SB Nation User Blog: StoopsMyAss

Bowl Execs Talk Iowa/Idaho

StoopsMyAss — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:06:35 -0000

Location: Elmer's Pancake and Steakhouse in Boise, Idaho.

Date: Saturday morning, December 5, 2009 around 9:00am.

Scenario: Eric Poms, Chief Executive for the Orange Bowl selection committee, and John Junker, his counterpart for the Fiesta Bowl, are in town to watch Boise State play its final game of the season against New Mexico State. They run into each other at the local restaurant.

Eric Poms: ...and I'll have the triple stack of potato pancakes. What do you put on those by the way? Syrup, sour cream, butter? Because...

John Junker: Eric Poms! Is that you, you Florida cuss?

Eric Poms: Hey Junker! I thought I might see you this weekend.

John Junker: Son, do NOT get the potato pancakes. Those babies will block you up like Phoenix rush hour traffic. Get the Mexican Omelet and sprinkle it with this here.

[Junker holds up a bottle of tobasco]

It'll keep you clean as a whistle. Ma'am, would you kindly order us two Mexi omelets, one with extra green peppers, and I'll have some coffee. Mr. Poms, you'll thank me around 1 o'clock this afternoon. Mind if I join ya?

Eric Poms: Please do. I'll have a coffee too and some fresh squeezed orange juice.

Waitress: Alls we got here is frozen mister.

Eric Poms: I'll just have the coffee then, and maybe some water.

John Junker: So you looking at Boise are ya?

Eric Poms: Gotta look, right?

John Junker: Yeah, came up here in '06 before we got ‘em for the Oklahoma game.

Eric Poms: That's right...that was a great game.

John Junker: Well, Okie just shat themselves and played like a dog. We thought Boise could maybe last three quarters and make it look good enough, and we knew it was the right thing to do. But ‘ol Stoops there, well, he just can't get out of his own way. They bring a helluva crowd them Okies though.

Eric Poms: Yeah, how were your numbers for that one anyway?

John Junker: Ticket sales were fine. Like I say, the Okies will buy you out of house and home if it'll get ‘em the fifty-yard line. I think the whole God damned state of Oklahoma might of showed to be honest. But, them TV ratings were ‘nother story, second lowest ratings in the BCS era for us...right behind Utah and Pitt in '05. Good God were those awful bowl teams.

Eric Poms: Utah and Pitt?

John Junker: God yes...sold tickets that year good enough, but our TV numbers were in the toilet. As I recall, in the ratings rankings for the day we were just behind a Mr. Belvedere marathon on Lifetime.

Eric Poms: The old Bob Uecker sitcom? Jesus!

John Junker: Imagine that, huh? Live and learn I say.

Eric Poms: So who all you looking at?

John Junker: We'll after Texas does a Chuck Norris on the Huskers, we're pretty much down to four teams. What about you?

Eric Poms: Assuming Clemson wins, and we've been pretty religious in our prayer rituals to help us along on that one, we're looking at three to five teams.

John Junker: Don't want the Nerds to get the auto bid, eh?

Eric Poms: Oh please no. We need to make a profit this year. Truth be told, we should find a way to break our contract with the ACC. They're just killing us.

John Junker: I hear ya. We ain't looking at any of them boys and haven't for years. That conference can't play with anything but a round ball. I pity you for havin ‘em.

Eric Poms: Yeah. We're not opposed to a playoff if we're going to be stuck with them. So obviously you're looking at Boise, just like us. What do you know? How did they pan out last time?

John Junker: Nice enough team. They got them a nice coach. He'll do whatever you ask him. But don't no one in America know who the hell he is. They play in front of 35,000 on a sunny day. They're on TV at godforsaken hours of the day on godforsaken days of the week. Never on a damn Saturday. They probably have a east coast following of paramedics and bartenders, ‘cause they kick-off at two in the morning or some such. West coast people like ‘em I assume.

Eric Poms: That's it? 35,000?

John Junker: Oh, yeah. Gotta do your homework son. The stadium used to hold 17,000 but they expanded a few years back. I know what your thinkin, most Texas high schools play in front of more than that. It ain't a lot of bee-hinds, I'll give you that.

Eric Poms: 17,000 is about how many can be seated in the sky boxes at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

John Junker: I know. Well, it ain't a big state to begin with though.

Eric Poms: What else?

John Junker: Well, they're an all or nothing team when it comes to competin'. Sure everyone remembers when they tossed the sevens against Stoops and Company, but we all know with all that rinky dink crapola they do, they could just as easily get rolled by 40.

Eric Poms: You know, I'll tell you the truth. I told our committee I would come look at them but we need our tickets sold this year and I just can't see the equivalent of their whole stadium buying a plane ticket to South Florida. We need schools to buy 18,000 tickets minimum but we expect 25,000 to 30,000 really.

John Junker: Then there's the culture shock. You do know that one of the largest sports events in the state this year was Monster Jam...40-some thousand.

Eric Poms: The Truck show? You sure?

John Junker: ...and Border Days too. They had a huge showing for that.

Eric Poms: What's that?

John Junker: A rodeo. Literally, dogs and ponies.

Eric Poms: Good God. I can't bring these people to South Beach.

John Junker: Not unless you wanna do a McCloud.

Eric Poms: McCloud?

John Junker: The ‘ol Dennis Weaver TV show on Sunday nights back in the day. Yeah, it flip-flopped with Columbo and McMillan and Wife. I just loved that 'ol boy. It was 'bout a Texas Ranger who finds himself solvin crimes in New York City, where he fits in about as well as jeans in a linen closet. But anyway, them Boise folks they like their football well enough. I wouldn't hold my breath waitin for 'em to hit the beach, but they'll be respectful and all.

Eric Poms: Didn't McMillan and Wife star Rock Hudson as McMillan?

John Junker: Yep. That's some acting there.

Eric Poms: So, you taking Boise with your first pick then?

John Junker: Hell no. We're either taking Iowa or Penn State with that one.

Eric Poms: We got them on our list too.

John Junker: Well, cross ‘em off then. We ain't letting them get by us.

Eric Poms: So Boise would be your second pick then?

John Junker: Between them, TCU and Cinncy, unless Pitt beats them ‘em of course.

Eric Poms: If Cinncy loses do you then look at Pitt? 10-2 at that point you know?

John Junker: Not a snowball's chance in Glendale. Those Pitt fans wouldn't attend the second ‘comin of Jesus Christ himself...even if it were in God damned Philly.

Eric Poms: Yeah, I've heard they're pretty provincial. They're not on our radar either. My concern with Boise--besides the number of fans--is that they might not be competitive.

John Junker: We'll, does a squirrel love his nuts? Of course they might not be competitive. They played half their games against the lowest ranked teams in the country. They played Miami of the Ohio variety for God sakes. Have you seen Miami play? Them boys can't call a coin toss without gettin injured or an unsportsmanlike. Aweful, aweful team.

