa.........but at first glance, I don't believe they've ever done that and if they ever had, it will have been decades since the last time they did.

Wisconsin hasn't won a game against Iowa while unranked since 2001. Iowa has won 3 times since then while unranked, two of which were against ranked Wisconsin teams.....


Game notes/excuses:
- Paul Cheney Jr. nearly came up with a diving 4th down catch that would've put Iowa deep in Wisconsin territory. This was also the infamous fumbling the ball forward game and where Bielema took a shot at Iowa saying "We play 4 qtrs of football at Wisconsin."

- Shonn Greene pwning noobs.....nuff said

- Vintage Iowa win under Kirk. Battle close all game, until the offense finally comes around and the defense gets stronger and takes control as the game goes on...........sigh.

- At least it was the Big Ten Game of the Year..............................................nope, nope. F*** this game.

- This was a 14-9 ball game with under 4 minutes to go. Iowa's offense just couldn't get out of its own way. You'll hear this again in a minute.

- Failed 2 pt conversions kept Iowa from making an improbable comeback....that and the current trend of Iowa's defense faltering late when they need stops. More often than not (not always as you'll see below), this has become the norm in big games against equal or better competition.

- Iowa's defense wins a rare game when they have the lead late and absolutely need a stop against a very good opponent (and not just some below average team trying to pull an upset like Minnesota or Rutgers last year). Ben Neimann was in the vicinity of the Badger WR who wasn't on the same page as their QB and would've easily had the 1st down had he caught it. Neimann would've just been there to make sure he was tackled once he crossed the line to gain (because that's why our defense suffers), but they were saved by the errant throw, much like Northwestern was saved when Fant dropped an easy pass that would've been a 1st down.

- I said look for this below. This was an even worse display of utterly not being able to get the f*** out of their own way. The constant lack of execution on plays that were there to be made and the kicker was on our final possession we had a clear opportunity to run the kick return back for a touchdown and a 2 on 1 blocking advantage and neither guy laid a finger on the would-be tackler despite forming a wall in front of the returner to block him..........That was the definition of getting in your own f***ing way. Iowa settles for a field goal and fails at the onside kick. Game over.

 

[93hawkeye]

Two major constants: KF has been Iowa's Head coach those 10 years. Barry A has been Wisky's AD for those 10 years

 

[ichawk24]

The trolls really come out after losses. See you after the OSU game.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Two major constants: KF has been Iowa's Head coach those 10 years. Barry A has been Wisky's AD for those 10 years

Not that it matters but Kirk was 4-3 against Barry, winning the last 4.

 

[hawkfeever]

Irrelevant.

Irrelevant.

 

[hawkfeever]

I would add coach's salary. Paul Chryst makes significantly less than Ferentz.

Sadly, coaching salary is about the only thing Iowa-football related that is making the Top 15 these days. Here's a link for those interested: http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/

Why does that matter? Because it shows Iowa could go out and get more bang for their buck if they wanted to.

I will say, though, that the comparison isn't completely apples to apples. Wisconsin produces way more D1 level recruits than the state of Iowa does and doesn't have another in-state D1 program to compete with. With that said, as others have pointed out, Barry Alvarez has flat out got it done at Wisconsin and has established an expectation of excellence. Not the case at Iowa. And truth be told, until someone brings a more exciting brand of football to Iowa City, recruiting will continue to be subpar, which IMHO has a lot to do with Iowa's consistent mediocrity.

So how smart is Chryst in negotiating? Seems he better hit up Barry.

 

[hawkfeever]

It's a 10 year comparison! WTF else could you possibly be waiting for?

Why not 3 year comparison. More recent. Did 10 fit your story better? .............. irrelevant

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

So how smart is Chryst in negotiating? Seems he better hit up Barry.

Not sure how smart Chryst is or isn't, but it seems Alvarez does not like to overpay his coaches. Just a wild stab in the dark, but perhaps that's part of the reason Bielema left and then Andersen shortly after him. Again, I don't know, just guessing, but perhaps both Bielema and Andersen came into Barry's office at one point and were like..."Uh, yeah, so I'm winning more than the Iowa coach, and he's making double my salary." Barry likely gave them the "Cool story, bro" response then told them they weren't getting a pay raise. Who knows. What we do know is none of Wisconsin's football coaches have ever had a salary close to $3 million.

Here's an interesting article on the subject linked below.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...-chryst-barry-alvarez-gary-andersen/73546334/

 

[ScoutRefugee]

Why not 3 year comparison. More recent. Did 10 fit your story better? .............. irrelevant

It's not my story. The OP chose a 10 year period. I could do it for KF's entire 19 year tenure, if you like? I think you'll find 2 entirely different trajectories. Care to place a wager?

 

[ScoutRefugee]

Irrelevant.

