Arrrrgh. The Frustration.

Nov. 2, 2008

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Big Ten probably never had a day in which every conference football game was decided in the final 30 seconds.

But it has now. The results of all four Big Ten games on Saturday were determined in the final, fleeting seconds.

All were on television, three simultaneously. If your timing was right in clicking the TV remote you saw:

Purdue beat Michigan 48-42 with a touchdown in the last 26 seconds.

Michigan State beat Wisconsin 25-24 with a field goal in the final 7 seconds.

Northwestern beat Minnesota 24-17 by intercepting a pass and running it back for a touchdown with 12 seconds remaining.

Then you could lean back and witness the remaining game. Illinois beat Iowa 27-24 with a field goal in the final 24 seconds.

For the winners, it was pure ecstasy. Meanwhile the losers were dismayed, depressed, disheartened and disgusted.

(Football Saturday ended in the same manner. Texas Tech beat No. 1 Texas with a touchdown pass on the last play from scrimmage.)

It won’t be easy, but those of us in Hawkeye Nation must now pick ourselves off the floor and stiffen our resolve for the final three games of the season. Our football team still needs another win or two to get a bowl berth.

It is certainly distressing to have lost another game by a narrow margin. That’s four losses by 12 points. Why couldn’t we have at least split those four games and we would be sitting here with a comfortable 7-2 record, with an eye on a Florida bowl game.

I still believe that this is a pretty good Iowa football team, but facts are facts. Only one of the five teams it has defeated has a winning record, and that’s Maine, which plays in Division II.

On the other hand, the Hawkeyes have lost to four quality opponents. Michigan State and Northwestern are both 7-2, Pittsburgh 6-2 and Illiinois 5-4. All are likely to receive a bowl bid.

When Iowa wins, it does so convincingly. Its five victories have come by a margin of 155 points. When it loses, it does so painfully (see those total 12 points).

Maybe Iowa simply cannot beat a good team — one that’s won more games than it’s lost. It has two more chances to do so. Penn State visits Kinnick Stadium this Saturday and a game at Minnesota ends the season.

Penn State comes here bidding for a spot in the national championship game. The Nittany Lions are unbeaten and No. 3 in the polls. They’ve had a week off after winning a big game at Ohio State.

This will be Iowa’s toughest test of the season, by far. To have any chance to win, the Hawkeyes must eliminate turnovers, convert third downs and capitalize on red zone opportunities.

Losing four games by 12 total points creates a lot of frusration. An upset of Penn State would release a lot of that.