Eric Poms: The old Roethlisberger school?

John Junker: He still claims them? Well, well. You know, Miami's got one victory this year, one, and it might have been a forfeit. Boise also played San Jose State. Well, you know about that team don't ya?

Eric Poms: No.

John Junker: Well, that San Jose team won one game against a FBS school, and guess who that was?

Eric Poms: I give.

John Junker: New Mexico State...the team Boise is playing today. The lord giveth, the lord taketh away. Blessed be the lord. My mama used to say that.

Eric Poms: I see. The schedule does seem a little cannibalistic. It's like Lord of the Flies but with cleats.

John Junker: Yep. The schedule of this here Boise team is a problem. It's filled with, this here's French, a poi pourri of teams that couldn't win a Division II title. I half expect some of them teams to drop football altogether about now. But, hey, they got that Oregon win.

Eric Poms: Yeah, that's what my committee said, "Hey, Boise beat Oregon!" So here I am. I also gotta see the blue turf.

John Junker: Used to be black turf when they were D-II you know.

Eric Poms: Black turf! Are you serious?

John Junker: Naw, just shittin ya. But it may as well be. You can't see a damn thing during the game because they wear them matching unis. Hell, after the first quarter I just went to the concession stand to get the chili fries. These people can do fries.

Eric Poms: Yeah, I wondered about that...the turf, not the fries.

John Junker: Let me tell you something. These Boise folks are crazy like a fox. This team's got it all figured out. The turf, the crazy damn plays. Listen here, they schedule one tough team every year, and pour the whole playbook into beating that team. Then after that game's over what's left is 11 weeks of the Sisters of the Poor. That is ‘til bowl season. And they're disciplined. They just wait out the BCS rankings, like a hostage negotiator. But, them boys in Fort Worth pulled a fast one on ‘em this year.

Eric Poms: Fort Worth?

John Junker: TCU.

Eric Poms: Oh, right!

John Junker: Course, TCU only played two teams this year themselves. But it's a real enough conference they play in. You know, I do believe if you shipped these Boise boys into that Mountain West Conference there, they'd get a heavy dose of Whup Ass. Don't ask me 'bout them going to a Pac-10, I'm a family man.

Eric Poms: I can't figure you out Junker. One minute you sound like you're going to invite them, the next minute you don't.

John Junker: Well, I guess we'd invite them this year.

Eric Poms: You would? But...

John Junker: Hell, if we get Penn State or Iowa---and we will get one of ‘em---we might sell out the stadium just with them. With either of those two schools you could play a God damned scrimmage, shirts and skins with yellow flags danglin off their hips, and they'd sell that son of bitch out. So our second invite don't matter a whole hill of beans.

Eric Poms: But you want a competitive game though. Right?

John Junker: Damn tootin.

Eric Poms: So you picking Boise or not?

John Junker: If TCU get's gobbled up by you, then probably.

Eric Poms: We don't want TCU because that would mean the Nerds won. TCU and Clemson already played and we don't want a rematch. Also, TCU can't sell out a home game. So major red flag.

John Junker: God no. A rematch in a bowl game is like sittin through David Mamet's Oleanna. My daughter got the little lady and me tickets to that in NYC one year. ‘Bout ripped my ears off after 10 minutes of that damn Meisner technique shit.

Eric Poms: Meisner technique?

John Junker: You know, where the actor says the same lines over and over again but with different intent.

Although, I gotta say that I liked the repetition in Glengarry, Glen Ross...but not in a bowl match-up.

Eric Poms: We'd like to get Iowa to be honest, or Penn State. The last time we had Iowa there were 35,000 inside the stadium and 8,000 people just sat outside the stadium all though the game. It was amazing. Just tailgating and having a good old time. They wanted in of course, but the game was way sold out. Those were some serious numbers.

John Junker: Forget about the Big Ten son. Don't even say it in your sleep. They're gone. We won't let ‘em get to you. You need to focus on Clemson, they're your only hope for ticket sales.

Eric Poms: But don't you want a match-up of the undefeateds? You could match-up Boise and TCU or TCU and Cinncy?

John Junker: No way Jose. I'm not much interested in matching up two cowboy schools. Last I checked, the Marlboro man weren't much of a shopper. They'll buy a T-shirt from an illegal vendor outside the stadium, but more than few will probably sleep in their F-150s, and show five minutes before kick-off and skedaddle out of town five minutes after the final gun. We need some tourists son. From what I've heard from the Outback and Cap One boys, these here Hawkeye fans are like Daryl Hannah in Splash...they'll come down here and buy out the town.

Eric Poms: I was afraid you'd say that. We'll we might be stuck with the Boise team then. If Clemson wins we'll have them or Cinncy and Cinncy was a disaster last year. No one on our committee wants to see them again. They don't travel and they don't make the networks happy.

John Junker: Take Boise. You may not sell out and you might not do your local economy any favors but at least you'll be the good guy this year.

Eric Poms: Being the good guy doesn't pay the bills though.

John Junker: Well, it's all moot anyway. Obama is going to force a playoff on us all.

Eric Poms: If the alternative is being stuck with TCU, Cinncy or Boise...that may not be such a bad thing.

John Junker: You're going to be stuck with them with a playoff too! Anyway, once they force the playoff I'm outta here. That'll be the end of the junkets, the gifts, and the free meals. Hell, as far as I am concerned once they dump the bowl system, batten down the hatches ‘cause here comes the socialism.

Eric Poms: But at least I won't feel like I'm forced to take a Boise. In the current system I practically have to invite them. The system makes it appear as though I want them. I want Notre Dame! I want Florida, Miami, or Florida State. I want Oklahoma or Texas.

John Junker: Eric, you got a lot to learn son. Some of the freest markets have some of the greatest restrictions.

Eric Poms: Huh?

John Junker: So, you gonna eat that last potato cake there?

Eric Poms: No, you can have it. I've lost my appetite.

John Junker: Don't mind if I do.

Glendale, Arizona: Is this place worth all the fuss?

StoopsMyAss — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:09:59 -0000

It would be understandable if an alien from outer space landed in eastern Iowa this past week and after some basic human interaction deduced that Glendale, Arizona was some sort of Holy Land.

On Saturday afternoon the Iowa Hawkeyes, along with every other bowl eligible team in college football, will learn to which bowl game they've been invited. It may or may not be a crucial moment in the history of the program, but let's consider the question.

The Hawkeyes achieved new heights this year by winning their first 9 games of the season, a feat never before accomplished in the history of the program. The great start rocketed the team into the Top 10, and once the BCS rankings came out Iowa was officially part of the early national championship game discussion. We all know what happened in that 10^th game, and the 11^th for that matter. The Hawks rebounded against Minnesota in their final game and now sit with a pretty impressive resume for bowl executives to chew on. Since bowl games are invitationals beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Iowa fans would be wise to brace themselves for a funky outcome.

