For the image of the B10 conference, It is imperative that Iowa loses at least one game before the B10 championship game. Why, you ask? Hear me out here:
My fear is they are going to cruise through to the Big 10 championship game because of their easy schedule, and then the Big Ten East teams will beat up on each other so much that the winner of the Big Ten East will have two losses (an Ohio State team with one conference loss still has two losses overall)
If history is any indicator, two losses precludes a school from the college football playoffs. Therefore, even with the Big Ten East winner crushing Iowa in the championship game, Iowa will be sitting there with only one loss and will take the college football playoff bid (as 2016 showed us, you don't have to be the Big 10 champion to go to the playoffs).
Iowa would then make the college football playoffs and absolutely embarrass the conference on a national level when they are blown out by an elite team (most likely as a 4 seed, possibly facing UGA in the semis).
I know that I am getting ahead of myself, big time, with so much football still yet to be played. However, this is why it is imperative that Iowa loses at least once during the regular season. Purdue, Wisconsin, and Nebraska are probably the best chances of this happening.
Boiler Up!
My fear is they are going to cruise through to the Big 10 championship game because of their easy schedule, and then the Big Ten East teams will beat up on each other so much that the winner of the Big Ten East will have two losses (an Ohio State team with one conference loss still has two losses overall)
If history is any indicator, two losses precludes a school from the college football playoffs. Therefore, even with the Big Ten East winner crushing Iowa in the championship game, Iowa will be sitting there with only one loss and will take the college football playoff bid (as 2016 showed us, you don't have to be the Big 10 champion to go to the playoffs).
Iowa would then make the college football playoffs and absolutely embarrass the conference on a national level when they are blown out by an elite team (most likely as a 4 seed, possibly facing UGA in the semis).
I know that I am getting ahead of myself, big time, with so much football still yet to be played. However, this is why it is imperative that Iowa loses at least once during the regular season. Purdue, Wisconsin, and Nebraska are probably the best chances of this happening.
Boiler Up!