Bleacher Report - Kirk Ferentz

Iowa Hawkeyes Off To Orange Bowl, BCS Gets It Right

Michael Maxwell — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:12:38 -0500

I will be the first to admit I can’t stand the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system. I often think that the Bull Crap System would be a much better description.

This year is a bit unusual in that five teams finished the regular season with perfect records—Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, TCU, and Boise State.

Yet, in their infinite wisdom, the college football “powers that be” have decreed that only two of these schools can compete for the National Championship.

Alas, Cincinnati, TCU, and Boise are just the latest teams to be screwed by the BCS. They join a long line of schools that have been cheated out of an opportunity to compete for a national title.

However, while I vehemently object to the entire BCS system relative to selecting the champion, in the case of the 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes, the BCS got it right.

The Iowa Hawkeyes will face Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl in Miami on Jan. 5, 2010. Based on their entire body of work, Iowa deserved to go to a BCS Bowl game.

Us outsiders can only presume that the Orange Bowl bid likely came down to either Iowa or Big 10-rival Penn State. The relative strengths and weaknesses of these two schools in regard to bowl worthiness has been analyzed ad infinitum ever since both teams completed their regular season schedules way back before Thanksgiving.

Both Iowa and Penn State finished at 10-2 overall and 6-2 in the Big 10—in the Top 14 of the final BCS standings—making them eligible for an at-large BCS Bowl. Both teams have dedicated fan bases that would have traveled in droves to Miami to support their teams. Both teams could point to decent television ratings at some point and time in recent history.

But there certainly were differences between these two. Most importantly, you had Iowa’s head to head win back in September at Happy Valley. Penn State could counter that by pointing out that Iowa finished losing two of its last three games.

The Hawkeyes also gave Ohio State all they could handle, falling in overtime at Ohio Stadium in the second to last game of the season. On the other hand, Ohio State posted a convincing 24-7 win over Penn State at Beaver Stadium.

The non-conference schedules were also different. Iowa could point to quality wins against Bowl-bound in-state rival Iowa State on the road and Pac-10 runner-up, Arizona, at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa also posted gutty road wins at Wisconsin and Michigan St.

Conversely, Penn State’s best non-conference win came against a Temple team that finished a surprising 9-3, but out of the final BCS Top 25. Penn State also played Syracuse, Akron, and Eastern Illinois out of conference.

But, Penn State’s ultimate wild card was, of course, legendary coach Joe Paterno. As much as Iowans love Kirk Ferentz, at least at this stage of his career, Ferentz just doesn’t measure up to Paterno in terms of national cache. It was impossible to quantify the Paterno factor in the Bowl selection equation.

Primarily due to its tougher schedule and head-to-head win, Iowa finished No. 10 in the BCS rankings, while Penn State finished in the 13th spot. I just don’t see where Penn State can make a credible argument; the program had its chance on home turf in September and quite simply blew it.

Interesting that this year the 10 BCS Bowl spots went to teams ranked one through 10 in the final BCS rankings. While I love a good controversy, all 10 BCS teams are deserving of their Bowl bids.

So, at last, some sanity has been introduced to the proceedings. It has to be very gratifying to the Iowa program and its fans to think that the BCS Bowl bid probably was decided on the field when Iowa beat Penn State on that rainy night back in late September at Beaver Stadium.

I think that Jim Garrison, of JFK fame probably said it best: “Let justice be done or the heaven’s fall”. Justice was done, in this case.

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The Top 9 College Football Coaches of 2009

Brendan Collins — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:26:23 -0500

There are several different Coach of the Year trophies the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Liberty Mututal Coach of the Year as well as each conference having their own awards. Here we will break down the best coaching performances of the 2009 season NOT in rank but alphabetical order.

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Kirk Ferentz: 10 Early Bowl Season Gifts for Iowa

J.A. Allen — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:26:35 -0500

In 2009 Santa dropped in early and often to visit Hawkeye head coach Kirk Ferentz, leaving 10 pre-season bowl gifts under the nationally-ranked Hawkeye tree. As Ferentz eagerly opened each one, the gold-gilded invitation kept under lock and key offering a special trip to a warm climate, loomed larger and larger as bowl season moved closer and closer...