There are as many scenarios that point to Iowa being invited to the Fiesta Bowl as there are scenarios that do not. One thing most people seem to agree upon though is there doesn't seem to be a BCS fallback position for Iowa. There appears to be so few circumstances that would land Iowa in the Orange Bowl as to be a statistical impossibility. So it's more than likely the Fiesta or bust----with bust being the Capital One Bowl.

When the bowl pairings are announced on Saturday its fair to say there will be plenty of frustration and disappointment by Hawkeye fans should Iowa be invited to the Capital One Bowl instead of the Fiesta Bowl. Projections from the WWL are currently showing the Capital One Bowl will have No. 13 LSU as the Big Ten opponent. If it comes to pass that the Capital One Bowl calls out Iowa's name on Saturday, what does it mean for Iowa?

My mother taught me that whenever you are faced with a difficult situation write down the PROS and CONS, weigh them out, and go from there. So here we go...but given the inevitable unhappiness a Cap One Bowl will be met with, we'll start with the CONS.

CON #1: Iowa is not all that and a bag of chips. Reality bites and if the Fiesta snubs Iowa they will have to live with the fact that the team ranked behind them in the BCS Standings (who they beat straight up on the road) or a WAC team was ultimately deemed more desirable to Fiesta Bowl officials. That might be one hell of a tough pill to swallow, and will be a message loud and clear as to where Iowa is on the football landscape. Value, said a manager of a restaurant where I once waited tables, is wholly dependent upon perception----there is no such thing as real value. "It's not the size the actual steak that determines if the customer feels he's getting a good deal, it is the size of the steak he was expecting," he would say. Penn State is perceived as a big steak. Now it might be that if you actually put Iowa and Penn State on the exact same plate they would look alomst identical, but the Fiesta officials are hungry to bring in a team that they are certain will satisfy the appetite of the greater Phoenix area. That appetite may not be exclusively tied to potential travelers either, there may be other appetites that Penn State is perceived to satisfy that Iowa does not, and that is not good for Iowa going forward.

CON #2: Winning will be even more vital. Losing the consolation bowl game could be a huge blow, as it will validate the snub. If Iowa is invited to the Capital One Bowl they may not be favored by Las Vegas but that will not lessen the pressure to win. They will be the higher ranked team and they will be the team that thought it was deserving of a BCS bowl game. A let down could validate their second tier status. The truth is that LSU is a formidable opponent and will pose a huge challenge to any team, but perceptions are at play. A Capital One Bowl would be a must win game.

CON #3: What more does a brother have to do? It would seem that starting a season 9-0, winning 13 straight games over two seasons, winning on the road in proven hostile environments, winning in an exciting and thrilling fashion over and over again, overcoming key injuries, playing three times in prime time and winning two and going into OT in the third as a huge underdog, and on and on. If all this does not capture the imagination, then what on earth will the Hawkeyes need to do next year to prove their worth? It may be the bar is higher (even too high) for the Hawkeyes unless they can prove themselves beyond a shadow of a doubt...kind of a Catch 22.

PRO #1: A win over an SEC team is always good for your resume. Many would say that a loss to a non-BCS team like Boise St. or TCU is damaging to a BCS program. I would respond that Alabama does not seem to be suffering any ill effects from their thumping last year. But, almost everyone agrees that beating an SEC team is good for your image, good for your self-esteem, and good for business (recruiting, etc.). That we would have to play in a non-BCS bowl to get this match-up may be worth it.

PRO #2: One more warm-up bowl might be needed. It may just be that Iowa isn't ready to play in a BCS Bowl game yet. Sure, they played well this season but there were all those close wins and perhaps this team is really still a year away from true elite play. Besides, the program seems to be at its best when expectations are muted and the scene is low-key. A BCS Bowl might have made more sense if we won the conference and didn't have a gimpy QB. This way Iowa may, again, be the only Big Ten team to win a bowl game and this could be the "I told you so" moment that leads to more favorable treatment down the road.

PRO #3: Disrespect is a great motivator. Iowa has been playing with a chip on its shoulder for two years now. It seems to be working. If Iowa continues to improve they might just find their way in to the National Championship game next year. Perhaps the worst thing this program could have happen is they become fat and happy this year. The Big Ten has a revenue sharing model, so no school receives a greater share of the profits based on which bowl they play. In fact, the Big Ten creates a travel budget for each bowl team, all remaining monies earned from a bowl are thrown into the Big Ten pot and shared by all---whether they played a bowl game or not. A team can spend less than are budgeted for and make a few more dollars that way, although teams usually spend more and pay for it out of their share of the revenues. For more on this go here. The goal on these invites then is to avoid them altogether and laser focus on qualifying for the National Championship game, all other postseason affairs after that are simply a case of where you like to vacation. The Rose Bowl, of course, is in our collective blood so that one is still a desired invite.

But, really, is the Fiesta such a big deal? Phoenix is no Pasadena and, for that matter, is it better than Orlando or Tampa? Especially if all it is going to do is create a false sense of accomplishment and screw-up a bunch of young minds and undermine our big run next year.

Iowa in Fiesta hangs on GTech & Cinncy winning

StoopsMyAss — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:00:06 -0000

Reports are out that should Clemson beat Ga. Tech and Cinncinatti go undefeated it might influence the Fiesta Bowl.

How? Like this...

The Orange Bowl will get Clemson and the third at-large pick. The replacement and at-large picks could possibly leave the Orange Bowl with a Clemson v. TCU rematch, and bowls understandably HATE rematches. They could all conspire/work it out so something like this comes as a result:

Sugar with 1st pick (replacement) takes Alabama/Florida loser

Fiesta with 2nd pick (replacement) takes Cinncy

Orange with 3rd pick (at-large) takes Penn State

Fiesta with 4th pick (at-large) takes TCU

Sugar with 5th pick (at-large) takes Boise St.

Thus:

Sugar: Floribama v. Boise

Fiesta: Cinncy v. TCU

Orange: Penn St. v. Clemson

This creates an Orange Bowl with two of the largest fan followings in all of college sports and ensures it sells out. The ratings are going to be shot with Clemson anyway. Orange officials say, we want tickets sold...and they would be.

Fiesta now becomes a battle of the unbeatens and Brian Kelly is a potentially HUGE national story. He would most defintely accept the Notre Dame job if offered. He will be discussed endlessly until a Notre Dame coach is hired. If he is the guy they hire they will do it before or darn near the Fiesta Bowl kick-off making it suddenly a game for all Golden Domers to watch. Fiesta officials believe there would be lots of casual interest in this game and that would increase ticket sells. Kelly would NOT choose to back out of coaching his team in this game either, should he get the ND job.

