1926

Iowa’s football fortunes faltered in 1926, when the Hawkeyes ended the season with three wins and five loses. To make matters worse, Iowa lost all games played with Big Ten opponents.

The rumblings of fan discord became so loud in some parts of the state that the media tried to impose some perspective for readers. In Mason City, the Iowa Globe-Gazette decried “the fickleness of an athletic constituency,” noting that “at least six teams out of the Big Ten have larger student bodies than the University of Iowa. This means a larger body of men from which to draw for football teams. For Iowans to hope every year to head the conference, or, putting it another way, for Iowans to expect never to be near the foot of the standings is obviously foolish. It’s contrary to the established principles of mathematics. Coaches may modify Iowa’s arithmetical handicap to some extent, but they can’t eliminate it."