Iowa, team of destiny
Apropos of nothing: I disagree with all the hating on Iowa this season. Sure, they’ve been short on dominating, whistle-to-whistle wins. But you know what they’re not short on? Wins. Over good teams. Over top-25 ranked teams. Over teams with winning records. Over teams, in aggregate, better than any other undefeated teams has played. Winning ugly is still winning.
The columnati of college football seem to enjoy giving this year’s Hawkeyes nicknames (the “comeback kids” being the favorite), but I haven’t seen a lot of historical comparisons. You know who these Iowans remind me of? The Ohio State Buckeyes of 2002, aka that year’s national champions. (Sure, champs on a bullshit PI call, but whatever, champs). The sweatervestians of ‘02 seemed to win almost every game with a lucky bounce or two, but they racked up a classically lopsided win-loss total, all of one and none of the other, and they capped their season with an oh-god-they-did-it-again win over the invincible Hurricanes of Miami, Florida.
Well you know what? “Buc Hawkeyes of the Big-10 pull upset against University of Florida team, wire-to-wire #1, champion of the Big South Eastern Conference, in national championship game,” seems plausible to me. Even the QBs are similar: the ___keyes with their “I’m not sure if he’s great or terrible” guy under center, Krenzel / Stanzi, and [Florida team] with their “he’s the greatest ever!! (just won’t be in the pros)” player. Gameday thinks the road to the Rose Bowl goes through Happy Valley, but they might be right only because are were so extremely wrong: maybe Iowa isn’t a factor for the Rose Bowl because it’s going to a bigger game.
I’m not the first person to think of this.
1 day ago • 1 note
