Looks like Iowa wants to be there

Submitted by freelion on January 1st, 2019 at 1:21 PM

Seems to translate to better results on the field. Players are jumping around and excited - not standing around looking lost.

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BuckeyeChuck

January 1st, 2019 at 3:56 PM ^

The Iowa program has different expectations for itself than the Michigan program has for itself. An 8-4 season with a New Year's Day bowl win is a successful season for Iowa.

Iowa might have a 10+ win team for a season (or consecutive seasons) every 5-7 years...they'll occasionally dip to a 6 win team before bouncing back to norm.

From Iowa's perspective, they had a lot to play for today...heck, they were in a NYD game! But Michigan's expectations are for the playoff, or at minimum the Rose Bowl. When that expectation appears within reach and then downgraded, I can understand their motivation being downgraded too. Add in a couple key players sitting out (which confirms that the game is viewed as superfluous) and you get the recipe for a team not "up" for its bowl game.

We see it in bowl season every year. This year Michigan was among the teams who had little motivation to play in the bowl game they were in. Iowa, by comparison, was playing to validate their season by beating an SEC school on NYD. Of course Iowa wanted to be there.

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MadMatt

January 1st, 2019 at 4:16 PM ^

Penn State just pulled to within 6 points of Kentucky after being down 20.  They may or may not come all the way back, but it's amazing what you might accomplish if you trust your QB to make plays. And, to freshmen receivers!

The ESPN announcers have been fellatiating UK all game. It'd be amusing to see them eat their words.

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LV Sports Bettor

January 1st, 2019 at 4:49 PM ^

exactly.......so easy to spin things AFTER the fact. 

Also why can't a team want to be there and still get beat badly? That's possible but no one ever suggest that happens.

If it was all about which teams wanted it more we'd have lot more upsets in sports. You can want it more than anything and still get blown out if you don't play well. 

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matty blue

January 1st, 2019 at 5:39 PM ^

simple - if you start from the premise that the team doesn't want to be there, or that they've given up, or the offensive scheme is too conservative, or the offensive scheme is too aggressive, or the goddamned moon was too full, and it truly doesn't matter what premise is - then literally every thing that happens is proof of that fact.

including iowa coming back from down 20, or iowa spotting someone 20 in the second half.

we're fucking arguing with bots.

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YouRFree

January 1st, 2019 at 4:37 PM ^

IOWA, Wisky, PSU, OSU usually have good showing in bowl games. Michigan, not too much in the past decade. I don't know what's going on, maybe the expectation is too high, and the team is deflated after the defeat in the GAME each year. The only exception is Hoke's sugar bowl appearance and JH's first year. The FSU orange bowl game was not that bad either. 

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