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The rash of citations and arrests for alcohol-related issues had reached unprecedented levels.
School officials were actively combating the notion that Iowa football was facing an epidemic, and head coach Kirk Ferentz's seat had never been hotter.
26 charges between Spring Practice 2007 and Fall Camp 2009.
Sure Iowa City is renowned for it's party scene, but were the Hawkeyes running a football program or a fraternity?
It didn't help that Ferentz's own son, James, had fallen into the fray... twice.
And unfortunately, the off-field chaos wasn't limited to underaged drinking. A sexual assault case involving two former Hawkeyes was mishandled, accusations of a cover-up ensued, as did an investigation of the athletic department and Ferentz's knowledge of the debacle.
Winning can cure a lot of ills, but Iowa didn't have victories to fall back on.
A losing record in 2006 was followed by another six-win season in 2007, as the Hawkeyes dropped a home finale to Western Michigan and did not go bowling for the first time since 2000.
Somehow, someway, despite all that negative momentum, Ferentz pulled the program out of the fire.
After stumbling to 3-3 a year ago, the Hawkeyes won six of their last seven, including an upset of previously-undefeated Penn State and the Big Ten's lone bowl victory, a 31-10 trouncing of South Carolina.
Fast-forward to the present, where the only thing more stunning than the zero in the loss column is the one in the police ledger.
The Hawkeyes (8-0) are off to the best start in school history, with improbable wins that rival their improbable reversal in fortunes.
Iowa controls its own destiny in the Big Ten, and if undefeated, will be nearly impossible to lock out of the BCS Championship game.
So how did Ferentz do it?
Unless John Feinstein has been undercover in Iowa City, we may never know.
With his typical stoicism, the head coach would probably tell you he hasn't done anything differently. And perhaps that even-keeled personality is exactly what enabled Iowa to stay the course.
It clearly pained Ferentz to see his program dragged through the mud by irresponsible teenagers. Having a family member contribute to that contamination had to be especially gut-wrenching.
There's something to be said for a college football coach who can endure such prolonged ignominy and come out the other side. The athletic department's mismanagement during the dark period cannot be condoned, but Gary Barta and company should also be given their due for standing by the perfect fit for Iowa football.
Regardless of what happens in the season's final weeks, the Hawkeyes' success story is one worth celebrating, and the Coach of the Year balloting shouldn't come down to a blocked field goal or a last-second slant.
Ferentz better win that one by a much more comfortable margin.
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