Is anyone giving them credit yet? All I kept hearing was Michigan State was sooo much better than them. This Iowa team is really, really good. I just can't figure out how people can't see that.
Iowa
- Thread starter Pittx9
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Because like Notre Dame in 2012.... they are one FG away from having lost to Pitt in their home stadium.
And I suspect that Iowa in the playoffs will suffer the same fate as ND did that year.... an ass-whooping by Alabama.
I'll put it this way then. Even if MSU wins a close game, Iowa is the best team in the Big Ten. So I guess the Big Ten sucks really bad if Iowa isn't that good. Even if MSU is the best and Iowa is second best, that must mean the Big Ten sucks. Yet I saw an article the other day saying the Big Ten may be the new best conference in football. I almost thought it was an early April Fool's joke.
I would argue that.... if Iowa played in the Big Ten East instead of the Big Ten West.... they'd be 9-3 or 10-2 at best.
MSU and OSU are both better than them, in my opinion..... and Michigan is probably their equal.
But congrats to them on being 12-0 to this point, and if they win tonight, they deserve to be in the playoff. But they'll be a heavy underdog against Alabama, Clemson, or Oklahoma. I'm guessing 6 to 10 point underdog against any of those 3.
Oh yeah, they'll be underdogs for sure. It's just crazy to me if they beat Michigan State people will still say they're not as good as them. Even if it's close and they lose, that's way better than people predicted. I'm not gonna comment on OSU, but I think Iowa is remarkably better than Michigan.
MSU is a better overall team than Iowa and proved that tonight-not just by the final score but by statistical domination. Iowa this year was all about their defense, and they have the second best D I've seen in college football this year. Alabama is a clear #1 in that category and nobody else is close. That's a NFL defense right there.
Iowa DC Phil Parker will probably be a HC at a P5 school before New Year's Day.
Iowa's only really impressive win was beating NWern soundly. Besides that win their next two most impressive wins was Pitt by 3 and UW by 4. Both games could have easily gone the other way if both Pitt and UW didn't shoot themselves in the foot.
MSU dominated this game but didn't finish drives so give Iowa credit for making it an one possession game despite the yardage desperately.
I think Iowa is more on Pitt's level than Michigan but got some breaks along the way while playing a very easy schedule.
MSU dominated this game but didn't finish drives so give Iowa credit for making it an one possession game despite the yardage desperately.
I think Iowa is more on Pitt's level than Michigan but got some breaks along the way while playing a very easy schedule.
Iowa's team this year is a testament to what experience, maturity and having lots of veteran players in a program can mean. That plus a whole lot of coaching stability and continuity. Clearly the schedule in terms of the teams they didn't have to play in the B1G East div. also played a part, too.
To win12 straight also requires some good fortune, breaks and bounces of the ball. They are pretty similar to MSU right now in how they are built. Not real flashy or the kind of team that neutral observers necessarily get excited to see play. But a team that can be very difficult to beat nevertheless.
That Iowa defense was extremely impressive, especially the pass defense. That MSU offense is legit and loaded with explosive playmakers, and Iowa gave them no space to operate.. It was very tough sledding for MSU to move the ball, the toughest they've seen all year.
Pitt could hopefully resemble Iowa in a couple of years if Narduzzi works his magic.
Iowa is that program nobody wants to be... full of vets and their high water mark falls short.
The storyline of the Big 10 his how the Buckeyes choked and gagged this season away.
The storyline of the Big 10 his how the Buckeyes choked and gagged this season away.
We must have been watching different games because I totally disagree with this. Iowa's defense gave MSU fits the entire game and Iowa's Beathard is the real deal. The argument could also be made if Canzeri didn't get hurt early, Iowa may have won this going away.
I like that analysis. Although I do really think Beathard is a damn good college QB. May not ever get a shot in the pros, but damn good in college.
Ohio State has 1 good win and people think they may be the #5 team in the country. Iowa was out there murdering teams most of the year. They also played Michigan State close, while Ohio State did too, MSU was without Cook. And Cook is definitely an elite player, they are not nearly as good without him. As for Michigan, they're pretty good, but still overrated. Just because Pitt played Iowa tough in September (and still lost), doesn't mean Iowa is near Pitt level.
