Iowa Defeats No. 3 Penn State: What's Next for the Hawkeyes?

I am sure 99.9 percent of the people who are reading this article already know the Iowa Hawkeyes knocked off Penn State on Saturday with a come from behind, last second field goal to beat the formerly undefeated and third ranked team.

It was great to see the Hawkeyes win a big game on national stage like they did on Saturday, but what exactly does it mean for the rest of the season?

The answer: Not much. 

It seems to me like every time you talk about a specific team in college football, you can't help but bring up the BCS. It's terribly annoying because everybody and their brother, sister, and fifth cousin talks about the BCS and how it ruins the excitement of college football, unless you buy into the drummed up hype of CBS and ESPN on ABC—whatever that means.

I think all fans want is for their team to have a chance all season long.  Most fans are realistic and know where the season is heading. At the same time, a huge portion of the fun is having hope and that’s what the BCS takes away from fans.  I am already annoyed by myself that I am going to throw my two cents onto the World Wide Web.

What happens now that Iowa has pulled off this seemingly big upset against the top team in the Big Ten?  They become one victory closer to bowl eligibility, which is better than not being in a bowl game, if those are the two options set in front of me. 

Now, what would the difference be if they had been embarrassed by Penn State on Saturday and beaten Northwestern a few weeks ago?  Nothing.  (I do wonder which is more embarrassing though—getting blown out by Penn State or losing to Northwestern.) 

There is no place for Iowa to go, no way up. They have reached the ceiling.  What is the difference between finishing fourth or tying for fifth with two other teams in the Big Ten?

I suppose one would say this is just a building block for 2009 and/or the next time Iowa plays a top ranked team on national television they can reference Saturday as to when they last beat a top-five team.  It's nonsense.  It takes all the hope out of the season and what could be or what still might be.

The season is over.

It was on life support after the loss to Pittsburgh and in the grave after the losses to Michigan State and Northwestern.

There is no resurrection for the season. You won’t be able to look back at the end of the season and say this game was a turning point, a season-changing game.

If at the end of the season you could have traded this game for Northwestern and nobody would know the difference.