Iowa, the defending Big Ten West Champions, just lost to a North Dakota State team without Carson Wentz and Twitter lost their mind.
Iowa may have won the Big Ten West last year, but that is now a distant memory. Having lost to the North Dakota State Bison before the conference schedule even starts, they’re starting to resemble the team that finished 0-2 rather than the team that started 12-0.
North Dakota State was a trendy upset pick. Having won the National Championship the last five years, and produced the second overall pick in 2016, they’re practically the Alabama of the FCS. They’ve also beaten an FBS opponent the last five times they’ve faced one. But Iowa looked so dominant in their first two wins, and they wanted to prove that last year’s season wasn’t a fluke. But instead, this loss puts them behind in the Big Ten West race big time:
Love Iowa losing. Does any school dodge power teams in non-conf more than them? Amazing.
— Travis Yost (@travisyost) September 17, 2016
— kyle dugger appreciator (@KwadarRay) September 17, 2016
That look when you lose to an FCS school...
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 17, 2016
NDSU upsets No. 13 Iowa 23-21! pic.twitter.com/lVp7GuodJf
Nothing fluky about how the #Bison win. There wasn't today & there aren't 25 better teams than NorthDakotaState in FBS.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 17, 2016
NDSU has 6 wins against the FBS since 2010. Kansas has 7.
— Paul Myerberg (@PaulMyerberg) September 17, 2016
NDSU out rushed Iowa 129 to -9 in the 4th. My word.
— Daniel Gunderson (@GunderBathgate) September 17, 2016
Does NDSU get a spot in the top 25 yet?
— Jody Norstedt - Midco Sports (@NorstedtMidco) September 17, 2016
It's gonna be weird when NDSU joins the Big Ten in 2023 and Kirk Ferentz gets his revenge.
— Mark Primiano (@Doctor1Hundred) September 17, 2016
Shoutout to NDSU for taking out Iowa's overrated asses
— Mark Mane La Flare (@BossmanJiggetts) September 17, 2016
Did NDSU really shock the college football world? Not if you've been paying attention for the last six years, they didn't.
— the original clang (@RVA_WatfordFC) September 17, 2016
With Michigan State playing Notre Dame and Ohio State playing Oklahoma, Week 3 had the potential to be a really bad one for the Big Ten. But Iowa should’ve taken care of business against North Dakota State, especially now that they don’t have Carson Wentz.
More than anything, this loss proves that the Big Ten West is wide open. Nobody expected Iowa to emerge last year, and even though they were the only ranked team from the West in the preseason, teams like Nebraska and Wisconsin have caught up to them.
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Iowa can still make it back to the conference championship game, especially if they run the table, but their schedule is a lot tougher than it was last year. Wisconsin’s schedule is also among the toughest in the country, so there’s really no telling who’s going to emerge victorious. Iowa could’ve been excused if they suffered a loss during conference play, but there are sure to be tons of questions in the wake of this game.