High expectations to test Hawkeyes in 2010
Success is something every team is after every year.
Success is something every fan wants for their team.
But what is it?
Most can probably agree that the word can hold a different meaning from team to team around the country. For example, there seems to be a canyon-sized gap between the 9-4 record Southern California posted in 2009 and the same mark put up by teams like Temple and Ole Miss.
Iowa’s 11-2 record that included an Orange Bowl victory over Georgia Tech? Most Hawkeye fans will take that just about every year.
For my money, much of what a fan feels after a season boils down to one big thing — expectations.
Let’s take a look at what most would consider the most successful season with Kirk Ferentz at the helm — 2002. Coming off of a 7-5 year that included a bowl victory made much of Hawkeye Nation optimistic that Ferentz was taking strides in the right direction. But nobody could have predicted the run his team would make the following fall.
And neither could the experts.
Most pre-season predictors had Iowa finishing in the middle of the Big Ten pack and maybe squeezing into another third-tier bowl game. Of course, Brad Banks made himself into a Heisman finalist a few months later, and it took a USC team on the verge of a dynasty to derail a nine-game win streak.
And it all fueled that optimism a little more.
So fast forward a few years to 2007 and what I would say is the worst season Ferentz has had in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes had given a loaded Texas team a run for its money at the Alamo Bowl and I don’t think it’s ridiculous to say fans were expecting some big things, especially considering the eight returning starters included all four across the defensive line and an all-Big Ten caliber running back in Albert Young. Not to mention a highly touted high school quarterback set to step in under center with three years on campus under his belt.
To say the least, it didn’t really work out.
The Hawkeyes stumbled to a 6-6 record including an excruciating 28-19 loss at home vs. Western Michigan that wiped a bowl game out of the picture. Fans were calling for Ferentz’s job and spirits were the lowest they had been in quite some time.
When August rolled around, more than 15 Hawkeyes were returning, but those were the same players that had played in six games that resulted in losses just one year ago. In addition, gigantic question marks stood at two of the most important positions on the field – quarterback and running back.
But again, few could have predicted the season that Shonn Greene would have toting the ball, and while a nine-win year certainly isn’t the best Ferentz has had, most fans were plenty satisfied considering the level of pre-season expectations.
And now here we are in 2010.
Fans are giddy — 23,502 showed up for spring practice — and the squad is a nearly consensus top-10 team without even stepping onto the field. For good reason. 2009’s 11-2 record speaks for itself and a hoard of returning starters that includes a few preseason All-Americans has most fans predicting another double-digit number to appear in the win column.
No doubt about it, expectations are high. It can be a good thing that pushes a team further than it may have normally gone. It can also set up fans, players and coaches alike for disappointments that you hope and pray to avoid.
It has been said many times that Ferentz is a perfect fit at Iowa because of his even-keel, no-nonsense approach to every season. In short, nothing is ever as bad as it seems and nothing is ever as good as it seems. The disappointments that lead to a head coach’s seat heating up can be the direct result of not meeting expectations — as Ferentz experienced in 2007.
By the same token, exceeding what fans predict can lead to the feeling that most of Iowa’s fan base has right now — the Hawkeyes have one of the best coaches in the nation.
He has become particularly adept at avoiding over-excitement, and when asked about “outside comments” at his press conference at the conclusion of spring practice, he had this to say:
So Hawkeye fans, I say to you: get excited. There’s nothing better than looking forward to each and every Saturday.
The team knows they have work to do and nothing is going to come easy. But as for us fans, we have predictions to make.
Success is something every fan wants for their team.
But what is it?
Most can probably agree that the word can hold a different meaning from team to team around the country. For example, there seems to be a canyon-sized gap between the 9-4 record Southern California posted in 2009 and the same mark put up by teams like Temple and Ole Miss.
Iowa’s 11-2 record that included an Orange Bowl victory over Georgia Tech? Most Hawkeye fans will take that just about every year.
