Ranking Iowa's football games 1 through 12

Harry · August 29, 2015

Last year, I had a countdown.

I ranked the games on Iowa’s football schedule by how much I was looking forward to them, 12 through 1. It took 12 posts, 12 days. That was smart of me. Or not. Don’t look back in anger.

My 12-through-1 last year: 12. Ball State, 11. at Purdue, 10. Northern Iowa, 9. Iowa State, 8. Indiana, 7. at Illinois, 6. at Pittsburgh, 5. at Minnesota, 4. Northwestern, 3. at Maryland, 2. Nebraska, 1. Wisconsin.

I was right about No. 1 and 2, anyway. The Wisconsin-Iowa game, a 26-24 Badgers win in Iowa City, was the game of the year. And Nebraska’s 37-34 overtime victory over the Hawkeyes the following Friday in Kinnick Stadium was No. 2.

What would you have said was the third-most interesting game Iowa played last season, assuming you agreed with the first two? The 17-13 squeaker over Ball State? The 24-20 comeback win at Pitt? Something else?

This year I’ll knock it all off in this one post, and you can tell me how wrong I am. Just like Iowa State fans did last August when I said the ISU-Iowa game didn’t grab me. They were right. The game bore no resemblance to a classic, but Iowa State’s 20-17 win was definitely interesting.

So let’s do this from 12 to 1 this year in one swoop.

12. North Texas (Sept. 26 in Iowa City): The only hook is it’s the return of former Iowa player/assistant coach and former Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney.

McCarney got the Mean Green to a bowl win two seasons ago, then they dipped to 4-8 last season. They are 5-20 in road games under McCarney and 1-6 against teams from Power Five conferences. This should be Iowa’s easiest win, but I said the same thing about Ball State last year.

read more: http://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/ranking-iowas-football-games-1-through-12-20150827

North Texas Shep · August 29, 2015

Bring it Herky (name of the Iowa mascot). I hate reading about how the Mean Green will be a push over. Most years we have not proved we deserve different, but these players are working hard and I can only hope it translates to quality play this year.

Edited August 29, 2015 by North Texas Shep

foutsrouts · August 29, 2015

Bring it Herky (name of the Iowa mascot). I hate reading about how the Mean Green will be a push over. Most years we have not proved we deserve different, but these players are working hard and I can only hope it translates to quality play this year.

I agree. Even many on this board have been taking in the pundits negativity by saying that we're going to be really bad. I'm not so sure about that, and we'll obviously know a lot more by the end of the Rice game. 4-8 is behind us and it's a new season.