Season-ender: Iowa 45, Indiana 9.

I don't have any delusions about IU's place in the college football universe as compared to Iowa or anyone else. We're near the bottom, both historically and recently. Still, we went 7-5 last year and entered this season with a schedule that was among the two or three easiest to be played by any BCS conference program. Sure, we lost some key players--James Hardy, Tracy Porter, Leslie Majors most notably--but returned a bunch of good ones as well, or at least what seemed to be good ones. Although it is Bill Lynch's first "normal" season as head coach, it's also the fourth season that this particular staff, with remarkably little turnover absent the conspicuous exception, has been together. I don't think I was crazy or wildly optimistic to think that this team would contend for another bowl berth. Today's game ended any lingering delusions mathematically and psychologically. Despite returning an all Big Ten quarterback, an all-American defensive end, loads of starters on all sides of the ball, and even an all-American kicker, this team is horrid. Iowa, which was quite deserving of its win today--duh--isn't very good. Sure, they have played and lost some close games, but a quick look at the schedule reveals a very difficult path to 7 wins. They may as well have been USC today. IU's program seems to have instantly regressed to Dinardo levels. We are likely to go 2-10 against a horseshit schedule.

Box score. Enjoy. It sucks.