Sugar is huge game IF Florida plays in it since it is the last temptation of Christ vs. Boise. If Bama is in the game it becomes the "will it happen again to Bama" bowl and people like to see Bama suffer.

Ferentz to Notre Dame: Could it really happen?

StoopsMyAss — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:51:04 -0000

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The Charlie Weis era appears to be over in South Bend.

After losing another close game to Stanford the buzzards are circling even closer to the ground. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said he's not contacted anyone about the possibility of replacing Weis and is meeting with Humpty Dumpty over the next two days to evaluate the program. It would seem that Weis has little chance to retain the head coaching position. His record is among the worst all-time for Notre Dame coaches, and the media & most fans have decided his fate. At this point the storied football program is known more now for the drama of Charlie Weis than for solid, winning football. Weis has an enormous buyout on his contract though and he has said he will not resign. Moreover, the perfect candidate to take over the program may not be out there right now. It will be interesting to see how Swarbrick proceeds.

What we know at this point is that numerous coaching wish lists have been posted to numerous websites; ESPN analysts (Mark May and others) have openly weighed in on who will succeed Weis and not surprisingly Kirk Ferentz's name is being mentioned as a possible candidate. So, one has to ask whether Sir Kirk would even consider leaving the land of Soy to work in the fishbowl that is Notre Dame?

To begin to consider this question let's briefly compare the two programs during Kirk Ferentz's time at Iowa (1999 to present).

Wins and Losses

Iowa is 80-55 (4-3 in bowl games)

Notre Dame 75-59 (1-6 in bowl games)

Winning Seasons

Iowa has 7

Notre Dame has 5

BCS Presence

Notre Dame has played in 2 BCS bowl games (Fiesta Bowl twice) and lost both.

Iowa has played 1 BCS bowl game (Orange Bowl) and lost.

Final A.P. Top 25

Iowa - 5 times (I'm assuming they end up there this year), 3 times in the Top 10

Notre Dame - 4 times, 1 time in the Top 10

Since 1999 Ferentz has brought more success to Iowa in terms of wins and losses than have Bob Davie, Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis to Notre Dame. But, Notre Dame is still very much an elite college football program. Notre Dame is high profile and has played every game on national television (ABC, CBS, NBC or ESPN) during the time span in question with the vast majority played on NBC. They have a national following that ensures a full stadium every time and everywhere they play. Notre Dame's facilities are considered among the best in the country. Notre Dame is able to recruit nationally. So while expectations are considerably higher at Notre Dame than they are at most schools, and certainly greater than at Iowa, the resources are clearly in place for a good coach to have great success.

It has been reported that Jack Swarbrick would prefer to replace Weis with a defense minded coach who has a proven track record at the collegiate level. There are the cultural ideals as well, as Swarbrick is likely to want someone who understands Notre Dame's mission as a university. Thus, he wants a Catholic, alum and/or a coach who has worked at Notre Dame.

Does Kirk Ferentz fit the bill to be Notre Dame's next head coach?

He's a Catholic but has never coached at Notre Dame or attended the school.
He is a proven winner.
He is not technically a defensive coach but has been deemed a head coach who appreciates strong defensive play first and foremost.
He has been at Iowa for 11 seasons, which some say is a long time in contemporary college football. He might be due for a change.
He makes a Top 10 salary but it is safe to say the next head coach at Notre Dame will be paid equal to Ferentz's salary or (more likely) higher.

There is one problem for a possible Ferentz candidacy though: Notre Dame fans seem to be unenthusiastic at the notion of a Ferentz tenure at Notre Dame. Ferentz is not a big personality or well known to the Notre Dame fanbase.

But, just to carry out this hypothetical, who would Iowa seek out to replace Ferentz should he be offered the Notre Dame job....and accept it?

Out of the Mainstream: The Iowa Hawkeyes as College Football Gypsies

StoopsMyAss — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:16:42 -0000

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As Iowa patiently awaits its bowl destination, and as the vast majority of the Hawkeyes faithful cross fingers and toes in hopes for a desert reward, now is as good a time as any to try to understand Iowa's place in the college football social order. If Iowa is invited to a BCS Bowl, would that mean the football cognoscenti is accepting them as a member of the elite? I'm certain there is no definitive answer; this is, after all, a perceptual shell game. But, I can't resist but to make a stab at it.

It might be gratuitously complex for me to attempt the line of analysis I am about to attempt, but here goes...

The Iowa Hawkeyes with their magical season this year thrusting them into the national championship conversation exposed a nasty truth about their place on the college football landscape. The Iowa Hawkeyes are football gypsies. They're not alone either, as was so crassly pointed out by Ivan "The Terrible" Maisel in his on-line article from Nov. 19 entitled "Where's the return counter?" In his article, Maisel, normally a sensible sort, lamented that interlopers and gatecrashers have invaded the 2009 college football season, and for that he wants his "money back."

Maisel bemoans this college football season as a dud, a lemon, one whose promise was never fulfilled and paints himself as having been cheated, suffering a "bait and switch." And what was he promised? Well, he was promised what every preseason ranking and projection seems to annually promise: USC, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and of course, Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow, and Sam Bradford. And what did Maisel get? Boise State, TCU, Cincinnati, and presumably, Iowa.

Maisel is neither the only sportswriter nor is his the only article to grieve invasion by the gypsies. In fact, it seems as though every so-called college football analyst on every major sports website has complained at some point, in some way, of the lack of a predictable, orderly football world, where there is an easily identifiable social order of the "haves" moving unimpeded toward more bowl riches while the "have nots" stay deferentially out of the way. These pundits advocate, in essence, for the fans of the have nots to consent to a college football world of segmented categories of unequal people. I, for one, won't do it.

The term gypsy may seem like an odd one for me to use. But every time I read an article by some stiff asking how Iowa got into the top ten (the computers, not people) or bitching about Iowa as a impostor in the rankings, I am reminded of a paper I wrote in my senior year for an anthropology professor at Iowa. The term gypsy literally refers to specific ethnic groups that have certain histories, but I'm using the term more colloquially here to describe Iowa as a kind of nomadic clan living an unconventional way of life out on the edge. In this regard, Iowa, for me, is a football gypsy---they lack a secure place in and among the elite and yet they are too successful to be an average football team, and as such are seen as freakish and strange.

Let me start with this though: it is not as if Kirk Ferentz and his Iowa Hawkeyes wants to be gypsies or has done anything to reinforce any such reading of them this way. They're merely trying to win football games and a conference title. They are not trying to cause angst to the Maisel's of the world and they're certainly not breaking any established codes within the football world-like running some harebrained offensive scheme that offends conventional sensibilities or tricking it up relentlessly or playing with grown men who have returned from the war or questionable JUCO-types or anything along those lines. In fact, Ferentz football is as traditional as it gets.

