How B1G Firing Shapes Iowa's Outlook

Every team is in control of their own destiny, at least to some extent. The Iowa Hawkeyes, for all their woes, injury worries and coaching aggravations, are no different; and at 4-2 (2-1) fans of the black and gold have got to be relatively happy with where the team is right now, especially considering the immediate outlook on their upcoming schedule.

Because sometimes, things happen on the outside that directly impact teams not directly involved with them. Now, with the Penn State Nittany Lions next up on the Hawkeyes' slate, a conference-shaking piece of news has hit the B1G, and Iowa are the closest immediate beneficiaries.

In a rumored yet still shocking move, Penn State officially announced the firing of head coach James Franklin following the Nittany Lions' 3-3 start to the season. Their especially bad 0-3 record in the conference, which was initiated by a road loss to the then-winless UCLA Bruins, appears to be the catalyst in Franklin's departure after year's of the coach's inability to win big games.

Even still, entering this weekend's matchup in Iowa City, the Nittany Lions were within three points of the Hawkeyes based apparently on sheer legacy and reputation alone. But in the wake of the firing and subsequent scramble within Penn State's program, Iowa, perhaps the most diehard do-it-their-way team in the B1G for better or worse, are now likely to have a much more favorable outlook.

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz | Ayrton Breckenridge

A good break couldn't come at a better time for this Iowa team, to boot. Despite the team's seemingly telling 37-0 blowout win over the Wisconsin Badgers on the road in last week's game, the Hawkeyes expectations appeared far from shaken out.

With QB Mark Gronowski having just returned from an injury that has still yet to be made fully clear - which showed in an offensive performance that was heavily dependent on not passing the ball - a duel against an aggravated Nittany Lions team on the heels of three straight losses looked like the last thing a team in such a scenario would want.

But now, just outside the top five with every ounce of momentum and good faith surrounding the game, the Hawkeyes' second straight win appears well within reach.

So long as Iowa takes care of business against Penn State (a wild sentence), they'll be riding a high ahead of taking on two more B1G teams at home in the form of the Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2) and the eighth-ranked Oregon Ducks (5-1).

That incoming three-game stretch on their home field may ultimately decide where the Hawkeyes fall between their usual middle of the road finish in the B1G and the team's long-desired ability to compete on a higher level, and it all starts with a should-win at home over an unranked and shaken Penn State squad.

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