Couple of reasons to root for either team:
Iowa: (1) So that they can have a chance to catch Wiscy and perhaps be the team that we would face in the B10 Championship Game (I just don't want to play Wiscy or any other team twice). (2) Because it would be fun to see PSU lose a third game and most of whatever remaining confidence they might have before coming to play at the Big House.
PSU: (1) Strength of Schedule. As dominant as we've looked, I'm afraid that our SOS may not be perceived as all that great just yet, given that neither Wiscy nor MSU were as good as their preseason expectations at the time we played them; I'm a little worried that if MSU tanks the rest of the season (I hope they do) and Wiscy loses out to someone in the B10 West race (e.g. Iowa), that perception may only be amplified, and we will be hurting in the SOS comparisons with other one-loss teams. It's already bad enough that we will not have the opportunity to beat an undefeated #2-ranked OSU in Columbus, which would have made us a shoo-in for the playoff, IMO. Beating a top-fifteen PSU (as opposed to an unranked PSU) would give us probably our best win to date. (2) I can't think of another reason to root for PSU. (
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In the end, I'm probably overthinking it--Go Hawkeyes!
Iowa: (1) So that they can have a chance to catch Wiscy and perhaps be the team that we would face in the B10 Championship Game (I just don't want to play Wiscy or any other team twice). (2) Because it would be fun to see PSU lose a third game and most of whatever remaining confidence they might have before coming to play at the Big House.
PSU: (1) Strength of Schedule. As dominant as we've looked, I'm afraid that our SOS may not be perceived as all that great just yet, given that neither Wiscy nor MSU were as good as their preseason expectations at the time we played them; I'm a little worried that if MSU tanks the rest of the season (I hope they do) and Wiscy loses out to someone in the B10 West race (e.g. Iowa), that perception may only be amplified, and we will be hurting in the SOS comparisons with other one-loss teams. It's already bad enough that we will not have the opportunity to beat an undefeated #2-ranked OSU in Columbus, which would have made us a shoo-in for the playoff, IMO. Beating a top-fifteen PSU (as opposed to an unranked PSU) would give us probably our best win to date. (2) I can't think of another reason to root for PSU. (
)In the end, I'm probably overthinking it--Go Hawkeyes!
