Most WOULDA COULDA season?

[El Simbolo]

The thread comparing 1997 to this year got me thinking... what are the most disappointing seasons since 1979 in terms of the Hawkeyes having a legit chance for a special season, only to have modest results/record?

Ranks yours. I’ll throw out some nominees: 1984, 1997, 2005, 2010. Possibly 1986, 1990, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2016?

Some I’ve listed as “possibly” are tricky. 86 with close losses could have been conf champ caliber. 90 was awesome, but F’n Bobby Olive and MN ruined possible shot at NC. 2008 seems positive, but in retrospect if we could have won early close games could have been conf champ caliber. 2009 because of Stanzi injury.

 

[Suterman]

2010 hands down for me. After 2009 and with most guys returning I thought 2010 was potentially one of our best teams ever. They did not come close to playing to their potential. Injuries certainly played a BIG part in the disappointing season.

 

[BigOHawk]

2010...YES! 1997 with Tim and Tavian on the same team...??? Wow, how did we possibly lose 5 games.

 

[Dauminator]

The thread comparing 1997 to this year got me thinking... what are the most disappointing seasons since 1979 in terms of the Hawkeyes having a legit chance for a special season, only to have modest results/record?

Ranks yours. I’ll throw out some nominees: 1984, 1997, 2005, 2010. Possibly 1986, 1990, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2016?

Some I’ve listed as “possibly” are tricky. 86 with close losses could have been conf champ caliber. 90 was awesome, but F’n Bobby Olive and MN ruined possible shot at NC. 2008 seems positive, but in retrospect if we could have won early close games could have been conf champ caliber. 2009 because of Stanzi injury.

I guess a year like 2010 stands out more to me. 2008 did get it set straight, and 09 still ended with a BCS win.

2002, if Banks doesn't hurt his thumb . . . but does that really change anything? I don't think so.
09, I'm 100% certain if Stanzi isn't hurt we don't lose a game. We still don't get a shot at the BCS title, but we're undefeated B10 champs.
10 very close to competing for the conference again. A big wasted chance.
Of course 15 needs to be up there. Inches away from the playoff is the ultimate woulda coulda shoulda.

 

[His Hawkness]

To me it will always be the 09 season and my biggest would of is what would have happened if Shonn Greene returned for his senior season? I feel they go undefeated and have a shot at a national championship that year.

 

[ChiHawk21]

2016, 2010, 2008, in that order.

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

2010, I am embarrassed how much money I spent on OSU tickets pre season.

 

[hawkmart]

97 but mainly because that was my sr year at Iowa. After the first 4 games hopes were sky high that would be going to a bowl game somewhere other than freaking TX again.

 

[bulletproof90]

The 2010 team had the most potential of any in the Ferentz era. Returning most of the major pieces from the special 2009 season, some of them among the best we've ever had. See: PSU, Michigan, and especially MSU games as evidence of how good that team could've been.

Season was derailed by some heartbreaking losses (early season game in the desert against Arizona and against Wisconsin in Kinnick, oh and the OSU game with the 4th and 10 scramble by Pryor and then that uncalled foul on Adam Robinson) but there was something wrong with that team constitutionally for them to fold the way they did.

So for me 2010 is the most 'what could've been' kind of season.

Should also mention 2009 though for one specific reason: what if Stanzi never got hurt? Hard to believe we lost to Northwestern at home that year, seriously I can't remember much of anything about that game--my mind must've blocked all of it out it was so traumatic. Then we almost beat OSU the next week with Vandenberg (hilarious in retrospect).

 

[Suterman]

2010, I am embarrassed how much money I spent on OSU tickets pre season.

I spent, like, $3,000 to go to the Iowa vs. Arizona game. I feel your pain.

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

Ouch. I wasn't close to that. It was the first time I had ever taken my step dad to a game so I went all out on tickets. It was cold but the flyover was Awesome and they have a framed print of it at my parents house. The best part of the day was right after TP broke his first down run, you could feel the mo swinging, a guy a couple rows over got up and SCREAMED " I F*ING HATE LOSING TO THESE A**Holes" not very PC but when your watching a game with your dad we both busted out laughing. Every now and then it will come up and we still get a kick out of it.

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

Also there was a pretty good sized fight that broke out directly across from us in the stands. Those are the things you don't get on tv.

 

[EpenesaEpenesa]

I spent, like, $3,000 to go to the Iowa vs. Arizona game. I feel your pain.

I was there. Didn’t come close to spending that though. Lol

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I see people list 2010 frequently along with comments about how much talent that team had. I think people remember how they felt in July....and how much talent we had in July, then shake their heads about what coulda been. The problem is that a huge chunk of the talent we had in July didn't play the bulk of the season. We went what...8 or 9 deep in our Linebacker corps that year? I I know at one point we were third string at two positions and 2nd string at one...it may have been third string across the board. Clayborn got hurt against Wiscy and played hurt the rest of the season. We lost our defensive coordinator and went through the season a coach short. We lost one starting RB prior to the start of the season (Wegher) and another in the first or second game (Hampton). Coker started the season with a broken collarbone.

That team was snakebit and people just ignore that with the "every team has injuries" statement. This was more than your average and really concentrated at a few positions...a lot like this year.

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

The thread comparing 1997 to this year got me thinking... what are the most disappointing seasons since 1979 in terms of the Hawkeyes having a legit chance for a special season, only to have modest results/record?

Ranks yours. I’ll throw out some nominees: 1984, 1997, 2005, 2010. Possibly 1986, 1990, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2016?

