It was gut-wrenching. It was a train wreck. It was 8 months of hopes and expectations flushed down the drain in a heartbeat.
It also may be the best thing that could happen to this program.
And the best thing to happen to a runaway train of a fanbase that was convinced we had already passed every B1G school except the one in Columbus, Ohio.
Of course I embellish. Most are not part of that train..... but many rode it at least part way. IU was never as good as they appeared last season, and they are a lot better than they showed Saturday in Iowa City. Things just seemed to steam roll last year, starting with the miracle comeback against Penn State. We will never know how each school was affected by Covid last year. Maybe none, maybe more. We do know for the most part IU came out pretty well. They earned every win. They were prepared and expected to win.
Were they as prepared for Iowa? We thought they were. Coach Allen says they were not. Or perhaps our opponents now have our attention and are more prepared for IU than ever before.
The reality is every team is going to be more prepared than before. We are going to get the best Penn State, the best Michigan, the best Michigan State, and the best of every one. Every game, outside of Idaho and perhaps WKU, should be a dogfight. If you don't believe that after last Saturday, then you are still on that fantasy train.
Coach TA has taken this program on giant leaps, but you can't erase 35 years or so of mediocrity in just a few seasons. Recruiting is better, but still lags behind most in the B1G east. Which means depth, or quality depth, especially on the offensive line, is lacking. It's going to take a few more years.... that's the reality. Doesn't mean we can't see success in the interim. We can, but it's not going to be championships or Rose Bowls. 7-5, 8-4 seasons should be the hope and expectation. A key injury or 2 would knock that record down to 6-6 very quickly. That's the reality.
Having said this I firmly believe coach will have them prepared for Idaho and I firmly believe we will battle Cincinnati tooth and nail in front of that sellout crowd. It's time to prepare for war. Go Hoosiers!
It also may be the best thing that could happen to this program.
And the best thing to happen to a runaway train of a fanbase that was convinced we had already passed every B1G school except the one in Columbus, Ohio.
Of course I embellish. Most are not part of that train..... but many rode it at least part way. IU was never as good as they appeared last season, and they are a lot better than they showed Saturday in Iowa City. Things just seemed to steam roll last year, starting with the miracle comeback against Penn State. We will never know how each school was affected by Covid last year. Maybe none, maybe more. We do know for the most part IU came out pretty well. They earned every win. They were prepared and expected to win.
Were they as prepared for Iowa? We thought they were. Coach Allen says they were not. Or perhaps our opponents now have our attention and are more prepared for IU than ever before.
The reality is every team is going to be more prepared than before. We are going to get the best Penn State, the best Michigan, the best Michigan State, and the best of every one. Every game, outside of Idaho and perhaps WKU, should be a dogfight. If you don't believe that after last Saturday, then you are still on that fantasy train.
Coach TA has taken this program on giant leaps, but you can't erase 35 years or so of mediocrity in just a few seasons. Recruiting is better, but still lags behind most in the B1G east. Which means depth, or quality depth, especially on the offensive line, is lacking. It's going to take a few more years.... that's the reality. Doesn't mean we can't see success in the interim. We can, but it's not going to be championships or Rose Bowls. 7-5, 8-4 seasons should be the hope and expectation. A key injury or 2 would knock that record down to 6-6 very quickly. That's the reality.
Having said this I firmly believe coach will have them prepared for Idaho and I firmly believe we will battle Cincinnati tooth and nail in front of that sellout crowd. It's time to prepare for war. Go Hoosiers!