What to Root For Week 9

Well, our coaching staff and special teams decided we didn't get to win, but I'm sure Clayborn will threaten to eat them if they screw up like that again, so onto next week and salvaging the season with a Rose Bowl bid, or possibly a BCS at large. Either one of those things will require Iowa to win the rest of our games, so here we go:

1. Iowa win vs Michigan State
No 3 loss team has ever gotten a BCS at large bid, and since the Big Ten isn't the ACC or Big East, it will be pretty much impossible for Iowa to win the conference with 3 losses, 2 being in conference. This means Iowa has to win out, starting with beating BCS #5 undefeated Michigan State at home this week. Though I suppose, if you needed to be told Iowa winning was a good thing for Iowa, you probably aren't smart enough to know how to read and what I'm writing here is just some boring pattern on your computer screen.

2. Wisconsin loss @ Purdue
If both Wisconsin and Iowa win out, Wisconsin will be 11-1 and ranked higher in the BCS at the end of the year. Michigan State would go to the Rose Bowl as conference champion, and Wisconsin would be a near lock to get the second bcs bid over Iowa. Iowa's fanbase will help us jump a lot of schools in at large selections, but Wisconsin has a similar fanbase, and that combined with a higher ranking, better record, and beating us head to head we would be out of luck. The BCS doesn't allow 3 teams from one conference to qualify in the same season, so Iowa would be out of luck. Iowa needs Wisconsin to lose a game, so until they do, Iowa fans should be hoping for a Badgers loss every week.

3. Ohio State loss @ Minnesota
This isn't happening, but we can dream.

Not a whole lot else matters. It would be nice if teams ranked above us in the BCS standings lost, but other than Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Michigan State losing and Iowa winning, not a whole lot else effects our chances at getting into a BCS game.