For those who are still reading, I should warn you this is going to take a fairly academic turn. I am going to try to examine the Hawkeyes and their place in college football from a social anthological viewpoint. It helps me to understand Iowa's coverage by the mainstream press. It helps me understand why this blog is relevant and thriving to so many fans (and not just fans of Iowa I might add). It helps me understand why my friends are so unwilling to accept Iowa as an emerging, potentially elite football program.

In 1908 a very smart Frenchman, born to Dutch parents, named Arnold Van Gennep wrote a classic text entitled, The Rites of Passage. If the title is an expression you have used yourself, you can thank Van Gennep. He coined the term, gave it meaning, and more or less started an entire academic discipline (social anthropology) with this one book. In it he describes the social process of how one passes from one status to another-how one makes a transition, a passage as he calls it, out of an old status into a new one. He examined rituals associated with many status changes in a variety of cultures, some tribal others quite civilized. Among the status transitions (and rituals) he studied are, from unborn to born (circumcisions, baptisms, etc.), from youth to adult (bar mitzvahs, vision quests, etc.), from single to married (weddings), and from life to death (funerals).

So how on earth is this relevant to college football you're probably asking? Stay with me.

While examining rituals that lead to social status change, Van Gennep noticed there was a reliable and recognizable schema or pattern to each of these transitions. He then devised a theory based on what he saw to explain all status transitions regardless of culture, and he called his discovery the "rites of passage."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Rites of Passage (Or, how can Iowa go from being perceived as an average football program to serious football power?)

Van Gennep's theory suggested that in order for societies to "recognize" a status change there is an identifiable passage from old status to new status and it occurs as such:

- Separation from old status

- Transition (liminal state) during which there is no status but ritual tests

- Re-incorporation into new status

I want to focus on the liminal or transition phase, because this is where the Iowa Hawkeyes seem to be stuck, and it is where gypsies are perpetually. I think we can all agree that Iowa left the old status of mediocre/average football program in the years beginning with when Hayden Fry took Iowa to the Rose Bowl in the early 1980s. They have had many years since in which they were invited to a bowl game. In fact, they have been to two more Rose Bowls in the meantime and a BCS Bowl (the Orange Bowl in fact). While Iowa has had many winning seasons over the past 25 years they have not quite completed a transition to full elite program status. Yet they possess many of the markers of an elite program: a top 10 highest paid coach, large stadium that sells out routinely, great facilities, national television appearances, players that receive national awards and are drafted high by NFL teams, and so forth. Iowa has no equal status among the big boys, which Ivan Maisel has conveniently identified for us. Yet, as a team that wins 13 in a row and is undefeated and barreling toward a perfect season, Iowa most defintely proves yet again they are not some middling college football program either. So Iowa is indeed liminal according to van Gennep's theory; they are neither average nor elite.

Van Gennep noticed that during the liminal phase people would often have to pass ritualized tests, which served to elevate them from their prior status and prove to the elders of society they are capable of accepting a new status. Think of the fraternity hazing ritual in many colleges that goes on with a pledge or whatever they call them. If the pledge can pass the various tests he is then incorporated into the fraternity. Fail the tests and he does not.

Maisel and the mainstream college football press position themselves as sort of college football "elders" keeping close watch on the football gypsies and determining whether or not to confer upon them any status change. Maisel's lament was nothing more than the usual backhanded way of identify the haves and have nots. A reminder just in case you forgot. (And it reinforces his place in the confirming process of course.)

A good case study of this notion is Boise State. Like Iowa in the early 1980s they recetnly entered the liminal phase in 2007 when they beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. That win was a demarcation of sorts, identifying Boise State as no longer a typical non-BCS school. But it was in no way a "Welcome to the Elite" moment either. Boise State's win over Oklahoma was a ritual separation from their old status of typical non-BCS football team. By beating Oklahoma in a BCS Bowl they showed a sort of separation from all the other non-BCS schools who rarely challenge the elite (or are even given an opportunity to do so). The next stage for Boise State then is re-incorporation. But until they achieve their new status among the cultural elite they are liminal They are gypsies. Pass more tests and we'll see if you belong, the elite seem to say. But, here is the rub...will Boise State continue to be allowed into the arena to pass these tests?

I know some would like for Iowa to go to the Capital One Bowl and beat an SEC team resoundingly. I understand this thinking too. It is it's own sort of ritualized test that if passed should move Iowa closer and closer to re-incorporation with the elite. However, using van Gennep's theory one could argue too that the Capital One Bowl merely reinforces Iowa's place in liminality. After all, if Iowa plays Mississippi or any SEC team other than Alabama or Florida, Iowa then is merely playing another gypsy program in a non-elite bowl and this test does nothing to advance the program. Iowa is not unlike Boise State. Both programs are liminal. Both programs have to prove themselves to elevate out of the liminal state. But there is a HUGE difference between Iowa playing Boise State in a non-BCS Bowl game and Iowa playing them in a BCS Bowl.

Consider Ohio State, a team that perpetually loses in BCS games. Certainly they receive tons of flack for that. But, the flack they are getting is not pushing them back into liminality; they are not a transitioning program. They are getting flack for not fulfilling their elite program obligations for sure. But they are in BCS Bowl games year after year and as such they are proving that they indeed belong in the cultural elite. They merely are at the bottom of THAT group. They're at the party, just not at the best table. Iowa is not even at the party.

I believe Iowa is capable of becoming a member of football's cultural elite. All the pieces are there. They have the facilities, they have the fan base, they have the coach, and they have the tradition. I hope and assume they have the desire. They just have not passed enough of the right tests. Winning the Outback Bowl last year was nice and it certainly helped the players see themselves as winner. But let's be clear about all this, Iowa needs to play in the Fiesta or Orange Bowl and, of course, they need to win it, if they want to make any serious ascent to the college football elite. A loss in either the Orange or Fiesta Bowls is greater than a win in the Capital One Bowl. Why? Because BCS Bowl games are the affairs of the cultural elite and non-BCS Bowls are liminal affairs. Losing a BCS Bowl game is greater than winning non-BCS Bowl game. In fact, all New Year's Day and later bowl games that are not BCS Bowl games are, likewise, liminal events. They are games for those who want to feel elite, maybe play an elite power, and maybe even beat them. But they are not elite bowl games, and according to van Gennep's theory, those bowls do not advance non-elite schools into the cultural elite of college football.

College football is its own little society and all societies have a social order and to move within the social order one must pass ritual tests, sometimes repeatedly, to alter one's status. Playing in BCS Bowl games is part of the process of moving into the elite and winning BCS Bowl games is an even more important part of the process of moving into the elite. Now, we could go to the Capital One Bowl and we can dominate some SEC team, but that is not a relevant test if the goal is to change our status. Gypsies beating up gypsies are not a test that elevates one to elite status. The test to become an elite power is to play in an elite neighborhood and ideally take down an elite program when you get there. The Capital One Bowl will only delude the gypsies into believing they are moving toward re-incorporation, when in fact they are merely further emphasizing their liminal status.

