Dear Old Gold
Fansided

Iowa Football: Roads Wins over Ranked Teams are Uncommon

By Matt Opad

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes walks the field before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions on November 5, 2016 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes walks the field before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions on November 5, 2016 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Iowa football lost on the road to top 20 Michigan last week, but a loss to a ranked opponent on the road isn’t new, even for great college football teams.

Iowa football did not look like Iowa football, at least on offense, in the Big House. Fans, including myself, are less than pleased about the performance, and rightfully so.

The truth is that if you are not Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State, you are probably going to lose to a good team on the road.

For example, the Wisconsin Badgers, one of the best teams in the NCAA over the past five years, is 1-3 in true road games since 2014.

Michigan’s struggles against ranked teams on the road are well documented. Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines are 1-6 on the road against ranked opponents.

James Franklin, the head coach of Iowa football opponent this week, is 0-11 in true road games against ranked opponents. This includes an 0-6 road record against top 25 teams at Penn State.

Iowa is now 2-4 on the road against top 25 foes since 2014. When you look at teams that Iowa is typically considered inferior to – Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan – things don’t appear so bad.

Even teams that are almost universally considered to be consistently at a much higher level than Iowa do not fare as well on the road. Auburn, for instance, is only 4-8 since 2014 in true road games against top 25 teams. Georgia is still a not-so-convincing 4-4 against ranked teams during that same time period.

I am not here to tell you that the Hawkeyes are as good as Auburn or Georgia. However, fans of Iowa football can conclude that even teams like Auburn, Georgia, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan struggle with ranked teams on the road.

The reason that teams like UCF and Boise State are frequently criticized for their schedule is the lack of opportunity to play ranked teams on the road.

This week, a ranked Iowa football team plays Penn State at home. The Nittany Lions will try, and hopefully fail, to do something that Iowa couldn’t do last week and that Penn State hasn’t done under James Franklin – beat a ranked team on the road.

Next. Hawks could return all starters vs Penn State. dark

No fan of Iowa football enjoyed losing in Ann Arbor. However, I can guarantee you that the Hawkeyes aren’t alone in their struggle to beat a top 25 team on the road.

As Hawkeye fans, let’s hope for Penn State’s continued struggle to beat a ranked team on the road.

Home/Iowa Football