Some I’ve listed as “possibly” are tricky. 86 with close losses could have been conf champ caliber. 90 was awesome, but F’n Bobby Olive and MN ruined possible shot at NC. 2008 seems positive, but in retrospect if we could have won early close games could have been conf champ caliber. 2009 because of Stanzi injury.

I missed that one, but am baffled at the high expectations some had for this season. Coming into it we had a new unproven QB, new unproven WRs, new unproven DBs, new unproven TEs, new unproven OC, and were pretty green along the DL. It's a rebuilding year with loads of youth. To refer to this season as a let down or disappointment at 6 or 7 wins doesn't make much sense.

 

[StallmanCurse]

I see people list 2010 frequently along with comments about how much talent that team had. I think people remember how they felt in July....and how much talent we had in July, then shake their heads about what coulda been. The problem is that a huge chunk of the talent we had in July didn't play the bulk of the season. We went what...8 or 9 deep in our Linebacker corps that year? I I know at one point we were third string at two positions and 2nd string at one...it may have been third string across the board. Clayborn got hurt against Wiscy and played hurt the rest of the season. We lost our defensive coordinator and went through the season a coach short. We lost one starting RB prior to the start of the season (Wegher) and another in the first or second game (Hampton). Coker started the season with a broken collarbone.

That team was snakebit and people just ignore that with the "every team has injuries" statement. This was more than your average and really concentrated at a few positions...a lot like this year.

And yet we had the lead or were tied w/5:00 to go in all five of those losses.

That stat, along with the preseason ranking, is why it's 2010 and no other season comes close. At least in context of the OP. 2002, 2009 were woulda/coulda for different reasons.

Not trying to argue w/you, HWK. More of an addition to your point.

 

[MeetTheFerentz]

1997, 2005 and 2010 were all brutal, and made 2016 very predictable.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Season was derailed by some heartbreaking losses (early season game in the desert against Arizona and against Wisconsin in Kinnick, oh and the OSU game with the 4th and 10 scramble by Pryor and then that uncalled foul on Adam Robinson) but there was something wrong with that team constitutionally for them to fold the way they did

Well said. That year (2010) was the most disappointing in my lifetime (I'm 62). There was just something off with that team. Team chemistry?

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

I see people list 2010 frequently along with comments about how much talent that team had. I think people remember how they felt in July....and how much talent we had in July, then shake their heads about what coulda been. The problem is that a huge chunk of the talent we had in July didn't play the bulk of the season. We went what...8 or 9 deep in our Linebacker corps that year? I I know at one point we were third string at two positions and 2nd string at one...it may have been third string across the board. Clayborn got hurt against Wiscy and played hurt the rest of the season. We lost our defensive coordinator and went through the season a coach short. We lost one starting RB prior to the start of the season (Wegher) and another in the first or second game (Hampton). Coker started the season with a broken collarbone.

That team was snakebit and people just ignore that with the "every team has injuries" statement. This was more than your average and really concentrated at a few positions...a lot like this year.

This thread is about "could have been".. everything you have posted is an exact reason that team "could have been".

 

[BubsFinn]

I have to go with 2009. The Stanzi injury, and the bizarre decision to play for overtime in Columbus when all we needed was a field goal, make that the biggest one for me.
Granted, we managed a BCS win, but you couldn't have hand-picked a more favorable opponent for that defense. GT was already one dimensional, and that one dimension played directly into our strength. By the second half, GT had stopped running to Clayborn's side, so they actually became 1/2 dimensional.

 

[LincolnHawkeye]

I don’t know if 2016 counts exactly because we lost a few of those games pretty handily. The topic of the thread made me think of seasons where we lost a bunch of close games, and our record was much worse than how good the team really was. Something like 1997 would work there. Even a year like 1988 would qualify since we had 3 ties and we only a one loss (11 pits) that was greater than 5 points. Actually 2001 was a close year as well, we didn’t have high expectations but we only lose one game by more than 6 points. Obviously 2008 was the quintessential year when we lost 4 games by 5 points or less and still finished strong. 2010 was another year when we had high expectations and couldn’t win the close games.

 

[MCPOHawk]

Why do Iowa fans insist on living in the past? It’s done and will not change. Move on.

 

[MITCH492]

Why do Iowa fans insist on living in the past? It’s done and will not change. Move on.

Great Post! I have authority on this.

GBR!

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

This thread is about "could have been".. everything you have posted is an exact reason that team "could have been".

Good point. I was thinking more from the bitching version of could have been. Honestly, I got really tired of the whining after that season. It sucked, but it was just crappy luck.

 

[soybean]

1991

 

[mustang_horsepower]

2003 I had pretty high hopes, and we finished very well, but I think we could have been just a one loss team... If not undefeated imo. Scores don't seem that way on the surface but that season really could of been something....

 

[hexumhawk]

2010, 2005

2008- Coaches failing to give us a chance and waiting to put Stanzi in over JC

 

[speed4power]

To me it will always be the 09 season and my biggest would of is what would have happened if Shonn Greene returned for his senior season? I feel they go undefeated and have a shot at a national championship that year.

Agree. I think we would have been favored to win a national championship had Shonn Greene come back.

 

[milehighhawkeye24]

1) 2010- Holy smokes the NFL talent on that team
2) 1997- Skill positions were great
3) 2016

 

[rchawk]

1988 hasn't been mentioned yet. Some of the preseason publications had Iowa contending for the national title. Finished 6-4-3.