Tag: Iowa Hawkeyes (Page 7 of 7)

      Big Ten haters rejoice as Iowa knocks off Penn State

      November 8, 2008 /

      Penn State-IowaCollege football fans that didn’t want to see a Big Ten team play for a nation championship can celebrate tonight as unranked Iowa upset No. 3 Penn State 24-23 with a last second field goal.

      This all but guarantees that the Nittany Lions won’t play in the title game since they don’t face another ranked team the rest of the way. If Alabama and Texas Tech fall too, PSU still has a shot. But losing to LSU or Oklahoma State is certainly different than losing to an unranked Iowa team.

      This was obviously a devastating loss for PSU, but many pundits saw this coming. The Big Ten is so even with talent this year that it’s not surprising that a decent Hawkeyes team could knock them off in Iowa City. The good news is that with the Lions falling, there will be less controversy than if they had gone undefeated and didn’t wind up playing in the title game. The bad news is that BCS supporters will use this game as an example to say, “See – college football does have playoffs! The regular season is the playoffs!”

      But I don’t want to hear it. This was an impressive win and a great upset, but it’s still just a regular season game. If this was a playoff game, than the result still leaves me unfulfilled and I want more. I want a true playoff system.

      Getting back to the result of this game, if Alabama loses to LSU (they’re tied at 21-21 as of this post) than the Texas Tech-Oklahoma State game gets even bigger than it already is. Regardless of crappy the BCS system is, this is shaping up to be a great day in college football.

      College Football

      A road map to the BCS title game

      November 4, 2008 /

      Graham HarrellHere is who the top six BCS teams currently have left to face:

      1. *ALABAMA: at Louisiana St.; Mississippi St.; Auburn
      2. *TEXAS TECH: Oklahoma State; at Oklahoma; Baylor
      3. PENN STATE: at Iowa; Indiana; Michigan State
      4. *TEXAS: Baylor; at Kansas; Texas A&M
      5. *FLORIDA: at Vanderbilt; South Carolina; The Citadel; at Florida St.
      6. *OKLAHOMA: at Texas A&M; Texas Tech; at Oklahoma State
      *-may also play in league championship

      Just based on the remaining schedule, it looks like the title game will probably come down to the league championship weekend, which only benefits Penn State since the Big Ten doesn’t have a championship game.

      But what’s interesting is that all six of these teams have potential pitfall games that could sink them before championship weekend. ‘Bama has the toughest road to travel with LSU and Auburn still left on its schedule, while Texas Tech has two dangerous games back to back in OK State and Oklahoma, while Florida-Florida State is always interesting. Penn State and Texas have arguably the easiest schedule, although Iowa and Michigan State could catch the Nittany Lions napping.

      Something I don’t want to hear this year his how championship week is essentially a playoff. That is the most exciting week in college football, but it’s not a true playoff system and it’s a joke when BCS supporters try to pedal it as such.

      College Football

      Best and worst college football coaches for the buck

      August 14, 2008 /

      FORBES.com put together a collection of the best and worst college football coaches for the money.

      Jim Tressel
      No. 1 Most Underpaid
      Ohio State University, Buckeyes
      Conference: Big Ten
      Score: 122
      Record since 2005: 33-5 (1-2 in BCS bowl games)
      His teams have finished ranked in the top five in five of the past six years, while his $2.6 million salary was lower than eight of his peers last season.

      Pete Carroll
      No. 4 Most Underpaid
      University of Southern California, Trojans
      Conference: Pac-10
      Score: 114
      Record since 2005: 34-5 (2-1 in BCS bowl games)
      Carroll has led the Trojans to unmatched success this decade, including two national championships, yet he is 14% underpaid despite being college football’s highest earning coach at $4.4 million.

      Kirk Ferentz
      No. 1 Most Overpaid
      University of Iowa, Hawkeyes
      Conference: Big Ten
      Score: 71
      Record since 2005: 19-18 (1-2 in bowl games)
      Ferentz has posted a mediocre record over the last three seasons but still pocketed $3.4 million last year.

      Charlie Weis
      No. 3 Most Overpaid
      University of Notre Dame, Fighting Irish
      Conference: none
      Score: 84
      Record since 2005: 22-15 (0-2 in BCS bowl games)
      Last year’s three-win season–the worst for the Fighting Irish in 44 years–was the second in a 10-year contract extension for Weis, reportedly worth between $30 and $40 million over the length of the deal.

      Interesting figures. It’s hard to blame a university like Notre Dame for doling out big bucks to try and turn around the football program. At the same time, ND’s season last year was a joke and Weis had more than a few boneheaded calls.

      One thing Forbes forgot to mention about Tressel is that he’s absolutely owned Michigan during his tenure – something that means even more to Buckeye fans than finishing in the top 5 every year.

      College Football

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