Iowa wide receiver Kaden Wetjen runs up field during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Minnesota, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

The college football calendar flips to November this weekend.

The Big Ten standings tell a miserable, almost surreal tale for Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Purdue. All proud programs with their own prior chapters of sustained success, the Nittany Lions, Spartans, Badgers and Boilermakers are a combined 0-19 in conference play through October.

Zero wins. Nineteen losses.

Welcome to the new era of the big-time Big Ten world. There are 18 teams from all over the country now, fueled by huge NIL deals and coaches just trying to keep their head above water on a week-by-week basis. PSU already unceremoniously fired Franklin, less than a year after a 13-win season and a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance. The Nittany Lions had 11 or more victories five different times in Franklin’s 11 full years at the helm. Today, he’s gone.

MSU may soon be on its fourth head coach since the retirement of Mark Dantonio in 2020. The Spartans probably would’ve moved on by now, but Jonathan Smith would be owed a reported $509,000 per month for 62 consecutive months if let go. Somewhere, Bobby Bonilla is blushing at this buyout agreement.

Wisconsin made what was widely considered to be a “home-run hire” with Luke Fickell in late 2022. Fickell had an Ohio State pedigree and a 57-18 record as head coach at Cincinnati. Instead, the Badgers have lost 11 of their last 13 games overall and 11 of 14 in the B1G. They had their first losing campaign in 22 years a season ago, and are headed for another one now.

Purdue hired Ryan Walters in 2023. He went 5-19 overall and 3-15 in the league and was fired. Replacement Barry Odom hasn’t fared any better to date.

I point this out as both a reminder and a warning to grumbling Iowa fans who have spent years barking about the lack of height in Kirk Ferentz’s ceiling. Yes, the Hawkeyes play a relatively “boring” style of ball. Yes, Ferentz is now 70 years old stuck in his ways to a certain extent. And yes, chances are Iowa will never contend for a CFP championship or be in the national spotlight during Ferentz’s remaining tenure.

Consider the alternative, though. Remember, Iowa hasn’t had a losing season since 2012 — overall or in the Big Ten. Ferentz is 110-52 overall and 73-36 in the conference during that stretch. That’s remarkable consistency, even by his own standards.

Why? Because the program is committed to an identity. Even through the massive shifts in the B1G landscape and NIL era, the Hawkeyes know who they are and who they aren’t.

Michigan State hired an “outsider” in Smith, a California native and Oregon State coach, to help expand its footprint to the west coast. Purdue followed the same train of thought with both Walters (western ties) and Odom (south). Wisconsin brought in Fickell, a midwest guy who made sense on paper but has yet to prove he can consistently win or even compete at this level.

Brass tacks: a new coach may create the championship pedigree you’ve longed for as a program. True. Indiana is seeing it right now with Curt Cignetti. Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and BYU appear to be outside-the-box playoff contenders — at least this season. The NIL situation does allow for some “short cuts” to be taken with a perfect storm of financial investment in personnel.

Conventional wisdom says to appreciate Ferentz while he’s still around, though. Look at what’s happened to not only the 2025 Big Ten doormats, but LSU, Florida, Virginia Tech, UCLA, Arkansas, Oklahoma State…the list goes on and on. And in this day and age, it will only keep getting longer. Remember, this is a zero-sum game.

The Nebraska football program has spent decades trying to escape Tom Osborne’s shadow. They dumped Frank Solich and Bo Pelini for records they’d now take in a heartbeat. Or, even closer to home, think about Iowa basketball after Tom Davis.

In a day and age of transactional player relationships and dwindling school loyalty, there is tremendous value in the Hawkeyes grandfathering the culture of Ferentz into the modern college football world. By and large, Iowa knows the type of athlete it is looking for both on and off the field. Conversely, recruits seeking that lifestyle — yes, some do exist — will flock to a program offering consistency and development. Iowa checks those boxes on a list getting shorter by the day.

Appreciate the security and even predictability Ferentz and his staff are offering in 2025. Iowa is currently 4-1 in the Big Ten, unranked and quietly flying under the radar yet again with showdowns coming up against Oregon and USC.

The Hawks may never be flashy and are sometimes frustrating for fans to watch, but they know who they are and what works. There’s something to be said for that kind of authenticity, where they can play the long game in a short attention span world.

Eric Pratt is Sports Editor at The Messenger in Fort Dodge and Interim Sports Editor at the DFJ. Contact him via email at sports@messengernews.net.