You're a real Kirksucker, aren't you?

 

[ScoutRefugee]

Kirk Ferentz's record at Iowa is 139 - 95 (1999 - present)
84 - 67 BIG conference record with 2 BIG titles (last BIG title was 2004)
5 seasons of 10 or more wins.
6 - 8 record in Bowl Games.

Wisconsin's record over the same period is 174 - 69. (1999 to present)
98 - 51 BIG conference record with 4 BIG titles (last BIG title was 2012)
9 seasons of 10 or more wins.
9 - 8 in Bowl games.

 

[laidbackdude2011]

Wisky has smoked Iowa during the last decade. No comparison. They consistently are nationally respectable. Honestly Wisky is the face of the Big 10 West. Not Iowa and not Nebby. It’s a shame considering we have a coach who’s been here for 16 years and persistently is mediocre at best

 

[speed4power]

Avg. Big Ten recruiting ranking finish

Iowa - 7.82
Wisconsin - 7.09

That recruiting ranking shocks me. I would have thought Wisconsin would be higher than that. It's also pathetic that we don't rank higher as well.

 

[Carlton]

Not sure how smart Chryst is or isn't, but it seems Alvarez does not like to overpay his coaches. Just a wild stab in the dark, but perhaps that's part of the reason Bielema left and then Andersen shortly after him. Again, I don't know, just guessing, but perhaps both Bielema and Andersen came into Barry's office at one point and were like..."Uh, yeah, so I'm winning more than the Iowa coach, and he's making double my salary." Barry likely gave them the "Cool story, bro" response then told them they weren't getting a pay raise. Who knows. What we do know is none of Wisconsin's football coaches have ever had a salary close to $3 million....

Reasonable guess BNG but it was not about HC salaries in either case. BB complained about assistant coach salaries but he has proved to be hard to work for. BB left for a number of reasons which I am not going into.
Anderson left for other reasons, with only one common one, that neither of their spouses liked living in Madison. I don't think coach Anderson's wife wanted to leave the west ( and didn't as a practical matter) while Mrs. B wanted to head south for other reasons.

 

[doughuddl2]

Head Coaches -

Iowa - 1
Wisconsin - 3

Overall record -

Iowa - 84-52
Wisconsin - 103-37

10 win seasons -

Iowa - 2
Wisconsin - 6

Big Ten Championships -

Iowa - 0
Wisconsin - 3

Avg. strength of schedule ranking

Iowa - 46
Wisconsin - 33

Avg. Big Ten recruiting ranking finish

Iowa - 7.82
Wisconsin - 7.09

What do we do to get back on track? The Wisconsin program has taken the next step and is now routinely considered a premier football program, whereas Iowa is stuck in the conversation with the Minnesota's and Northwestern's of college football.
It's also noteworthy that the "You don't remember the 70's crowd" doesn't mention the carousel at UW, or the times where a new coach actually rejuvenated a stale/struggling program.
It's time to move on, Kirk.

Could you also do an Iowa vs Purdue and Indiana and Illinois and Minnesota.
Thanks in advance.

 

[ScoutRefugee]

Could you also do an Iowa vs Purdue and Indiana and Illinois and Minnesota.
Thanks in advance.

And an Iowa vs OSU, MSU, PSU, NW and MICH. Thanks in advance.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

And an Iowa vs OSU, MSU, PSU, NW and MICH. Thanks in advance.

Oh you guys could look it up yourselves and save someone else the time. Wouldn't even have to post it on here.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

You're a real Kirksucker, aren't you?

Careful now....

 

[ScoutRefugee]

Careful now....

It's kinda funny. Admit it.

 

[LaFlamaBlanca99]

Could you also do an Iowa vs Purdue and Indiana and Illinois and Minnesota.
Thanks in advance.

I used Wisky because they are what we want Iowa to be.
They’re also battling us for the same spot in Indy, and play a similar style of football, with roughly the same level of recruit.

 

[curtfry]

Head Coaches -

Iowa - 1
Wisconsin - 3

Overall record -

Iowa - 84-52
Wisconsin - 103-37

10 win seasons -

Iowa - 2
Wisconsin - 6

Big Ten Championships -

Iowa - 0
Wisconsin - 3

Avg. strength of schedule ranking

Iowa - 46
Wisconsin - 33

Avg. Big Ten recruiting ranking finish

Iowa - 7.82
Wisconsin - 7.09

What do we do to get back on track? The Wisconsin program has taken the next step and is now routinely considered a premier football program, whereas Iowa is stuck in the conversation with the Minnesota's and Northwestern's of college football.
It's also noteworthy that the "You don't remember the 70's crowd" doesn't mention the carousel at UW, or the times where a new coach actually rejuvenated a stale/struggling program.
It's time to move on, Kirk.

