He stated today, the winner of this game, if they win out is in the playoffs. He mentioned Iowa is in the playoffs if they were to finish 10-2. Still a lot left to play for.
Phil Steele comments on Iowa Wisconsin game
- Thread starter 85Bears
- Start date
Doesn't matter,.. Neither team is playoff caliber.
I don’t know about Iowa, but if Wisconsin wins Saturday you can pencil them in for the playoffs right now. Their schedule the rest of the season is Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, and they finish with Minnesota at home.
That would leave them with losses only to Notre Dame and a (currently) undefeated UCLA. A lock for the playoffs.
That would leave them with losses only to Notre Dame and a (currently) undefeated UCLA. A lock for the playoffs.
Doesn’t matter…first get into the playoffs and then let it roll from there.
I think we will need some other leagues to cannibalize themselves as the weeks go on (which should happen naturally) but I personally don’t think we are out yet.
A 10-2 big ten team is in 100%.
That being said i don't think this team has the QB to get to 10-2
That being said i don't think this team has the QB to get to 10-2
Completely agree. There's a ton of teams that already have 2 losses. I think there's probably a 3 loss team that makes it in this year. I think all of Nebraska, NW and Wisconsin win 8-9 this year. Those 3 wins will look more favorable at end of year than today. Having said that, Iowa's not winning out
The SEC has already cannibalized itself. Two teams with only 1 loss and the rest of them have 2 or more losses already. Kentucky will lose more games, IDK about Georgia. So, all but one team has 2 or more losses is great for Iowa and the Big Ten.
I think Iowa comes into this game with some piss and vinegar and beats Wisk in a slobberknocker of classic KF ball. Then we go take care of Purdon't before setting up a matchup with maybe Top 15 NW. Then of course Illinois and maybe Nebraska. Huskers could well be ranked by this point and as of now I have them upsetting OSU at home in a few weeks. There...I said it..lots to play for even with a Petras-esque QB in place in Brown.
UCLA is 5-0. I don’t see Ohio st Indiana or UCLA having 3 conference losses. Iowa isn’t going to jump any of them if they do have 2 conference losses.
not sure I would pencil in the big ten with 4 bids.
not sure I would pencil in the big ten with 4 bids.
NW is next week then Purdon't. Then Illinoing and the cornholers.
Sure, but how did it work out for Minnesota against Purdue and for Iowa against Minnesota. Wisky's schedule doesn't look daunting, BUT what things look like on paper and what happens on the field are often VERY different things. Iowa just needs to take care of business and see what happens.
But then who else does? Iowa beat itself vs. Minny. Hell, just don't line up in the neutral zone and Iowa wins 10-6 despite a horrible, awful, terrible offensive performance.
This is the most ridiculous myth in football. "They beat themselves." Why? Because of the turnovers? Guess what, that blocked punt wasn't Iowa beating themselves, that was Minnesota making a great play. Because of the fumbles? Again, that was Minney's D doing its job and forcing the ball to come loose. The interceptions? Again, great play by the Minney D and their defenders. The penalties? Minney was penalized for twice as many yards on the day as we were.
People use it when they lose to us as well. "Iowa didn't really beat us, we beat ourselves." Such a complete bullsh*t excuse with zero basis in reality. The other team made those miscues and mistakes happen with their own hard play. I'd say it to people trying to use it as an excuse for losing to us. I'll say it to Iowa fans trying to use it as an excuse for losing to someone else.
Absolute nonsense.
I hate to burst your bubble but the Wisconsin D is ranked 12th in scoring D at 15 pts per game. That's 1 more pt than Iowa that's ranked 8th.
With no run game and the lowest rated QBs it seems like an impossible task.
Not really, Michigans defense is better and we scored 20 and beat them on the road, this one’s at home.
IF Iowa wins out. It would have 2 ranked wins. One on the road. Possibly a 3rd if Nebby get's it together. So, a 10-2 Iowa team would make it in.
2 ranked wins against who? Wisconsin and Northwestern wouldn’t be ranked after they lost
It would be three ranked wins, possibly four. Michigan was ranked 18th when Iowa beat them, Wisconsin is currently ranked, NU will certainly be ranked. Nebraska could possibly be ranked.
Exactly, ranked wins as they occur not re: final standings although I'm sure there is a CFP metric vs. CFP Top 25 at the time as well.
I'm speaking for current rankings. Which are done by AP polls. Which are VERY flawed. The commission could find it a little differently. Iowa might not have a single win against a ranked team by the end of the season's poll as well. Just need a little help from our friends in the SEC to lose more games.
ESPN will use the ranked metric at the time SEC teams played each other but will dismiss it for other conferences. Mark my words, the goal is to rep the SEC and help get as many teams into the play off as possible, even with 3 or 4 “quality losses”. It’s going to happen. Iowa will be lucky to be 8-4 with another turd of an offense under KNOF.
Iowa, Wisky, NW, Minny, NE…..all play each other the last five weeks of the season so like the SEC, losses will pile up and there will be a bunch of 9-3 to 8-4 teams. The old B1G west teams aren’t good enough to be play off teams.
Who are all the teams that are so much better you have in the playoffs ? And don’t say overrated trash like tennessee
Wisconsin has a better shot at the CFP at 10-2 than Iowa would. Wisky wouldn't have any good wins but would have no bad losses.
I don't see how Iowa could get into the CFP with a terrible loss to Minnesota and their marquee win being Northwestern.
I don't see how Iowa could get into the CFP with a terrible loss to Minnesota and their marquee win being Northwestern.
They also dropped out of the polls. Can’t see them climbing up very high with what is left on schedule.
Get in playoffs and go against a team that hands ball over 4 times and lets a punt get blocked inside own 15 yard line. We could win that.
Expand it to 24 teams like they're talking and you'll have an even larger group of unqualified participants...
The excitement of an on campus home playoff game is infinitely better than any downsides.
You know Texas will make the play off regardless of losses due to Arch Manning which is a joke. LSU, Ole Miss, GA, Bama, and Kentucky from the SEC, ND as an independent, Miami from the ACC, BYU, Utah or Texas Tech from the ACC, tOSU, Indiana, UCLA, from B1G, and Boise State as the G5.
SEC will get 4 or 5, ND, ACC w/ Miami, B12 with Utah or BYU, maybe both, B1G w/ tOSU, Indy, and maybe UCLA, G5 with Boise. Then throw all the other teams ranked ahead of Iowa and tell me how Iowa has a path to the play offs? They don’t after that terrible loss at Minny. You have to go dominate a team that lost to Purdue 41-13 with 300 yards rushing two weeks earlier. Iowa had their chances but crapped it down their leg. Typical KNOF fashion. Lose most times to the heavy weights and now a bad loss to a marginal team that you have to beat if you want to be a playoff team. At this point, time for KF to retire and let Beth find the next Will Stein.
Iowa has beat two teams with winning records so far in 2026. Those two teams are a combined 2-6 in conference play.
The non conference teams are so awful they don’t even have winning records and their only wins are against bottom feeding big ten teams.
zero reason for Iowa to be ranked.
Latest
-
01
Hawkeye Report Basketball
Top takeaways from the Hawkeyes exhibition win over DII Maryville
-
02
Hawkeye Report Olympics
Iowa freshman Everest Leydecker wins Senior World title
-
03
Hawkeye Report Basketball
PHOTO GALLERY: Iowa Women's Basketball vs DII Maryville
-
04
Hawkeye Report
Game Preview: Wisconsin at Iowa
-
05
Hawkeye Report Football
The Friday Five