Have you looked at the stats? I'd say dominated is about right. Not sure if you noticed, but MSU wasn't going to give Iowa ANYTHING on the ground last night, I don't care if Barry Sanders was in their backfield--and Jordan Canzeri is no superstar, he;s just a solid FBS tailback. MSU shut Zeke Elliott and the OSU O line down, do you really think Jordan Canzeri would have made the difference? The MSU front 7 completely dominated Iowa's O-line all game, in much the same way they dominated OSU's O-line two weeks ago. No RB would have had a chance. MSU challenged Beathard to beat them, and but for one big play--and I stress ONE PLAY--he and his receivers were no threat to do so. And of course at the end, when Iowa absolutely needed a stop, MSU methodically jammed the ball down their throats 82 yards to the Iowa end zone, using the entire remaining clock to do so. The MSU O-line just absolutely owned the Iowa D on that drive.
While we're making those "if-but" arguments like your argument about Canzeri being out, here's another one--if Connor Cook was playing his usual game with a healthy throwing shoulder, MSU doesn't need the dramatic, game-winning 22 play drive to win that one.
I have been very impressed all season with the Iowa D and was again last night, particularly their secondary, but they have been a pretty pedestrian offensive team all season, MSU pushed their O line around big time last night. The better team won that game last night, make no mistake about that. Better players, better coach, better program. Not a slight to Iowa, Ferentz is a solid coach and that was the best team they've had in many years, but they weren't the better team by any measure.
The only "if" I think that is valid is that if Connor Cook plays against OSU, Michigan State wins that game running away.
On the other hand, "if" that game is played in normal weather/field conditions, I think OSU wins. That weather completely changed both teams' play-calling. MSU's Achilles heel all year has been its secondary, and neither team could even attempt to throw the ball in that monsoon they played in.
Both Coaches prepared their Players for this tough game, and the players responded, and it could have gone either way, and even the last tackle had 4 Iowa Players stopped him, but the MSU Back prevailed enough to score!
I saw a great game!
Since every game in CFB is a Zero-Sum game, where someone wins or loses, it is a shame someone loses and the winner knows it was not by much, but won to play another game again!
It did, you are right. But that is typical losing team's excuse. Michigan State played on the same field. And Ohio State did nothing all season to that point to make me think they could beat a full strength MSU. MSU was clearly at a much, much bigger disadvantage in that game. They are clearly the best team in that conference. I do think Ohio State is like THE model program for college football though. It's year in and year out that they are at 11-12 wins.
Ohio State did nothing all season to that point to make me think they could beat a full strength MSU.
How about destroying Michigan in Ann Arbor while MSU needed a once in a decade miracle to beat that same UM team?
OSU and MSU were very similar all year. They both scuffled but kept on winning. They both had their fair share of good fortune but also had some bad breaks as wel. I'm a MSU fan second only to Pitt, and I have no compunction about saying that OSU was every bit as good as MSU this year. Each team had its strengths and weaknesses, but neither was a lock to beat the other or any other top 10-15 teams. Many in the MSU camp believe that MSU was better off without Cook in that OSU game because throwing the ball was impossible, and the QBs had to be the primary ballcarriers. MSU has 2 mobile QBs behind Cook that were able to carry that load I'm not sure I buy that because Cook is such a gamer and a winner, but I see the point there. That game was a toss up under normal conditions with everyone healthy.
I think the anti-B10 bias on this board clouds a lot of posters' vision. Urban Meyer has one B10 regular season loss in 4 years-the one 2 weeks ago to MSU-and is 49-4 with a NC since he took that program over. NFL talent all over the place and the best coach in college football. They are damned good.
I actually think Ohio State is pretty much the model college football program in the country. But both teams played that game in poor weather. MSU played without Connor Cook. And let's not sell him short. He may be the best QB in the nation, he is unbelievably good. MSU's offense would've been much, much better with him. Because of that, I don't think OSU could beat MSU.
Other than that I think your analysis of OSU is spot on. I personally think Meyer IS the best coach in the nation. And that is only part of why I think they are the model program. I just did not find them impressive this year en route to beating 10 mediocre or less than teams. I am in no way saying they're not good, just not as good as the best teams out there. But that will change soon, next year they will be back with a vengeance.
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