I will probably get blasted for this, but here it goes.

For two teams that recruit similarly 7-8th in BIG. Maybe the difference is in the walk-on program. Iowa has a state population of 3M and had an annoying P5 brother in Ames to share those potential walk-ons with. Wisky enjoys a population of almost 6M with no other P5 schools. Their walk ons have been really good. I know walk-ons dont make a program, but might be a small difference. I also realize you can get walk ons from outside the state, but just seems like itd be a little easier filling those holes at OL with all those in state kids begging to play at UW.

 

[the Howler]

Maybe I'd been in denial for a long time, but as I watched the first quarter of the Northwestern game last week, I admitted to myself that this Iowa team/program is just too predictable for me to endure right now. It's become a cliche, but I was feeling the Ferentz fatigue pretty good last week. Not to mention they are so obviously mediocre this year, which is what we fans get every three out of four years, i.e. 7 or 8 win seasons. (Sorry, 6-6 is not mediocre with our OOC schedule; that's just bad.)

And I knew exactly how the game was going to unfold. I saw the script in its entirety just a few minutes into the 1st quarter. I knew it'd be a nailbiter against an inferior NW team; a stagnant offense would frustrate the hell out of me, as would the pedestrian WRs and defensive backs, kick returners, etc. So, for the first time in I don't know how long, I turned off the game during halftime and didn't tune in until a few minutes left in the 4th quarter.

I felt I didn't miss much.

This year feels like every other damn year, namely 2005, or 2006, or 2007, or 2011, or 2014, or 2013, or 2016, or gasp, maybe even 2012.

Painfully predictable.

 

[Myvue]

Wisky has smoked Iowa during the last decade. No comparison. They consistently are nationally respectable. Honestly Wisky is the face of the Big 10 West. Not Iowa and not Nebby. It’s a shame considering we have a coach who’s been here for 16 years and persistently is mediocre at best

This is Ferentz 19th season and bad as ISU has been through 3 or more coaches during Ferentz tenure Ferentz finally garnered his first career winning record against the bad bad Cyclones this year at 10-9 because of losing his first four seasons while coaching against ISU.

 

[hawkedoff]

Why do people think we are similiar to Wisconsin? I truly dont get it.

They are the only d1 power.football school in a state that is bigger than iowa and produces a lot more d1 caliber players. I think I read they have more than 50 kids on their team from the state of wisconsin.

 

[VicHawkeye]

They didn't beat us for 20 years. In the 20 years since then, we've beaten them 7 times. The sun don't shine on that same ol dog's rump every day.

 

[icantfindausernamethatisntused]

Why do people think we are similiar to Wisconsin? I truly dont get it.

They are the only d1 power.football school in a state that is bigger than iowa and produces a lot more d1 caliber players. I think I read they have more than 50 kids on their team from the state of wisconsin.

Both teams try to win in the same way - they have similar offensive styles and similar defensive production. Both schools recognize that the best chance they have to win is to dominate the line of scrimmage because neither team is going to consistently bring in great WRs - the best comparative advantage the midwest has is its production of offensive and defensive linemen. Wisconsin's AD is a former Hawkeye, and their former head coach (who brought them to 3 Rose Bowls) was a Hawkeye. Both teams regularly battle each other for the same recruits, and over the past 10 years both teams have had pretty similar ranked recruiting classes (with a slight edge to Wisconsin).

You bring up a good point about Wisconsin being the only FBS team in a more densely populated state, but if you can't see similarities then you aren't looking hard enough.

 

[ScoutRefugee]

The trolls really come out after losses. See you after the OSU game.

You could see them after the MINN game.

 

[ScoutRefugee]

Why do people think we are similiar to Wisconsin? I truly dont get it.

They are the only d1 power.football school in a state that is bigger than iowa and produces a lot more d1 caliber players. I think I read they have more than 50 kids on their team from the state of wisconsin.

There are more than 50 kids on our team from the state of Iowa. Have you even bothered to look? There's 20 Iowa kids on the 2 deep depth chart for the Minnesota game alone.

 

[LeftyLarry]

I will probably get blasted for this, but here it goes.

For two teams that recruit similarly 7-8th in BIG. Maybe the difference is in the walk-on program. Iowa has a state population of 3M and had an annoying P5 brother in Ames to share those potential walk-ons with. Wisky enjoys a population of almost 6M with no other P5 schools. Their walk ons have been really good. I know walk-ons dont make a program, but might be a small difference. I also realize you can get walk ons from outside the state, but just seems like itd be a little easier filling those holes at OL with all those in state kids begging to play at UW.

last couple of seasons Ferentz has given scholies to UW walk-on candidates.

 

[MeetTheFerentz]

You could see them after the MINN game.