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Why Kirk Ferentz Does Not Fit at Notre Dame

Tim Weideman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:10:31 -0500

Kirk Ferentz is no stranger to rumors—he seems to have his name thrown into more possible coaching replacement discussions than can be counted on one hand any given year.

The Big Ten Coach of the Year was originally penned into the Notre Dame coaching job discussion by a story run in the Chicago Sun-Times way back on Nov. 15.

Now that the Irish have officially dumped Charlie Weis, it seems every media outlet has planted Ferentz on what they believe should be Notre Dame's short list—though it's extremely short-sighted.

Ferentz and Weis share a common acquaintance in Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and their salaries are similar. That's about all that could be tying the Iowa head coach into this messy equation.

Though it's all very clear-cut in Ferentz's case.

Notre Dame would need to change too much for Ferentz to be the proper fit.

Ferentz is Catholic (for what it's worth), and it's true that Notre Dame would benefit from a coach with a style similar to that of Ferentz—a focused running attack and strong defense—but let's face it: Kirk Ferentz is not flashy enough for the Notre Dame fans or the program's tradition.

How would Ferentz adapt to Notre Dame's storied pep rally tradition? Even though Ferentz isn't given much slack when the Hawkeyes struggle, he is still deeply loved by his players and the Iowa faithful. However, it's hard to see him waving his arms around in Lou Holtz fashion.

Ferentz is not one to get people fired up. He always maintains a calm, collected demeanor—with the rare exception of getting in a referee's ear, but even that takes a downright outrageous call.

It's safe to say "Ferentz" wasn't the name that came to many Notre Dame fans' minds when rumors started swirling that Weis was soon to be ousted. I can't claim to know the pulse of the Irish on the subject, but I imagine I'm close to being correct.

Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer make a lot more sense, but they have something very important in common with Ferentz—they're sitting pretty in their respective programs, too.

Notre Dame's helmets are the only thing golden about the state of Fighting Irish football. It would take a lot of persuasion—or a mighty large paycheck—to get any of these coaches to move location.

Getting Ferentz to up and move could take even more persuasion. Ferentz's son is a freshman for the Hawkeyes, and he has two other children attending the University. That's a lot of relocation that would be a major pain to deal with.

Yet at first glance, Ferentz's name admittedly sounds good when thrown into the mix. Take a close look, though.

During Weis' tenure, he accumulated a record of 35-27 (.565) with the Fighting Irish. Ferentz is 80-55 (.593) in his time spent coaching the Hawkeyes.

Ferentz is recognized for turning the Hawkeyes around after his team limped through its first seasons under his lead. A similar struggle is likely for Notre Dame's new coach, which makes one wonder: Is there enough patience in South Bend for Ferentz?

Ferentz is also known for picking up the recruits that fly under other teams' radars and turning them into surprise NFL-caliber athletes.

Weis, on the other hand, has ruined Notre Dame's recruiting program, but would Ferentz bringing in his usual under the radar recruits appease the Notre Dame faithful who still want blue chippers?

No way that would fly in South Bend.

Though Ferentz will likely keep his cards close throughout the entire discussion, this shouldn't be confused as proving he's actually considering the job. Hawkeye fans and others used to Ferentz know he keeps a tight lip about everything personal—it's simply how he operates.

In an article run by the (Cedar Rapids) Gazette before Iowa's final game against Minnesota, Ferentz discussed the Notre Dame job rumors and was quoted as saying, "That's the last thing I've thought about. I've been here 20 years and I kind of like my job. I like where I'm at."

The Iowa Hawkeyes like where he's at, too.

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Absolutely No Way Kirk Ferentz Leaves Iowa for Notre Dame

Michael Maxwell — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:21:11 -0500

It seems like it has become an annual ritual. Where is Kirk Ferentz headed this year? In 2009, given that the ax has now officially fallen on Charlie Weis, the smart money appears to be on Ferentz leaving Iowa City for greener pastures in South Bend, Indiana.

