Harty: Less of Ohio State is good for Iowa
Suggestion to Iowa fans: If you ever cross paths with Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany make sure to thank him for doing your beloved football team a huge favor and make sure to protect him against Wisconsin fans.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that being in a different division than Ohio State is good for the Iowa football team and probably always will be.
It seems far less daunting to have the road to the Big Ten title game go through Lincoln, Neb., or Ann Arbor, Mich., instead of through Columbus
The fewer times you have to face Ohio State in football the better. Let Wisconsin and the Fighting Zookers from Illinois deal with the five-time defending Big Ten champion Buckeyes on a regular basis, while Iowa tries to keep pace with Nebraska, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Minnesota.
Nebraska fans will tell you that it’s only a matter of time before the Cornhuskers return to elite status, which should mean being ranked in the top-10 on a regular basis.
And while that might happen, Notre Dame fans have been saying the same thing for nearly two decades, but they have nothing to show for it besides three head coaches that were sent packing after failing to wake up the echoes.
If I’m an Iowa fan, I’ll always take my chances against Nebraska and Michigan over Ohio State with a berth to the Big Ten title game on the line, especially as long as Jim Tressel still is coaching the Buckeyes and Rich Rodriguez is coaching the Wolverines.
Iowa still will face the Buckeyes on a semi-annual basis, but now the Hawkeyes won’t have to finish above Ohio State in order to make the Big Ten title game.
That’s a wonderful thing when you stop to think about it.
So is ending the regular-season against Nebraska, which will happen in 2011 and 2012, instead of Minnesota.
Nothing against the Gophers, but it’s hard to get excited about facing a team that failed to score a single point in its last two games against Iowa.
It’s also hard to get excited about attending a game outdoors in Minneapolis in late November every other year.
Under the new arrangement, Iowa will play Minnesota in late October, or in other words, when it’s still somewhat comfortable in the Twin Cities.
The new alignment also works to Iowa’s advantage with regard to travel expenses because it’s never easy or cheap getting to Penn State or Ohio State on a regular basis. That’s true for the football team, for fans and for the media.
OK, now for the flipside.
It’s a bummer that Iowa and Wisconsin are in different divisions because now their border rivalry is on a part-time basis instead of full time. It makes you wonder if Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema will remove half of his Tigerhawk tattoo from his calf.
And how many of you tried to get excited, but couldn’t after hearing that Purdue now is Iowa’s protected rivalry?
And for that matter, how many of you know the name of Purdue’s coach, or really care that Ohio State and Michigan now could face each other twice in a season?
And finally, call me old fashioned, but it’s unfortunate that geography wasn’t used exclusively to divide the conference because not only is it easy to identify with an East vs. West mentality, it also would put Iowa and Ohio State in different divisions.
And Iowa fans know that less of Ohio State is a good thing, especially if it comes at the expense of Wisconsin.
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football
Dear Pat (or your Editor):
Semi-annual is twice per year. Bi-annual is every two years.
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Actually both semiannual and biannual mean twice a year. Biennial is the word that denotes an even occurring once every two years.
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name the divisions mich & ohio state. that seems to be the only 2 teams that matter. When did you become a fan of the hawks pat? For every article in good light that you write about them you also write 20 bad ones.
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