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Nice win, Iowa, but it shouldn't be this difficult

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Updated Oct 31, 2009 11:15 PM ET
     
 
CFN's Instant Analysis of Iowa's 42-24 win over Indiana.

Here's an idea: Stop falling behind

It was the argument for and against former NFL star QB Jake Plummer. The comeback wins were all great, but Plummer also set the team back and needed to make the comebacks because he kept screwing up to get the team behind in the first place. Yeah, it is showing a sign of resiliency and it is showing how mentally tough Iowa is to be able to make comeback after comeback, but in the national respect department, it's hard to take the team too seriously when it takes so much work to beat so many mediocre teams. Now, the wins over Michigan State and Indiana over the last two weeks shouldn't take away from the wins over Penn State and Wisconsin, and if Iowa beats Ohio State it'll have a better résumé than Texas when it comes to national title discussion, but this isn't Florida, Alabama or Texas as far as talent level and as far as production. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's all about surviving and moving on, but it's time to start playing like a national title contender. A national title contender blows Northwestern out of the water at home. A national title contender doesn't need a last-second comeback to beat Michigan State, it doesn't need two blocked kicks to beat Northern Iowa and it doesn't need a shocking fourth quarter to beat Indiana at home. And a true national title contender doesn't get behind in the first place time and again. It's time Iowa starts playing like a team that deserves its lofty status and attention, and that starts with not getting behind in the first place. — Pete Fiutak

Appreciate it while it lasts

Maybe Iowa is not one of the five best programs in the country, but I'm still enjoying watching these guys play week after week. Yeah, this is not your typical 9-0 team that's drawing dangerously close to one of the two bowl games in Pasadena, but no one in America would doubt it has the heart of a champion. Not after the last two weekends' rallies to shock Michigan State and Indiana. All of the injuries in the backfield and all of the close calls had finally caught up to the Hawkeyes, right? It sure looked like it until a fourth-quarter rally that was improbable, even by Herky's standards. Four unanswered touchdowns in 15 minutes, including a pair of upper-deck long balls from QB Ricky Stanzi. And the dream remains alive in Iowa City. Don't get caught up in all of the debates questioning Iowa's place in the national championship discussion. Worry about that only if the Hawkeyes get to 12-0 three weeks from now. For now, try to appreciate one of the best stories of 2009 and the definition of a team effort. Iowa really has no business being unbeaten. It is, which should trump any talk of style points or ugly victories for now. — Richard Cirminiello

Replay reviewer needs to be reviewed

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1. First, it was the SEC. Then, it was the Pac-10. The Big East had an embarrassing moment Friday night when a clear South Florida touchdown was not only ruled down at the West Virginia 9, but also deemed unreviewable. Now, a Big Ten replay reviewer has earned a multi-game suspension after a ridiculously poor display in Iowa City. The on-field officials weren't great in this game, but the replay reviewer was far worse. A plainly erroneous failure to award Indiana a first down on a reviewed spot; a failure to award Indiana a touchdown on a play that lacked enough evidence for an overturn; and a general inability to honor the codes and provisions of replay calls (you overturn with substantial evidence, not debatable evidence) drastically affected the outcome of this game. Bill Lynch got hosed earlier in the year when a simultaneous-possession ruling wasn't made by a Big Ten crew in the Michigan game; on Saturday, he and his Hoosiers had to endure even more appallingly atrocious arbitrational activities from the zebras. This is getting tiresome. Just exactly who or what decides who gets to be a replay reviewer? A former referee gets to make relevant interpretations, but a young person with a pair of fresh eyes should be the one determining what happened on the play. 2. You might think this constant talk about officiating is overdone, but then ask yourself: What if you're a Penn State or Ohio State fan? Yeah, maybe Ohio State beats Iowa on Nov. 14, but this result could very well mean the Hawkeyes, if they were to finish 11-1, would get an at-large BCS bowl bid instead of the Nittany Lions or Buckeyes. Big money is at stake in college football, and when Penn State or Ohio State is forced to go to the Capital One Bowl and not the Orange Bowl because Iowa finished 11-1 and not 10-2, Saturday's events in Iowa City will loom awfully large. Won't they, Jim Delany? — Matt Zemek

Hawkeyes keep living the dream

If Indiana's players had a good feeling heading into the fourth quarter, up 10 points, the Hoosiers were deluding themselves. The Hawkeyes, now 4-0 when trailing entering the final period, overcame five Ricky Stanzi interceptions to continue authoring a remarkable 2009 season with yet another come-from-behind win. Iowa may not want to continue making a habit of such dramatics, but it has absolutely proven it can handle such behavior. There is no way to describe what the Hawkeyes continue to do, other than to say they are in the midst of something so memorable they will be able to look back on it as part of a dream. The problem is, and those of us who bring it up will be considered naysayers, no team can continue to rely on late heroics for an entire season. At some point, Iowa is going to fall into a hole out of which it cannot climb. That may come next week against Northwestern or on Nov. 14 against Ohio State. No matter what the situation, you know Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has no interest in leading such a dangerous life. But as long as the Hawks continue to play 60 minutes and the outcomes are so positive, Ferentz will take it. Saturday, Stanzi's recovery from a brutal first three quarters paved the way for the comeback. In the future, he may want to start throwing big touchdown passes a little earlier. Then again, the way things are going now does make life more exciting. — Michael Bradley
Tagged: Texas, South Florida, Iowa, Ohio State, Florida, Penn State, Virginia, Northwestern, Michigan State, Indiana, West Virginia, Alabama

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