If you're a Hawkeye fan, you should know that Iowa went 0-11 in 1973, which led to the firing of head coach Frank Lauterbur. But what you may not know or remember is the schedule that 1973 team played. There was no FCS team. There was no Nevada. There was no Ball State or Northern Illinois or Arkansas State or North Texas State. Instead, here are the first three teams Iowa faced in 1973:
* Season Opener: #5 Michigan in Iowa City (31-7 loss)
* Game Two: @ #18 UCLA (55-18 loss)
* Game Three: @ #6 Penn State (28-7 loss)
And game #4 was against Arizona, a 23-20 loss in Iowa City.
KF would've had a heart attack just looking at that schedule. Start with a conference game, play two top 10 teams and a top 20 team, two on the road, and one on the West Coast . . . and then finish the nonconference slate with another P5 team . . .
If Lauterbur had played a KF nonconference schedule, it's pretty easy to imagine that 1973 Iowa team would have won at least two or three games and, perhaps, managed a win or three in the Big Ten. Instead, after being beaten up in those first four games, Iowa completed its 0-11 season with its only other close games an eight-point loss to Minnesota and a nine-point defeat to Michigan State.
So as many Iowa fans know, from 1961 to 1981, Iowa never won more games than it lost. But there were some pretty good reasons for that, beginning with the schedules. Imagine, if you can, what would have happened if KF had started this season with a schedule similar to that Lauterbur faced in 1973 or 1972 (@ #3 Ohio State, Oregon State, @ # 13 Penn State) or 1971 (@ #11 Ohio State, @ Oregon State, #12 Penn State).
Lauterbur had a terrible 3-year run in Iowa City, but it's pretty clear that he'd have done a heckuva lot better had he faced UNI, Ball State, and the like instead of top 10 and top 20 teams. Just thought I'd mention it, FWIW, since KF has played ONE top 25 team in the nonconference schedule during his entire tenure in Iowa City.
* Season Opener: #5 Michigan in Iowa City (31-7 loss)
* Game Two: @ #18 UCLA (55-18 loss)
* Game Three: @ #6 Penn State (28-7 loss)
And game #4 was against Arizona, a 23-20 loss in Iowa City.
KF would've had a heart attack just looking at that schedule. Start with a conference game, play two top 10 teams and a top 20 team, two on the road, and one on the West Coast . . . and then finish the nonconference slate with another P5 team . . .
If Lauterbur had played a KF nonconference schedule, it's pretty easy to imagine that 1973 Iowa team would have won at least two or three games and, perhaps, managed a win or three in the Big Ten. Instead, after being beaten up in those first four games, Iowa completed its 0-11 season with its only other close games an eight-point loss to Minnesota and a nine-point defeat to Michigan State.
So as many Iowa fans know, from 1961 to 1981, Iowa never won more games than it lost. But there were some pretty good reasons for that, beginning with the schedules. Imagine, if you can, what would have happened if KF had started this season with a schedule similar to that Lauterbur faced in 1973 or 1972 (@ #3 Ohio State, Oregon State, @ # 13 Penn State) or 1971 (@ #11 Ohio State, @ Oregon State, #12 Penn State).
Lauterbur had a terrible 3-year run in Iowa City, but it's pretty clear that he'd have done a heckuva lot better had he faced UNI, Ball State, and the like instead of top 10 and top 20 teams. Just thought I'd mention it, FWIW, since KF has played ONE top 25 team in the nonconference schedule during his entire tenure in Iowa City.