I understand what people are saying, but I don’t think Iowa is so down that it requires a rebirth. Unless your last name is Saban, it’s very rare to consistently win 9 or 10 games. Virginia Tech struggled last year. Texas has had problems the last few years. Look what happened to Auburn after Cam [...]

Although you never know how good your opponents will be from year to year, it looks like the Hawks have a favorable schedule. On the other hand, Minnesota probably feels like they got hosed with Michigan, Ohio St., Nebraska and Wisconsin.

I’m just waiting for someone to come on here and say this is all Kirk Ferentz’s fault…

I never was in favor of paying college players – they are getting a scholarship after all – but Mike’s and Le Batard’s articles point out that this has become a corrupt system. For all Jim Delaney’s highbrow talk about “academic fit,” the only reason Rutgers and Maryland were invited in was because of TV [...]

Unless the Hawks can go on a run in the Big Ten tourney, they’re probably on the outside looking in. If they had been able to pull out wins against say, MSU and at Wisconsin, they’d be above .500 in the league and would have a much better resume’. The ‘Clones were able to beat [...]

I didn’t mean any disrespect, Jay. Like a lot of Iowans, I was hoping the Cyclones would win. My point was that it seems like the big name schools get the benefit of the doubt on those calls because the perception is “they’re supposed to win.”

It seems like the traditional power, the “big name team” gets the favorable calls in a close game. Remember the ’85 Iowa – Michigan football game? Scott Helverson (I believe) caught what should have been a 1st half TD and the officials ruled him out of bounds. Everyone at that end of the field could [...]

The various Bubble Watch and Bracketology forecasts put the Cyclones in at this point and the Hawks out. If Iowa can go 3-2 in their last five games, the bubble is pretty weak; 4-1 and they have a decent shot; sweep all five (a very tall order with a game at IU) and they’re in. [...]

What?!?!? How could they? I was planning all year to go to the Forestry Workshop.

The last thirty seconds made me want to pull my hair out. There are certainly some winnable games – both home and road – left on the schedule. Hopefully they can make the game-winning plays at the end. Go Hawks!

What puzzles me is how Nebraska has not been able to regain the old rugged Blackshirt defense that was so dominant from the 70′s through the 90′s. Pelini has been there five years, so it’s not like he hasn’t had time. And Michigan won several times this year on last second miracle plays – like [...]

It’s not just the record; it’s also who you played. Some of these teams from the Sun Belt or the WAC get 8 or 9 victories and don’t play any real competition. Iowa State plays in a much tougher league. Talk about a 6-6 team that shouldn’t have been in a bowl, how about Purdue? [...]

It’s hard to argue with logic like that, Don.

Uh, Iowa never played Iowa St. when Lauterbur was coach.

Some good points on here all the way around. My point: You can have competitive fire without being a jerk. And to those who complain that Coach Ferentz shows no emotion: Remember Bud Grant, coach of the Minnesota Vikings? Took them to 4 Super Bowls. Stood calmly on the sidelines and never changed his expression.

Sorry Eric, even though the game is all about money and wins these days, some of us would like to see more class and sportsmanship. Bielema hasn’t shown much of it (like going for two when his team was ahead by 25 points near the end of the game). Look at it this way. If [...]

Oh, I love these columns because we get to compare our lists with the great Hlastradamus: 1) Nebraska – Smiling because they can win their new conference in their 2nd year. 2) Ohio State – undefeated season, but no postseason hurts. 3) Northwestern – 9 win campaigns don’t happen very often in Evanston. 4) Wisconsin [...]

My questions have always been when will it end and will it ever be enough? The projections are that each Big Ten school could get 40 million in TV money by 2017. But how soon before that’s not enough? Then what? Will some of the “lightweight” schools be asked (or told) to leave, so they [...]

For me, this is the end of the Big 10 as I know it. Your money-grab observations are dead-on, Mike. And I don’t think the conference will stop at 14 teams. It’ll look for two more to have two 8 team divisions. And then what? Maybe go to 18 by picking up some some Texas [...]

I’m hoping that Iowa can bounce back and put together a solid outing against the Boilers. Kirk Ferentz’s teams keep playing hard, but I wonder if the Boilers will keep fighting. I wouldn’t be surprised if Penn St. won in Lincoln. Nebraska has been living on the edge the last couple of weeks. Will that [...]