For my money, much of what a fan feels after a season boils down to one big thing — expectations.
Let’s take a look at what most would consider the most successful season with Kirk Ferentz at the helm — 2002. Coming off of a 7-5 year that included a bowl victory made much of Hawkeye Nation optimistic that Ferentz was taking strides in the right direction. But nobody could have predicted the run his team would make the following fall.
And neither could the experts.
Most pre-season predictors had Iowa finishing in the middle of the Big Ten pack and maybe squeezing into another third-tier bowl game. Of course, Brad Banks made himself into a Heisman finalist a few months later, and it took a USC team on the verge of a dynasty to derail a nine-game win streak.
And it all fueled that optimism a little more.
So fast forward a few years to 2007 and what I would say is the worst season Ferentz has had in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes had given a loaded Texas team a run for its money at the Alamo Bowl and I don’t think it’s ridiculous to say fans were expecting some big things, especially considering the eight returning starters included all four across the defensive line and an all-Big Ten caliber running back in Albert Young. Not to mention a highly touted high school quarterback set to step in under center with three years on campus under his belt.
To say the least, it didn’t really work out.
The Hawkeyes stumbled to a 6-6 record including an excruciating 28-19 loss at home vs. Western Michigan that wiped a bowl game out of the picture. Fans were calling for Ferentz’s job and spirits were the lowest they had been in quite some time.
When August rolled around, more than 15 Hawkeyes were returning, but those were the same players that had played in six games that resulted in losses just one year ago. In addition, gigantic question marks stood at two of the most important positions on the field – quarterback and running back.
But again, few could have predicted the season that Shonn Greene would have toting the ball, and while a nine-win year certainly isn’t the best Ferentz has had, most fans were plenty satisfied considering the level of pre-season expectations.
And now here we are in 2010.
Fans are giddy — 23,502 showed up for spring practice — and the squad is a nearly consensus top-10 team without even stepping onto the field. For good reason. 2009’s 11-2 record speaks for itself and a hoard of returning starters that includes a few preseason All-Americans has most fans predicting another double-digit number to appear in the win column.
No doubt about it, expectations are high. It can be a good thing that pushes a team further than it may have normally gone. It can also set up fans, players and coaches alike for disappointments that you hope and pray to avoid.
It has been said many times that Ferentz is a perfect fit at Iowa because of his even-keel, no-nonsense approach to every season. In short, nothing is ever as bad as it seems and nothing is ever as good as it seems. The disappointments that lead to a head coach’s seat heating up can be the direct result of not meeting expectations — as Ferentz experienced in 2007.
By the same token, exceeding what fans predict can lead to the feeling that most of Iowa’s fan base has right now — the Hawkeyes have one of the best coaches in the nation.
He has become particularly adept at avoiding over-excitement, and when asked about “outside comments” at his press conference at the conclusion of spring practice, he had this to say:
This is a new season for us, new team. We know this. We have some very good players back and that will drive expectations. You know, preseason polls are a lot like recruiting ranks. They are all speculative, you know, based on recruiting rankings are based on what guys did in high school, which is the only way you can rank them. I think preseason rankings are based on your experience level, your success level and then maybe the name of your school, too. So those three things factor in.But that’s what head coaches say. Fans can’t help and shouldn’t hide their excitement because that’s what fans do. There’s no point in setting goals that aren’t going to be a challenge.
But really don’t have much to do with how we play next year and our 12 games. We have got a lot of work to do right now and to replace guys like Pat Angerer, A.J., go right down the list, we lost some really good players that really brought a lot to our program, and you know, we have got some work to do, we know that.
So you know, historically, those preseason polls outside of maybe the name brand schools, the preseason polls are usually not real accurate.
So Hawkeye fans, I say to you: get excited. There’s nothing better than looking forward to each and every Saturday.
The team knows they have work to do and nothing is going to come easy. But as for us fans, we have predictions to make.
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