In a fraternity, the goal is not to be the best pledge in the house; it's to be a member of the fraternity. Iowa needs a BCS Bowl game if they want to join the ranks of Ohio State, Penn State and others, and they need it now. If Iowa ends up in the Capital One Bowl that will be nice and I will enjoy it immensely. But it will not signify anything other than Iowa's place securely among the gypsies.

No surprise here. Northwestern drops football. Will focus on other sports.

StoopsMyAss — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:13:16 -0000

No surprise here. Northwestern drops football. Will focus on other sports.

Miracle on Wood?

StoopsMyAss — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:12:39 -0000

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

Texas coach Rick Barnes tries to cross his fingers for good luck, which he will not need tonight.

Browse more photos »

Tonight the Iowa Hawkeyes meet the Texas Longhorns in the semifinals of the CBE Classic in Kansas City. Consider the opposition:

Ranked #3 in the coach’s poll.
Ranked #3 in the writer’s poll.
Magazines suggest this team is the best and most complete roster in the Rick Barnes era.
Four returning starters.
Nine returning players.
Damion James.

Not since a rag tag group of American college and fringe professional hockey players played the Soviet Union’s greatest of great hockey teams, a team so feared the NHL refused to schedule exhibitions with them, has the sporting world seen such a lopsided match-up. But, this is sport and you have to play the game.

Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here tonight.

Texas coach Rick Barnes is so stacked with elite basketball talent he can’t find enough court time for them all. Meanwhile, Iowa coach Todd Lickliter is in search of a team or anyone who can make a free throw, hit an open shot, make an open pass. On the surface this contest should be cancelled, to promote good sportsmanship and for the good of the game. But, you have to play the game.

The odds are very, very long. Texas has won their previous two games by an average of 39.5 points, beating UC-Irvine and Western Carolina—both of whom would maybe be favored against Iowa. Texas has played all 11 players in both games. Vegas has listed Texas as 15.5-point favorites for the game, and that line will go up by game time. Iowa did travel to Kansas City though, and they did take their uniforms and players. So, they will play the game.

Does Iowa have a chance? Did the U.S. Hockey team have a chance, on that cold February night in 1980? The answer is no and no. But, you have to play the game.

Bowling for Dollars

StoopsMyAss — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:45:05 -0000

Sure, it's incredibly overused (the headline) but we're in a hurry to get the conversation started. If you follow this sort of thing you know that Iowa is in the running for four bowls (in no particular order): Orange, Fiesta, Capital One, and Outback. The goal, of course, is to be invited as an at-large to one of the BCS bowls.

The BCS pecking order is as follows:

1. National Championship: BCS #1 (Florida or Alabama) vs. BCS #2  (likely Texas)

2. Rose Bowl: Pac-10 Champion (Oregon or Oregon State) vs. Big Ten Champion  (Ohio State)

3. Sugar Bowl Pick #1: Replacement pick for SEC champion (Florida or Alabama)

4. Fiesta Bowl Pick #1: Replacement pick for Texas  if they win out

5. Orange Bowl: ACC Champion vs. BCS at-large

6. Fiesta Bowl Pick #2: BCS at-large

7. Sugar Bowl Pick #2: BCS at-large

TCU and winner of Big East are currently guaranteed a place in two of the above at-large spots. Which means there are two remaining spots for at-large selections.

--------

In the mix for at large bids are the Orange and the Fiesta at-large are:

Iowa

Penn State

Oklahoma State

Boise State

Cincinnati or Pittsburgh (the loser)

Oregon (if they lose to Oregon State)

Georgia Tech (if they lose to Clemson)

I may be missing a team but I don't think so. Also, I am only listing serious candidates to be invited as an at-large.

Where are we going?

Where do you want us to go?

Where do you think we should go?

Here is the link to the latest BCS rankings.

Brewster Takes the Stand

StoopsMyAss — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:58:11 -0000

CLERK: Sir, do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will give in this hearing will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?

DEFENDANT: Yes I do.

CLERK: Would you state your name, age, and occupation for the record please?

DEFENDANT: Tim Brewster. 49 years old. I'm the head coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team. Woo hoo, go Gophers baby!!

JUDGE: There is no shrieking or crying permitted in this courtroom, sir. Do you understand that?

TIM BREWSTER: Oh. Sorry.

JUDGE: Very well. Would you have a seat please sir?

TIM BREWSTER: Can I get a Gatorade or a Red Bull or something here?

JUDGE: Clerk? Can you get Mr. Brewster some water please?

TIM BREWSTER: No Gatorade?

JUDGE: No. This is courtroom sir, not Kwik-E-Mart.

TIM BREWSTER: I love that place. Coffee and Slim Jims, can't beat it.

JUDGE: [looks at Prosecutor] You can begin your questioning.

PROSECUTOR: You find it particularly hard to get coffee and Slim Jims these days, do you?

TIM BREWSTER: What?

PROSECUTOR: Nevermind. Sir, you played tight end for the University of Illinois Whine-I in 1982 and 1983? Is that correct, sir?

TIM BREWSTER: Yes, under Mike White and, uh...did you just say wine eye?

PANTHERHAWK: Right. We're going to get to him in a minute. Now, during that time did you play the Iowa Hawkeyes?

TIM BREWSTER: Oh yeah. Both years.

PANTHERHAWK: Do you remember the games?

TIM BREWSTER: Yep. Sure do!

PROSECUTOR: Your Honor, I want to introduce into evidence this article from the Minneapolis StarTribune from November 19, 2009.

PROSECUTOR: [Hands docment to Tim Brewster] Can you read from "Asked about the visitors' locker room" please sir?

TIM BREWSTER: Uh...

Asked about the visitors' locker room in Kinnick Stadium that is famously adorned in pink, Brewster offered an anecdote: "[Coach] Mike White, when we went in there the first time, he put meat locker paper all over it. Covered the whole locker room. You didn't see an ounce of pink anywhere.''

Did you win the game?

"We did; we did,'' Brewster said. "But I don't think it had to do with the paper."

PROSECUTOR: That, sir, is a story quoting your words from a press conference you held on November 18, 2009. Do you dispute that?

TIM BREWSTER: No.

PROSECUTOR: Your honor, I want to introduce into evidence this article from the Daily Whine-I student newspaper. [Hands document to Tim Brewster] Sir, can you read the date at the top of the paper?

TIM BREWSTER: Monday, November 1, 1982

PROSECUTOR: Very good. Can you turn that over and read the headline on the back page, which, if it pleases the court, is the Sports Page?

TIM BREWSTER: "Illinois Lose A Heartbreaker to Rival Hawkeyes."

PROSECUTOR: I believe you just said lose? Your Whine-I team played in Iowa City in 1982 and they lost 14-13. The following year you played Iowa at home, in Champagne at Memorial Stadium. Now, can you explain this discrepancy?

