ESPN says its hard to be optimistic for Iowa when you look at rest of Big Ten

[BleedGopher]

per ESPN:

But there's little question the Hawkeyes have stagnated. Since the 11-2 Orange Bowl season of 2009, they've gone 34-30.

Iowa faces another offseason of fan grumbling, just as it did after the 4-8 season in 2012. There's a quarterback controversy brewing, too, as C.J. Beathard outplayed Jake Rudock vs. Tennessee.

Remember when Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst fired Bo Pelini two days after the Huskers beat Iowa on the road? Eichorst said then that he had to evaluate were Iowa was. When you look at where the Hawkeyes are today, compared to where the rest of the Big Ten is going, it's hard to feel too optimistic.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/113810/big-ten-morning-links-99

Go Gophers!!

 

[BleedGopher]

The Gazette: ‘I don’t believe it’s going to go down the drain’

Ferentz’s contract has become fodder for national media that covers college football. It’s vacuum-sealed, bullet-proof. A buyout is feasible, but is it realistic?

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” Barta told Gazette sports columnist Mike Hlas in December. “I’ve never in the past given a coach a 10-year contract and I don’t know that I ever will again. Not because of a good or bad experience with it.

Will the contract dictate Ferentz’s future?

“I made the decision [on the deal] based on results, based on marketplace, and based on my comfort that Kirk would continue to lead us toward expectations,” Barta said. “And some years we do, and some years we don’t, and I understand there’s angst right now. But at the end of the day I’m still going to make the decision whether or not Kirk’s ability to lead the program back is strong or not regardless of the contract.”

http://thegazette.com/subject/sports/i-dont-believe-its-going-to-go-down-the-drain-20150103

Go Gophers!!

 

[EE_Gopher]

Iowa is mediocre to poor because they simply have had no recruiting wins along with AIRBHG. If Melvin Gordon keeps his commitment with Iowa, 2013 suddenly becomes a pretty darn good year. If Coker doesn't leave, things are better as well. Last year, Iowa's stars were actually there linebackers. All three graduated.

A team needs good coaching, depth, and stars. I think Iowa's coaching and depth are fine, but there isn't a star on the team. The difference between Iowa and Minnesota this year is we were the team with all three. We were definitely hurt with Andre McDonald not working out but had others like Cobb and Maxx to shine. Go look at Iowa's recruiting over the last few years. Every potential standout seems to leave.

On the other hand, they always have good enough coaching and depth to at least not end up like Illinois, Indiana, etc...