How important is the Iowa game?

**maintain242001** · 09-07-2009, 09:09 AM

the ISU game isnt that important to me...it shouldnt be for you either. Just like in basketball...its your conference record that sets you up for bowl games/NCAA tournament. I'd drop the ISU game every year if it meant Iowa could take a run at the Big 10 Championship

**IceCyIce** · 09-07-2009, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by maintain242001

the ISU game isnt that important to me...it shouldnt be for you either. Just like in basketball...its your conference record that sets you up for bowl games/NCAA tournament. I'd drop the ISU game every year if it meant Iowa could take a run at the Big 10 Championship

That works for me. I'd take the win every year. This is a big game for all of the reasons mentioned. We have a chance to make this one of the more successfull seasons we've had in a long time. Granted the schedule is set up for success. With that said we need to do our job and take advantage of it and go to a bowl. This could push a couple recruits our way that will help us in the future. The next two years schedule is insane. We need every win that we can and this being at the Jack is a must win for ISU. I think the only home loss we take this year is OKST. Scrounge out wins at A&M and Kent St and were bowling.

**BigLame** · 09-07-2009, 10:22 AM

From 2-10 to 10-2, now that sounds good.

Seriously, every game is big this season, starting with our home field.

The next 2 seasons we add an equal opponent in addition to Iowa (UNI), 2 superior opponents (Texas Tech & Utah), and then 2 far superior ones in OU and Texas.

We need to build this season and into the future. We should have some sense of urgency. Do you think the players enjoyed last year? There is something to say about having fun, even at the D1 level.

Let's just hope our front 7 equals UNI's effort last week - the heck with that, call it UNI's entire team. You could just see who wanted it more. That's what it will come down to, who will be the nastiest and want it more. BYU (their D in particular) definitely looked like they wanted it more, even before Bradford's injury.

**superfan** · 09-07-2009, 10:31 AM

I can't believe someone said what I was thinking, and furthermore, I'm shocked it was a Hawk fan.

IMO, there are eight games this season more important than the Iowa game:

Kansas State (in KC)
@Kansas
Baylor
@Nebraska
@Texas A&M
Oklahoma State
Colorado
@Missouri

and I've bolded the four most important. Kansas and Okie because they'll be ranked (I think Mizzou might be by the end of the season, as well). Nebraska because they're a national power. A&M because it'll get big publicity in Texas. I'd put Iowa as 9th in terms of importance behind those eight because they're the best team on the non-con schedule.

I don't buy the, "It's big for recruiting" statement either. Let's look at our roster and where they hail from:

Offense
QB - Ames, IA
RB - Minneapolis, MN
OL - Houston, TX
OL - Sanford, FL
OL - League City, TX
OL - Cedar Rapids, IA
OL - Rowlett, TX
TE - Simi Valley, CA (JUCO)
WR - Oklahoma City, OK
WR - Woodbridge, VA (JUCO)
WR - Austin, TX

Defense
DE - Ponca City, OK
DE - Waldorf, MD (JUCO)
DT - Dallas, TX
NT - Muscatine, IA
LB - Altoona, IA
LB - Shepherd, TX
CB - Boynton Beach, FL (JUCO)
CB - Clearwater, FL
DB - Arlington, TX
S - Iowa City, IA
S - Gainesville, FL (JUCO)

Huh. Other then Arnaud, ARob, Lamaak, Frere, Jesse Smith, and O'Connell, they're all from Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, or a JUCO. I have a feeling the Iowa State-Iowa game doesn't mean as much to those players coming in as the exposure that would come from beating an Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kansas, Nebraska, etc. would.

Recruiting in a midwestern school without a lot of native talent in-state means being able to mine the big states (Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, California, Ohio, Illinois) for good players that slip by the big, traditional powerhouses in that state/region. Best way to mine those players is for them to have heard of us. That doesn't happen if we beat Iowa, but it DOES happen if we win in the Big XII.

**Benny34** · 09-07-2009, 11:05 AM

Very important. I want us to go bowling. That is how you get your name out there. Another perk is that you get an extra month of practice this way.

The Iowa fans keep telling me we need to stop worrying about beating them and worry about a bowl game. Guess what, Iowa is a winnable game, and this year with most people thinking we are going to come up with around 5 wins, we need to win those winnable games. Beating Iowa increases the bowl game chances in my eyes alot.