TIM BREWSTER: Well. Hmmm. Uh, I guess that...

PROSECUTOR: You guess that you are a serial prevaricator? You guess that you make the facts of the world fit your twisted notion of truth. Well, YOU GUESS RIGHT you piece of...

DEFENSE LAWYER: Objection your honor!

JUDGE: Sustained.

PROSECUTOR: Okay. Let's move on then. Sir, please explain to the court what the Brew Crew Report is?

TIM BREWSTER: It's our official blog.

PROSECUTOR: "Our" official blog. What, do you have a frog in your pocket? You mean it is YOUR official blog. YOURS! Isn't that correct?

TIM BREWSTER: Well, okay, it's my blog. What's your point here? Every coach these days has a blog.

PROSECUTOR: Every coach? Kirk Ferentz? No blog. Pat Fitzgerald? No blog. No one cares either, but the point being, no blog. Joe Paterno? Joe Paterno has no computer, no cell phone, no beeper, and no touch tone sir. Joe Paterno uses a rotary dial telephone, rides a Schwinn Continental 10-speed to work, and...hmmm...oh, yeah. I almost forgot, NO BLOG! In fact, the only other coach I could find in all of college football who has his own blog, is June Jones---and I think it's fair to say sir that you couldn't hold June Jones's clip board!

TIM BREWSTER: Well, they're making a huge mistake. All the kids today are on the internet. If you want to be a first rate recruiter you...

PROSECUTOR: Kids? They're kids alright. You disgust me. Your honor I want to introduce into evidence this page from the Brew Crew Report, Mr. Brewster's aforementioned blog.

PROSECUTOR: [hand Tim Brewster a document] I copied this from your blog. Will you read this aloud for the courtroom, sir?

TIM BREWSTER: "In total Brewster holds a coaching record of 113-61-1..."

PROSECUTOR: Stop there please!

TIM BREWSTER: What?

PROSECUTOR: 113 wins? 113 wins?!?

TIM BREWSTER: Well, see, my teams...

PROSECUTOR: Your teamssss? You mean your TEAM...as in singular, as in the only team you have coached in the history of EVER. And your singular team is all of....listen closely sir, 13 -21. Yeah, 13 wins. You, sir, have purposely inflated your win total by 100. Not two or three, but a C-note! Have you not?!

TIM BREWSTER: No, not at all. I was coaching during all those wins. Those are wins for which I deserve credit. Without me coaching I am not sure those are wins there.

PROSECUTOR: Sir, without you coaching, this game is a BETTER fucking place! You scumbag, mother...

DEFENSE LAWYER: Your honor! Mr. Pantherhawk is badgering the witness! I object!

JUDGE: Hold one here Mr. Whitespeedreceiver...Mr. Pantherhawk, we do not need to raise our voices.

PANTHERHAWK: Sorry your honor.

JUDGE: Continue please.

PANTHERHAWK: Your honor I want to introduce into evidence the 2009 Minnesota Gold Goopher Media Guide.

TIM BREWSTER: Gophers...it's pronounced "go-furs"

PANTHERHAWK: It's pronounced "lie-er" you pathetic bag of...

WHITESPEEDRECEIVER: Your honor!

PANTHERHAWK: Can you read from the top there, aloud for the courtroom sir?

TIM BREWSTER: "2008: Record: 7-6..."

PANTHERHAWK: Can you count up the losses listed below that and tell the courtroom that number?

TIM BREWSTER: Five.

PANTHERHAWK: Five? Not six as is stated at the top? Which is accurate. Your pathetic Goophers went 7-6 last year. Yet, you chose to only list five losses. Interesting.

TIM BREWSTER: There's an easy expla....

PANTHERHAWK: I didn't aks a question yet, sir. Now, do you want to hazard a guess as to which loss is magically missing that would have accounted for that sixth loss?

TIM BREWSTER: Uh...well....

PANTHERHAWK: It's the Iowa game sir. The game you lost 55-0. The game that stands as the second most lopsided loss in Minnesota Goopher history. The game in which your ass was handed to you on a silver platter with a beautiful lace doily, at home, on television, with a crowd that was so riveted to the scintillating drama on field that at least one urinal, that we know of, turned into a hot house. Everyone saw it. It was reported on every major sports website and in every major sports section of every major newspaper in this great land of ours. That game sir was a LOSS! And it is was purposely censored from your Media Guide.

TIM BREWSTER: It's go-pher history, not goof-er history.

WHITESPEEDRECEIVER: Your honor, are we going someplace here? What is counsel's point?

JUDGE: Mr. Pantherhawk, I think we need to wrap up. You have two minutes for your closing arguments now.

PANTHERHAWK: Yes, your honor. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Brewbag the Douchebag, as I like to call him, is a liar. I know it. He knows it. And now you know it. He pads his record on his official blog. He leaves out losses in his team's media guide. He lies about winning games he's actually lost as a player. All while in charge of young, impressionable young minds, mind you.

TIM BREWSTER: [under his breath] Minds, mind you?

PANTHERHAWK: Admittedly, the University of Minnesota is filled with losers and hypocrites, and douchbags---like Mr. Brewster---and God knows what else. But, the charge is no longer a charge. It is irrefutable truth. Brewbag the Douchebag is a liar.

TIM BREWSTER: Your honor may I respond?

JUDGE: No. I think I have heard enough. We will recess and leave this in the hands of the jury. This court is now adjourned. [slams gavel]

WHITESPEEDRECEIVER: Hey Tim.

TIM BREWSTER: Yes?

WHITESPEEDRECEIVER: That guy Pantherhawk is a Grade A dickhead. He's a troll and freak show and everyone knows it. The jury will never believe him.

TIM BREWSTER: But I'm a truthful guy! You believe me. Right?

WHITESPEEDRECEIVER: Well, let me explain something. My obligation is not finding, revealing or even knowing the truth; my obligation is to the law. You understand.

TIM BREWSTER: But I can...

WHITESPEEDRECEIVER: Save it for the recruits. It's in the hands of the jury. Now, let's go get some coffee while they deliberate.

TIM BREWSTER: And Slim Jim's???

WHITESPEEDRECEIVER: Sure, and Slim Jims.

The Lickliter Way: Explained (sort of)

StoopsMyAss — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:57:06 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Iowa coach Todd Lickliter has a way he wants to play.

Browse more photos »

After last night's Duquesne game I decided to do some research on the so-called basketball system often referred to as The Butler Way that Iowa hired two years ago by way of Todd Lickliter. I thought I had a sense of what it was before, but watching Iowa play these first two games I was beginning to wonder what I was watching.

So, thanks to a handful of very informative articles on-line and a look at the NCAA Statistics Archive I think I now have a much better sense of what kind of team Todd Lickliter is trying to build at Iowa.

