Another week of college football is behind us.  Boy did it suck.  I like college football and all but I like it a lot better when the Hawks are on the field.  I wish the Big 10 would add another conference game and extend the season, instead of these stupid byes.  So I got to watch some SEC and Big 12 matchups. The Big 12 has some nice athletes but they have turned into the Pac 10, playing no defense what so ever.  The defensive mindset in the Big 12 appears to be the same one that our beloved Hawks ran at the end of the Illinois game, except in the Big 12 you just give up and let the receiver score.

It sure is nice that Iowa is going to a decent bowl this year.  I think that this team is going to destroy whatever team that they face.  They play hungry and they hit hard.  PSU and OSU appear to be BCS locks unless Boise State could sneak in over OSU.  That would be a very unlikely scenario.  So then you have MSU probably going to the Capital One Bowl with Iowa going to the Outback Bowl against South Carolina, LSU or Ole Miss.  Any of those teams would be a sweet matchup on New Year’s Day.  Who’s Northwestern?  Did we play them?

It also does not look like Shonn Greene is going to get any Heisman love, not even an invite.  Well, I guess he will just have to take it out on one of those speedy teams from the SEC.  Does anyone remember what Fred Russell did to Florida?  How bout Sam Brownlee against LSU?  Well at least the pass protection by Sam was excellent.

I use the term “nail biter” loosely.  In reality, the Iowa Hawks showed up in Minnesota firing on all cylinders.  The team we had waited to see all year long put on an exhibition for the Minneapolis crowd.

Coming off a few tough losses, the Golden Gophers have generally looked tough this season.  The Hawkeyes have looked like a team with virtually unlimited potential, but have been shaky when it came to closing out games.  Tonight they set the record straight with a 55-0 trouncing of Minnesota.

It could be argued that the Hawkeyes are the strongest four-loss team in the nation.  With their biggest loss of the year being 5 points it begs the question what if.  Are the Hawkeyes the middle-of-the-road team that lost three straight or are they the top 15 (possibly top 10) team that showed up the second half of the season?  I like to believe they are the latter.

The Hawks could have laid down after their three straight losses, but they refused.  They gave us 5 out of 6 wins to close out the season including a victory over number 3 Penn State and tonight’s punishing win over Minnesota.  The Hawks refused to throw in the towel and demonstrated they were a force to be reckoned with.

Could the Iowa Hawkeyes have had a ten win season and a top ten finish- absolutely.  The truth is they deserved it.  Do the Hawkeyes have the potential to win the Big Ten next year?  Without a doubt.  Now is not a time to consider what could have been.  It is time to savor our victories, and be proud of a team that demonstrated what it means to never give up.

Thanks to all of the Hawkeye players and coaches for hanging in there and making a season you should all be proud of.  Thank you for sending the Metrodome off with a fitting end.  The only thing that could have made the victory any sweeter would be to have seen Hawk fans carry the goal posts up the stairs one final time.  Hawkeye fans can be tough critics, but I for one could not be more proud of the heart of this year’s team.  You gave us one to remember.  Welcome home Floyd!

After a lackluster showing vs the mighty Purdue, Iowa comes out looking to prove they are worthy of a New Year’s Day bowl game.  Unfortunately, so does Minnesota.  Trying to avenge the wrongs of years past (aka Hawkeye fans attempting to take goal posts out of a dome stadium circa 2002), Minnesota defends the Metrodome’s honor in a final stand.  Gophers get disgraced in spite of poor Hawkeye coaching 27-17.  Metrodome is shamed once again.  Floyd loses pie eating contest to 3 Iowa coeds spring 09′!  Oink.

Disagree?  Forum is waiting for your responses!