Iowa's Better Than You Think

The Hawkeyes moved into the top 10 of the AP Polls today.  But they are not really being talked about for all of the right reasons.  And they aren’t nearly being talked about enough.  But, the truth is, Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes are 7-0, and right in the race for a birth in the College Football Playoff.

But, all the nation is talking about is the Hawkeyes schedule.   Nothing they have control over. Not how they have clawed to a perfect start, nothing about that.  Just their schedule.  How they haven’t played anybody.  But, they are completely incorrect and have no idea what they are talking about.   According to Hawkeye Nation’s Jon Miller, through the first eight weeks of the college football season, the Hawkeyes have had a tougher schedule than many of the other undefeateds in the whole FBS.  Teams such as TCU, Baylor, Ohio State, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Memphis and Toledo. 

Now, I know that Iowa’s second half of the season is easy, and they will be favored in the rest of the games they’ll play in the regular season, and in some, such as this weekend’s game against the Maryland Terrapins at Kinnick by seventeen at the time I was writing this.  But, you can’t question the games they have played up to this point in time.  In fact, Iowa and Alabama are the only two teams in the whole entire FBS to win on the road against two AP Top 25 ranked teams.  Of course, Wisconsin and Northwestern are no longer ranked, but both are receiving votes to become ranked.  But, the two teams Alabama have beaten?  Both fallen out of the rankings, and Georgia isn’t close to being ranked, and  Texas A&M is 26^th.  So, the Hawkeyes might just have the best road resume in the entire nation.

The Hawkeyes played a tougher non-conference portion than some of those teams as well.  They steamrolled a top FCS program in Illinois State, went on the road and beat rival Iowa State, beat now number 23 ranked Pittsburgh at home on a last play 57 yard field goal by Marshall Koehn, and destroyed probably the worst FBS team, who also got beat 66-7 by FCS Portland State, who might not even make it to the FCS Playoffs, and also fired their coach after that game, but I digress.  But who did the Baylor Bears play?

They went at SMU, Lamar, Rice.  That’s it.  That was their non-conference schedule.  Art Briles always does this, and it is pathetic.  But, nobody talks about that.  Or, that they are yet to play anybody with a winning record in the Big 12 or a good defense.  Let’s not forget about the SEC’s top teams.  LSU played Eastern Michigan, an awful FBS team, Western Kentucky, a good Group of Five team, and a cancelled game against a good FCS team in McNeese State.  Alabama has played Wisconsin in a neutral site Texas game, Middle Tennessee State, a bad Louisiana-Monroe team, and will play Charleston Southern in a few weeks.

People don’t give credit either to the toughness and scrappiness of this team.  They are not the most talented team, and they have had a huge sum of injuries.  Drew Ott is out for the season with a Torn ACL, LeShun Daniels has been hurt since the Iowa State game, Jake Duzey hasn’t played all year yet, and the hope is he will be back very soon.  Quarterback C.J Beathard hasn’t been healthy is weeks, Tevaun Smith was out for a few weeks, Ike Boettger and Boone Myers have been hurt on the offensive line, Jordan Canzeri might be out for a while after getting hurt in the first quarter of the Northwestern game.  The Hawkeyes were down to their third and fourth string running backs, Akrum Wadley and Derrick Mitchell, and Wadley ran for four touchdowns. 

They also boast one of the top rush defenses in the nation, allowing only one rushing touchdown all season, and their defense is overall one of the top units in the nation.  So people need to quiet when they say they don’t have a great defense.

Their remaining schedule is favorable, and “Embarrassing” to some people at ESPN.  It’s Maryland, @ Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue, and @Nebraska.  Being in the West of the Big Ten helps Iowa a lot, so they play more of those 1-6 Purdue teams instead of Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State.  Their East opponents in Maryland and Indiana are pretty favorable.   So, the nation should be be prepared for Iowa being 11-0 going into the Nebraska game, with the West crown locked up.  With a win, would be 12-0 going into a showdown with the Michigan State-Ohio State game.  So probably Ohio State.  America should be ready.  If they win that game, Iowa’s in the College Football Playoff.  Their schedule won’t matter.  Deal with it.