If Iowa drops this game to MN tomorrow, this board could very well be as ugly as it's ever been. And with good reason. Watching your team go from 12-0 to disappointing/mediocre to feeble in 3 seasons can bring out a heck of a lot of frustration.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Yes, absolutely, no doubt - Wisky has a better FB program than Iowa (and a better BB program). It's always fun to compare to the very best. And, Wisky has an excellent FB program.

Counting Alvarez, Wisky has had 4 coaches in the time since KF was hired? And they have remained excellent. Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

Anderson has been fired at Oregon St. Bielema is probably soon to follow. Both did well/excellent as Wisky. Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

Iowa has been playing football for more than 100 years, and have lots of coaches. Never has Iowa been as consistently as good as Wisky has been the last 20 years. Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

There are 14 teams in the B1G. All but 3 (PSU, Mich St, and OSU) wish that they could be as successful as Wisky. Maybe PSU and Mich St do too. Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

There are 120 - 130 teams in big boy football. All but about 5 or 6 (?) wish that they could be as successful as Wisky has in the last 20 years Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

Iowa should work hard every day to attain that kind of success. I think they do.

 

[InsaneHawk]

The trolls really come out after losses. See you after the OSU game.

Why wait for OSU, I wouldn't be surprised if they come out in droves this weekend.

 

[ScoutRefugee]

Yes, absolutely, no doubt - Wisky has a better FB program than Iowa (and a better BB program). It's always fun to compare to the very best. And, Wisky has an excellent FB program.

Counting Alvarez, Wisky has had 4 coaches in the time since KF was hired? And they have remained excellent. Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

Anderson has been fired at Oregon St. Bielema is probably soon to follow. Both did well/excellent as Wisky. Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

Iowa has been playing football for more than 100 years, and have lots of coaches. Never has Iowa been as consistently as good as Wisky has been the last 20 years. Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

There are 14 teams in the B1G. All but 3 (PSU, Mich St, and OSU) wish that they could be as successful as Wisky. Maybe PSU and Mich St do too. Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

There are 120 - 130 teams in big boy football. All but about 5 or 6 (?) wish that they could be as successful as Wisky has in the last 20 years Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

Iowa should work hard every day to attain that kind of success. I think they do.

B...A...R...R...Y A...L...V...A...R...E...Z

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Why do people think we are similiar to Wisconsin? I truly dont get it.

They are the only d1 power.football school in a state that is bigger than iowa and produces a lot more d1 caliber players. I think I read they have more than 50 kids on their team from the state of wisconsin.

I count 57. They have only 1 player from Iowa on the roster.

 

[ScoutRefugee]

If Iowa drops this game to MN tomorrow, this board could very well be as ugly as it's ever been. And with good reason. Watching your team go from 12-0 to disappointing/mediocre to feeble in 3 seasons can bring out a heck of a lot of frustration.

I had a nightmare last night, that we lost this game. I've never been able to see the future before ...but

 

[MeetTheFerentz]

Could that mean it's more than just the coach?

Of course, it has a lot to do with the AD, and Wisconsin's has expectations of excellence for all the school's sports, including his unwillingness to dish out lifetime, big-money, guaranteed contracts to coaches who have a good season here and there, especially when there is little threat that they could leave for a better job.

I think what frustrates people the most about Wisconsin is those of us who remember us kicking the crap out of them in every sport for 20 years before BA stepped on campus. That man truly changed the culture there, even before he was the official AD. The fact that he used to be one of our own makes it sting even more.

In my opinion, and in the opinion of many others, I don't think there is any reason why Iowa shouldn't be consistently the #4/5 after the "Big 3" in the B1G, much like they were consistently the #3 after the "Big 2" pre-PSU. Wisconsin (and Michigan St, arguably) has taken that spot from us, and it's been frustrating as heck to not be able to get it back, especially while the B1G West is so down.

"Could that mean that it's more than just the coach?" Certainly. But Iowa's has commonly been referred to (fairly or unfairly) as "complacent" and a "fat cat," while Wisconsin's has never had a chance to get that way. You can't deny the possibility that the difference lies there.

 

[SconnieAlum]

Vaunted Wisconsin Managed to score a whopping 2 TDs in the first half on what might be the worst P5 team in the country. Wisconsin as a program is no better than Iowa.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Vaunted Wisconsin Managed to score a whopping 2 TDs in the first half on what might be the worst P5 team in the country. Wisconsin as a program is no better than Iowa.

You're comparing both programs off one half of football?

Since 2010, Wisconsin has had 3 different head coaches. In that time frame, they've had five seasons of winning 10 + games.

 

[biggreydogs]

That’s football. We clean of few things up and this record would have been flipped. Next 10 years with Brian, can’t wait. Makes me get all tingling inside. Roll Hawks.