Professor Chaos: Kirk Ferentz wants to end Michigan's College Football Playoff dreams
By John Buhler
Although there is a less than zero percent chance that Kirk Ferentz actually knows who Professor Chaos is or what he is about, he believes his Iowa Hawkeyes can play spoiler in the Big Ten Championship Game vs. the heavily-favored Michigan Wolverines in Indianapolis. Oh, hamburgers indeed... It would have to be something like 9-7 for Iowa to realistically win this, but it would be so wild.
In perhaps the greatest example of a 10-2 spite season we have ever seen, Ferentz's Hawkeyes won the Big Ten West one final time before the entire conference goes division-less with arguably the worst offense the world has seen since the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The NFL expansion team had what eventually became the Head Ball Coach, but Iowa has three yards and a cloud of punt, baby!
Given that Ferentz's inept offensive coordinator son Brian was given the boot by interim athletic director Beth Goetz like a majestic Tory Taylor punt sailing into a cornfield, this may be the penultimate game of Ferentz's Iowa City tenure. If Iowa were to stun Michigan, Ferentz may opt to "retire" with dignity after an undeserved New Year's Six bowl. Michigan would miss the playoff, too...
If Michigan were to somehow lose to Iowa in Indianapolis, the internet might collapse out of hilarity.
Then again, nobody outside of Fort Worth, Texas saw TCU beating Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl either...
Kirk Ferentz wants to blow up Michigan's perfect season in Indianapolis
Truth be told, hoping that Iowa can beat Michigan in the Big Ten Championship is like ATLiens hoping for a white Christmas. Yes, it kind of happened once not that long ago, but this is on par with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's beloved California Angels winning the AL pennant. Like Al, we are always watching. Great Scott! Wouldn't it be otherworldly if Iowa somehow muddied it up vs. Michigan inside a dome?
Two years ago, Michigan annihilated Iowa in the same game before the Wolverines got annihilated by eventual national champion Georgia in the Orange Bowl. Michigan is looking to three-peat in the Big Ten and make it three straight trips to the College Football Playoff. Thus far, Michigan has been unable to win a national semifinal game, falling to Georgia and TCU in back-to-back postseasons.
Overall, I think we need to step back for one second and come to grips with the notion that this is probably the final season of the Ferentz era in Iowa City. He did a remarkable job replacing a legend in his mentor Hayden Fry nearly a quarter century ago. Iowa would occasionally have a year like this. However, his legacy is a complicated one defined by nepotism offense, soft schedules and punting.
If Iowa were to somehow beat Michigan in Indianapolis, it would be the biggest upset of the season.