IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Yes, the Iowa Hawkeyes have noticed.
They hear the grumbling about a schedule that does not include the top five teams in the Big Ten East, about an offense that’s still perceived as plodding, about a defense that has feasted against six FBS opponents ranked outside the top 80 nationally in scoring, about a program seemingly headed downward over the past five years, without a nine-win season since 2009.
“People are going to say what they’re going to say,” senior linebacker Cole Fisher said.
What they’re saying is that Iowa does not belong in conversation with the nation’s premier teams.