Please allow me to enlighten everyone that will listen. Ferentz will not be leaving Iowa for Notre Dame. Coach Ferentz has a multitude of reasons for staying put.

First off, Ferentz has told anyone that will listen that he is very happy at Iowa. Why people refuse to believe him is beyond me.

Ferentz signed a contract extension over the summer of 2009 that runs through the 2015 season. Thus, whoever would want to lure Ferentz away from Iowa City would likely need to pay a hefty sum to buyout the remaining years on Ferentz’s contract with Iowa.

All of his children were born in Iowa City. His son, James is currently a red shirt freshmen on the team and I’m sure that Ferentz would like to have the opportunity to coach James the next few years, just as he did with his son Brian, a few years ago.

Ferentz’s youngest son is a sophomore in high school at City High in Iowa City. I just can’t imagine that he will uproot his family at this stage in their lives when he seems very comfortable in Iowa City.

Oh, but Notre Dame could throw gobs of money at Ferentz you say? While that might be true, Ferentz already makes a healthy salary. He is the highest paid state employee in the state of Iowa and pulls in nearly $3 million a year. It is doubtful that even Notre Dame could up the ante too much more than that.

Not only that, but Ferentz has use of a private jet for personal use as part of his current contract. This unusual perk clearly demonstrates that the Iowa administration knows exactly what they have in Ferentz and they are willing to go the extra mile and do whatever it takes, just to keep Ferentz in Iowa City.

Still need more convincing? Take a good look at the current state of the Iowa program vs. the Notre Dame program.

Iowa expects to return as many as 18 of 22 starters to a team that posted a 10-2 record, including starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who will be a senior in 2010. The starting running back duo of Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher were both freshmen this year. The future is very bright for the Hawkeyes.

Notre Dame posted a 6-6 record against a historically weak schedule and likely will lose at least their two best offensive players to the NFL and their defense had a hard time stopping anyone this year. Whoever takes the Notre Dame job could be in for some serious rebuilding.

Granted, Iowa is Iowa as far as recruiting goes. Notre Dame would offer certain recruiting advantages. But, the scrutiny that goes with being Notre Dame’s head football coach isn’t something that Ferentz would relish.

The wild card in the Ferentz to Notre Dame rumor mill happens to be former Irish offensive line coach under Lou Holtz, the late Joe Moore. Moore achieved legendary status for coaching offensive line prospects in the 1980s and 90s at Notre Dame. In Moore’s nine years at Notre Dame, every starting offensive lineman he coached moved on to the National Football League.

Moore was unceremoniously relieved of his duties after Bob Davie took over the program. Moore subsequently filed an age discrimination lawsuit against Notre Dame and eventually won.

What does this have to do with Ferentz? Moore just happens to be Ferentz’s high school football coach back at Upper St. Clair High School near Pittsburgh. Ferentz also worked extensively with Moore when he was a graduate assistant coach at Pittsburgh in 1980. In fact, Ferentz considers Moore to be as big an influence on his life and coaching career as anyone out there.

Ferentz had this to say about Moore in September 2009:

“When I played for him as a senior in high school, I was 17. In 1980, I worked with him at Pitt. I spent 90 percent of my awake hours with him for a yearlong period there. He was a mentor and also a very close friend of mine up until his death.”

Ferentz undoubtedly still harbors negative feelings towards Notre Dame related to the treatment Moore received on his way out the door. Loyalty is a very important quality to Ferentz. To underscore this thought, he has had the same offensive and defense coordinators since he began his head coaching duties at Iowa 11 years ago.

Why, then would Ferentz entertain returning to the school that treated his beloved mentor so poorly?

Ferentz to Notre Dame makes for some nice headlines, no doubt. But, when any logical person looks at this situation from afar, there is very little reason to think that Ferentz would even remotely consider the head coaching position at Notre Dame, given everything he has going for himself and his family at Iowa.

Read more Kirk Ferentz news on BleacherReport.com