Iowa bids to change bowl luck

Iowa has gone bust in bowl games.

The Hawkeyes have become the worst program in football this decade when it comes to winning bowl games. Coach Kirk Ferentz has lost the late-season mojo of his early years and Iowa has struck out in bowl season since 2010. The Hawkeyes have lost five consecutive bowl games, including the Rose Bowl two years ago, and the seniors could close their careers without a signature bowl victory.

“Just trying to get the program back on page with winning a bowl would be awesome,” defensive lineman Nathan Bazata said.

It’s time for Iowa to take its cuts again: Take them out to the bowl game! The Hawkeyes (7-5) and Boston College Eagles (7-5) are on deck in the Pinstripe Bowl Wednesday at Yankee Stadium in New York.

The Hawkeyes haven’t just lost bowl games — they never have been a threat during the winless streak. They trailed at one point, 210, to Oklahoma (2011 Insight Bowl), 14-0, to LSU (2014 Outback Bowl), 28-0, to Tennessee (2015 TaxSlayer Bowl); 38-0, to Stanford (2016 Rose Bowl). A year ago, the Hawkeyes were thumped, 30-3, by Florida.

Iowa is the only team in Football Bowl Subdivision to lose a bowl game each of the past four seasons.

“I’d like to send all our seniors out with a win,” Ferentz said.

Win or lose, who will watch in New York? The recent string of bowl defeats and a lackluster season — highlighted by a 55-24 win Nov. 24 against Ohio State that knocked the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff — likely will lead to a thin crowd of Iowa fans. With temperatures likely in the 20s, any supposed homefield edge might not matter.

That’s good news for Iowa, which is a 2½-point favorite.