Risk-aversion has made Iowa a consistent 8-4 team......

[HawkeyeHoopyball]

And it also has led to not being able to take the next step and consistently win division championships. I could be wrong, but doesn't it feel like Iowa's most memorable games are when they have already played themselves out of a chance at Indy?

2016 Michigan: End Michigan's playoff hopes after being destroyed by Penn St the week prior.
2017 Ohio St: 2-3 in conference play, come out with a nothing to lose game plan and destroy a great team.
2019 Minnesota: The year Minnesota was ranked 7th, and we were coming off a loss to Wisconsin to eliminate us from West contention. Beat them 23-19 to end their playoff dreams.
2019 USC: One of Iowa's most dominating performances against a marquee name in a meaningless bowl.
2020 Wisconsin: Finally get the Wisconsin monkey off our back, but do so in a game that had no division implications.

I thought this year was different when we got our marquee victory against Penn St at a time when we still had everything to play for. In reality, that win may have actually caused us to lose the next 2 because of the coaching staffs unwillingness to be creative on the offensive end. They thought because we were winning having the 100th ranked offense in the country would be enough.

There has to be something to the fact that our biggest victories come when the season goal of winning the West is out the window. Maybe the coaching staff is a little more carefree and willing to take more chances? It is just extremely frustrating that we are likely to give away a golden opportunity at a division championship which would lead to 6 straight years of no division title in an average division. Something needs to change, but it won't.

 

[IAHUNTER]

I have never seen KF play 60 minutes of football. How can he make his player

 

[red/green hawk]

the coaching staffs unwillingness to be creative on the offensive end.

Unwillingness? I'd chalk it up to incompetence. They just plain suck. BF does not know what he's doing. I think he thinks he's playing chess while his opponent is playing checkers when in reality it's the exact opposite. He "set up" the Ragaini TD against the Pedos and he thinks his superior intellect is doing that every game. He's just waiting for the opportunity to do it again. This is not unwillingness it's just plain ole delusional incompetence.

 

[icwesthawk]

I will agree that it has made us predictable and in turn we've lost some games we should not have. 8-4 is respectable, just not sexy, that's Iowa.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

And made for qbs that play below their ability. And made Kirk abandon any qb that will willingly run. Its why it killed him to pull rudock earlier than he did.

 

[nbanflfactory]

And it also has led to not being able to take the next step and consistently win division championships. I could be wrong, but doesn't it feel like Iowa's most memorable games are when they have already played themselves out of a chance at Indy?

2016 Michigan: End Michigan's playoff hopes after being destroyed by Penn St the week prior.
2017 Ohio St: 2-3 in conference play, come out with a nothing to lose game plan and destroy a great team.
2019 Minnesota: The year Minnesota was ranked 7th, and we were coming off a loss to Wisconsin to eliminate us from West contention. Beat them 23-19 to end their playoff dreams.
2019 USC: One of Iowa's most dominating performances against a marquee name in a meaningless bowl.
2020 Wisconsin: Finally get the Wisconsin monkey off our back, but do so in a game that had no division implications.

I thought this year was different when we got our marquee victory against Penn St at a time when we still had everything to play for. In reality, that win may have actually caused us to lose the next 2 because of the coaching staffs unwillingness to be creative on the offensive end. They thought because we were winning having the 100th ranked offense in the country would be enough.

There has to be something to the fact that our biggest victories come when the season goal of winning the West is out the window. Maybe the coaching staff is a little more carefree and willing to take more chances? It is just extremely frustrating that we are likely to give away a golden opportunity at a division championship which would lead to 6 straight years of no division title in an average division. Something needs to change, but it won't.

this'll be 4 straight years with a record of better than 8-4 fyi

but yes our offense blows, we're aware

 

[Hawk-A-Doodle-Doo]

Whaddayamean risk averse!? We ran two straight fullback dives with the game (and some might argue season) on the line.

Wait.

Nevermind.