By Jordan Hansen
With just two games left in the regular season, the Iowa football team finds itself in a rather interesting position.
Right now the Hawkeyes are 6-4 and bowl eligible. They have two games left, one at Illinois this weekend and another against Nebraska on Black Friday. After Iowa beat Michigan, those games look quite a bit more winnable than they did a week ago.
“The whole key is to move forward,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said during Tuesday’s press conference. “It’s going to be the same thing this week, probably a bigger challenge in some ways. Last week, our guys are out there every day. And last week, I’m sure they were hearing some negativity, just guessing they were; now, it’s just the opposite.”
It’s incredible how quickly things can shift. Estimates on the score for the Iowa-Michigan game favored the Wolverines. Heavily. The betting line before the game had Iowa as the biggest underdog it has been at home since 1999.
And yet, placekicker Keith Duncan booted a 33-yard last-second field goal, and suddenly the outlook on the entire season has shifted. Following the Hawkeyes’ loss to Wisconsin, things looked fairly bleak and a game against Illinois seemed to be the place where they could get bowl-eligible.
Now, it’s a game that is only about improving Iowa’s chances at a better bowl. The narratives for this season are nothing short of incredible in how quickly they’ve shifted. It’s fascinating.
Of course, it doesn’t affect the team at all. Or at least so they claim.
“Like we did after Penn State, we’ve got to put it behind us,” Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard said. “That was a tough loss, this is a big win, but it’s got to go behind us as well.”
Any sports team is going to want to minimize distractions, of course. The massive, emotionally charged win over Michigan provides some, but there is a confidence around the team that it will not be an issue.
Going on a little winning streak to end the season would calm a lot of the Iowa faithful, many of whom have been disappointed with how the season has gone. If the Hawkeyes would manage to win out, they would be 8-4. Not a bad season under any circumstances.
This, of course, would include a win over a pretty good Nebraska team and likely a decent Power 5 team in a bowl game.
But that’s all down the road.
Right now, Iowa would be foolish to overlook the Illini. It’s Senior Day, and quarterback Wes Lunt will get one more shot at taking down the Hawkeyes. Illinois head coach Lovie Smith hasn’t had the best first season at the helm of the program, and a big home win would take more than a little sting out of the season.
Despite its 3-7 record, the Illini have some solid players and could make things tough for the Hawkeyes. They were last year, and that’s given them no reason to think it’s going to be any different this season.
“You can’t take any team in the Big Ten lightly,” Iowa middle linebacker Josey Jewell said. “Anything can happen. So, we’ve just got to stay focused and understand what’s at hand here.”
Follow @JordyHansen for Iowa football news, updates, and analysis.
