This Iowa story just keeps going.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz was squarely on the hot seat coming into this season, but no longer. An afterthought coming into 2015, all the Hawkeyes have done is win with defense, balance, and solid leadership under center. Game, by game, by game.
As for that hot seat? It has cooled to subterranean temperatures faster than you can say Herky.
After a win against hapless Purdue, in one of the most improbable seasons in Iowa football history, the Hawkeyes can now call themselves Big Ten West champions. That’s right, a trophy will be headed soon to a glass case near you in Iowa City. It’s time to celebrate.
Or is it?
It’s not exactly a mere footnote, and winning the division for the first time ever is definitely worth recognition, but if you have any stake in the Iowa football program, the division crown should be far from a quenching of the thirst in the desert of unfulfilled expectations from recent years past. There is much, much more still on the table, and much, much more available for a euphoric rest in the oasis.
For starters, the game coming up a day after everyone loosens their belts from copious amounts of turkey won’t be an easy one. On Nov. 27, Iowa must travel to Lincoln to take on a Nebraska team that seems to rounding into a more competitive form. The game is on the road, it’s a bit of a rivalry that has blossomed, and the ‘Huskers need a win to be completely bowl-eligible. This Nebraska team is a far cry from the teams we remember with suffocating defenses and depth to burn, but it still has enough athletes in enough spots to play with — and beat — the Hawkeyes on a good day.
Win or lose next week, there’s still one of the biggest games Iowa will ever play on Dec. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. A victory over a quality opponent in the Big Ten Championship game will have Kirk Ferentz’s team still in the discussion for inclusion in the College Football Playoff. That’s been earned by the play on the field to date this season.
To do it, complacency can’t seep into the collective psyche of the team. It would be easy to rest on the laurels of the moment, realizing that the accomplishments have far surpassed any expectations created from the outside. It would be easy to be satisfied knowing that this is one of the best seasons ever played amongst the rolling hills and cornfields surrounding Iowa City.
To make the playoff, the Black and Gold must continue to push back against external expectations, because even through the Nebraska game, there won’t be a win against a team considered to have a bevy of elite athletes. The eye test says that the Hawkeyes can’t hang with teams such as Ohio State, Alabama and Clemson. Those teams routinely bring in four- and five-star recruits, drop them in the batter, and bake away.
For Iowa, it’s an identification and development process. Ferentz has a history of getting more out of less, and he’ll still need to get more out of what he’s gotten to date, because the competition level is about to go to Defcon 5 in a hurry.
Yet there’s something about this collection of athletes that doesn’t register on recruiting gurus’ radars. You can sometimes get a collection of individuals that have a sum greater than their individual parts. There seems to be some of that going on in Iowa City, but is it to the point where this train can make it all the way into the station?
We’re about to find out.
So relish this win, Hawkeye fans. Take a moment to soak in a division title and a splash on the national scale. The team deserves at least that. That said, let it blow over like a summer storm shortly thereafter, because there’s a potential for more sunshine after those clouds roll on.
The Hawkeyes have bigger fish to fry, and next week starts the week-by-week elimination tournament to try and kick down the door to history.
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Phil Harrison is a contributor to The Student Section. He is also a the founder of Big10news.com and featured contributor to collegefootballews.com, talking10.com, and occasionally campusinsiders.com. You can follow him on twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB or email him at pharrison28@gmail.com. If that doesn’t work, you can find him in the doghouse at home.
