Tough game tonight. It really could have gone either way and the kids played their hearts out. Obviously, lots to be proud of and there is still work to be done this year in a great bowl game against a great opponent.
Having said that, the sick feeling I have in the pit of my stomach is that this may have been the greatest opportunity in the program's history and now it is past us. Ferentz has been a great coach and these seasons that come out of nowhere like 2002, 2004, 2009 and this year are euphoric. What he hasn't been able to pull off as of yet is a way to leverage the success of a season like this into even bigger things in the future. There seems to be a general pattern of an outstanding season that comes out of left field, followed by a decent season that does not live up to expectations and then 3-5 years of mediocrity.
Granted, we are not OSU or Alabama. However, it seems like Dantonio continues to build off his program's recent success year after year of his tenure (2012 aside). That has compounded to the point where a traditionally middle of the pack BIG program is now a serious contender for a national title.
If MSU can pull that off, why not Iowa? How can a program like Iowa leverage a year like this to get to that next tier and sustain a level of consistency that we have not seen as of yet and potentially build to the point we can seriously contend for a NC?
Having said that, the sick feeling I have in the pit of my stomach is that this may have been the greatest opportunity in the program's history and now it is past us. Ferentz has been a great coach and these seasons that come out of nowhere like 2002, 2004, 2009 and this year are euphoric. What he hasn't been able to pull off as of yet is a way to leverage the success of a season like this into even bigger things in the future. There seems to be a general pattern of an outstanding season that comes out of left field, followed by a decent season that does not live up to expectations and then 3-5 years of mediocrity.
Granted, we are not OSU or Alabama. However, it seems like Dantonio continues to build off his program's recent success year after year of his tenure (2012 aside). That has compounded to the point where a traditionally middle of the pack BIG program is now a serious contender for a national title.
If MSU can pull that off, why not Iowa? How can a program like Iowa leverage a year like this to get to that next tier and sustain a level of consistency that we have not seen as of yet and potentially build to the point we can seriously contend for a NC?