Iowa football: Historically, Kirk Ferentz has had Minnesota’s number

The Iowa football team is in a unique position Saturday as they take on top-10 ranked Minnesota. Fortunately, Iowa’s got some good history on its’ side.

Before another Minnesota fan jumps down my throat before actually reading my article like they did when I said Minnesota was overrated at the time, I am not saying the Iowa football team will win simply because of history.

Personally, I do like having history on my side, but that isn’t to say it will help. However, I do find it fascinating to review history between two storied rivals like Iowa and Minnesota and their battle for the Floyd of Rosedale, a big bronze pig.

Prior to the arrival of Hayden Fry, Minnesota built quite a dominating lead in the standings versus the Iowa football team owning the series 48-24.

Upon Fry’s arrival, however, things begin to change, and with Kirk Ferentz’s arrival, things really starting going the Hawks way (which did coincidentally coincide with a rough stretch for Minnesota). The Hawks have gone 26-11 since 1982 and they currently own a four-game winning streak against the Golden Gophers.

From a conference perspective, some may be surprised to realize that Minnesota has dominated the Big Ten before (18 conference championships and 7 national championships), but that dominance died when modern football was born as they’ve won ten games just once in the entire history of the program, and that was back in 2003.

So when we talk about history, it’s not just the Iowa football team looking to extend their four-game winning streak to five this year, it’s Minnesota also attempting to win ten games for the first time in nearly two decades and the second time ever. Moreover, a win for Minnesota would get them one step closer to getting a shot at the Big Ten Title for the first time since 1963.

Needless to say, there is a lot of “history” at stake in Saturday’s matchup between the Iowa football team and the Minnesota Gophers.