It is time for Kirk Ferentz to put his money where his mouth is against Washington

Kirk Ferentz has done a lot in his coaching career. He has spent 25 years with the Iowa Hawkeyes and has won three Big Ten West Division titles, back when the Big Ten had divisions and two Big Ten titles. He has won Big Ten Coach of the Year four times, Walter Camp Coach of the Year once, and AP College Football Coach of the Year once.

Ferentz has shown he is a good coach and can lead a winning football team. However, this is not the early 2000s anymore, and football just isn't the same as it used to be. The world of college football is changing and Ferentz doesn't seem to be changing with it.

Recruiting has never been as big as it is right now, and Ferentz doesn't seem to want to try and work on it. His philosophy is to get middle-star recruits in the door and develop them while they are in the program. However, in the world of college football now, if players aren't playing, they just transfer somewhere that they will.

Ferentz is a great coach, and no one is taking that away from him, but he just might not be what Iowa needs anymore. The Hawkeyes need a coach who is going to adjust to the changes in the college football world, someone like Washington's coach, Jedd Fisch, or Washington's former coach, now Alabama coach Kalen Deboer.

So, with the Iowa Hawkeyes taking on Washington this weekend and the team being 3-2, a win would be big for the Hawkeyes and Ferentz. A loss would most certainly fuel to "fire Ferentz" fire that is quickly building with each game, especially with each loss.

Ferentz's job is not going to be on the line with a loss. It would take a lot for Iowa to choose to buy Feretnz out of his contract, which would keep him with the Hawkeyes until 2029. An entire 2024 season meltdown would have to happen in order for Iowa to consider firing Ferentz, so this game won't have a big effect on that, but this game is big for the reputation of Ferentz.

The longtime Iowa coach has talked a lot about how this Iowa team was going to be different offensively this season. After averaging just over 15 points a game last season, the Hawkeyes have slightly stepped it up on the offensive side of the ball, but when facing ranked opponents, Iowa has been outscored 127-7 in the past two seasons to this point.

Fans are getting tired of the lack of offense when facing opponents of true importance. The Hawkeyes have always seemed to be the little brother of the big teams in the Big Ten. Iowa always comes behind teams such as Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State in the Big Ten and fans are ready for this team to take the next step.

Washington is going to be a tough opponent as their offense is averaging 25.5 points per game, and their defense is allowing 13.1 points per game. While Iowa's offense is playing better this season, against teams who currently have a winning record, the Hawkeyes scored a total of 26 points. Iowa has two losses on the season, and in both of those games, they scored just 19 and 7 points.

Ferentz has doubled down on his choices offensively, especially when it comes to quarterback play. Cade McNamara has looked good against teams that are less than quality, but against teams that are of higher quality, he has looked lost and confused about the needs of the quarterback position. Fans are begging for a change just to see what is possible with backup Brendan Sullivan, but Ferentz won't budge.

Kirk Ferentz is going to have to win this game in order to keep the protesters at bay. Ferentz is not a well-liked guy among the Iowa fans right now, and unless something starts to change, especially offensively, it won't get any better.