There’s a famous quote in soccer that says that “to win you have to score one more goal than your opponent.” Kirk Ferentz may not have watched a single soccer game in his entire life, but this quote has embodied the philosophy of his team this season. Iowa may be the least watchable football team in America, but they have proved shockingly effective at scoring just slightly more points than their opponents, even though that number is often far lower than fans would like.
The Hawkeyes had to scratch and claw for every yard and every point in their ugly 15-6 win over Wisconsin, but this victory gave Iowa control of its own destiny in the Big Ten West and gave the Hawkeyes a clear path to the Big Ten Championship, even if most college football fans would rather watch almost any team play on the conference’s biggest stage.