The first thing to know is that The Butler Way is not Todd Lickliter's invention. If anyone holds that distinction it would most likely be former Butler coach and current Athletic Director Barry Collier, working off of the values and principles of long-time Butler coach and Indiana basketball legend, Tony Hinkle.

Tony Hinkle coached at Butler from 1945 - 1970 and during that time instilled core values in the program that included humility, passion, unity, and accountability and to a certain degree subservience. After he retired in 1970 Butler's next two coaches attempted to make Butler a more progressive program that played a run and gun style of basketball, recruiting the best possible athletes they could get their hands on. But...after two coaches and 19 years of below .500 basketball, in 1989 Butler hired Barry Collier.

Collier promised to bring Butler back to the Hinkle values by recruiting players who were "team first" guys (mostly home grown from Indiana), totally committed to Collier, Butler and the program's core principles. Collier was successful quickly as he built a team-above-self style basketball team. In his second year he coached the team to the NIT, and in his third year he took Butler to the conference championship game and again to the NIT. The die had been cast and Butler was back on the map and in the NCAAs.

But how did he do it?

Collier believed in defense, defense, defense. Butler would become a team known for its intensity and strict adherence to fundamentally sound team defense. Butler did not then, and has really never been able to recruit great athletes. They acknowledged this limitation under Collier who coached to the strengths of the kind of players they knew they could recruit. Players who were desperate to play Div. I basketball and would sell their souls to do so. Butler evolved under Collier as teams filled with great guard play and guys who could play several positions, all of whom were good free throw shooters, players who could hit an open three, and would set screens and block out.

Over time Butler teams would annually look statistically like this:

Ranked among the top nationally

Points allowed (usually in the low to mid 60s)
Defense shooting percentage (low to mid 40s)
Free throw percentage (but not made free throws as his teams did not get to the line often)
Three-point FGs made (around 9-10 per game) with a decent percentage (high 30s or better)
Turnovers allowed (usually fewer than 10 per game)
Points per game (high 60s)

Ranked among the bottom nationally

Steals
Blocked shots
Assists
Rebound margin

So, you're beginning to get the picture. Some fundamentals were elaborated upon by Thad Matta who succeeded Collier in 2000 for one year. Collier left to take the head-coaching job at Nebraska in 2000 and it is worth noting that Collier was not able to duplicate his Butler success at Nebraska and left there in 2006 season with an 89-91 record and zero 20-win seasons. Matta brought in a few more defensive principles from Dick Bennett who was a Wisconsin coaching legend and at UW at the time. It is fair to say Matta further refined The Butler Way in his lone season at Butler. Matta saw even greater value in the 3-point shot and making EVERY possession count. As usual, under Matta they were a Top Ten team defense.

Lickliter succeeded Matta in 2001 and saw instant success using The Butler Way. Lickliter would win 26 or more games in three of his six seasons at Butler.

FROM BUTLER TO IOWA

So, has The Butler Way translated to Iowa? Let's look at the statistics for some clues. First, let's look at Iowa's national ranking from the 2008-9 season in the areas that are at the CORE of The Butler Way

Points allowed - ranked 14^th allowing 59 pts/game
Defense shooting percentage - ranked 138^th at 44%
Free throw percentage - ranked 26^th at 74%
Three-point FGs made -ranked 71^st in percentage made at 8.1/game at 36%
Turnovers allowed - ranked 58^th at 12.5/game
Points per game - 60.1

Okay, so Iowa's defense shooting percentage allowed ranking last year was way too low and will need to improve for this system to work. Also, the number of three point FGs made is too low and the percentage needs to improve as well. There are also too many turnovers allowed. Ball control is crucial to the The Butler Way and last year Iowa just wasn't efficient with the ball. It is obvious to me now that Tony Freeman and Jeff Peterson were not the model point guard for Lickliter. Lickliter wants a general on the court who sets the tone for how the team will handle the ball. He also wants a subservient point guard who does whatever he asks and is a mirror reflection of Lickliter's values and ideals. I think the PG position is huge for Lickliter. At the end of the day, Iowa's shortfalls in these areas led to Iowa scoring about 10 points a game too few. But defensively Iowa was exactly where all these Butler teams usually are in the rankings...top 15.

To finish it off...Iowa was predictably ranked near the bottom last year in:

Steals - ranked 319^th out of 330 teams
Blocked shots - ranked 283^rd
Assists - ranked 258^th
Rebound margin - ranked 197^th

Again, most of these stats are not relevant to The Butler Way. Butler rarely recruits tall and/or athletic players who can block shots or make steals. Butler packs it in and dares other teams to make three point shots. Once they do, Butler extends out to the three-point line. Iowa did the same thing. But to conclude with last year's team, Iowa's assist to turnover ratio did not cut it (they averaged 3 more turnovers than the system can tolerate) but the rest is within the range of the system's tolerance.

I am going to suggest that Lickliter is building this team from the defense up and out. He is trying to get the defensive principles firmly in place and expects that offensively they will grow and become better ball handlers, more efficient from the three point line, and able to reduce turnovers. If they do not, however, you can expect the results of the first two games. But this is what The Lickliter Way is...this is how it is going to be:

Methodical on the offensive end, in order to tire out the opposing team's defense and limit touches for them
Win games scoring 60 - 65 points a game or even less
Defensive intensity, winning the lose balls, taking charges, generally making life miserable for the other team with physical play but not particularly athletic play
Close games won on the free throw line and/or with clutch late game three point shooting and good defense

Lickliter probably wants to evenually build depth too.

Lastly, let's look at Iowa's first two games this season to see how they are performing in terms of The Lickliter Way:

Points allowed - 57 points/game (this is about where the system wants it)
Defense shooting percentage - 39%/game (this is better than last year and right where the system wants it)
Free throw percentage - 61%/game (15% below acceptability)
Three-point FGs made -5.5/game (5 too few) at 20% (15-20% below acceptability)
Turnovers allowed - 15.5/game (more than 5 too many for the system's liking)
Points per game - 50 points/game (10 below last year and 15 below the ideal)

Bottom line, Iowa is doing defensively what The Lickliter Way would like from a statistical point of view. Offensively, however, is another story. It comes down to Iowa having too many turnovers, and making too few three point shots at too low of a percentage. If Iowa improves behind the three-point line in number of makes and in terms of percentage and takes care of the ball MUCH BETTER...then you might see better results. I know what you're thinking though: once the Big Ten season starts the Hawkeyes will face better, more skilled teams ofeensively and Iowa's defensive statistics may not hold--and offensively Iowa will face quicker, taller teams with more experience so they may regress even further there as well. You're right and Lickliter would say this is the beginning of the beginning.

FINAL NOTE: I can see why Lickliter and his system was hired at Iowa. It is, simplistically stated, a basketball version of how Iowa wins football games. We'll see if it pans out.