It's widely recognized by those outside the bubble, iowa does not offer a particularly exciting brand of football. There's obviously no shortage of reasons the "iowa way" is akin to ambien and historic kinnick field is the DMV of college football. However, I want to offer one humble theory regarding a lesser talked about aspect as to why this undeniable fact is particularly striking to the naked eye when one watches iowa.
THE SOCKS.
On rare occasion you will find a few hoks over the years that will acknowledge Iowa bore-ball to an extent, but they usually explain it away by claiming Iowa does this by design to take advantage of the fact that Iowa is the epitome of strength and physical ball control big ten football, as the Iowa way is all about having the manliest men who have ever stepped on a college gridiron. Whether pro or college, uniforms in their entirety are not flattering to the big fellas of legitimate quality. Something that Iowa has admittedly produced at times over the years. However, they don't touch the ball. They are allowed to look slow. They are in the trenches. It doesn't matter.
The visual rub here is the distinct difference between skill guys who we usually see wearing the pro style socks on Sundays, THE PROs, and their college imposter counterparts, Iowa skill position players often plucked away from the MAC because although they aren't particularly athletic by p5 standards, they won't wear their hat backwards, will turn a blind eye to abuse, do things Kirk's way and this was their only notable offer. Their bodies are not close to pro bodies, nor their athletic skill and speed. That's fine and all, but ditch the pro-style socks already. They aren't doing iowa any favors. And our NFL loving eyes have been unconsciously honed over the years to recognize this immediately. The discrepancy is offensive to the well-trained eye. Disgusting.
THE SOCKS.
On rare occasion you will find a few hoks over the years that will acknowledge Iowa bore-ball to an extent, but they usually explain it away by claiming Iowa does this by design to take advantage of the fact that Iowa is the epitome of strength and physical ball control big ten football, as the Iowa way is all about having the manliest men who have ever stepped on a college gridiron. Whether pro or college, uniforms in their entirety are not flattering to the big fellas of legitimate quality. Something that Iowa has admittedly produced at times over the years. However, they don't touch the ball. They are allowed to look slow. They are in the trenches. It doesn't matter.
The visual rub here is the distinct difference between skill guys who we usually see wearing the pro style socks on Sundays, THE PROs, and their college imposter counterparts, Iowa skill position players often plucked away from the MAC because although they aren't particularly athletic by p5 standards, they won't wear their hat backwards, will turn a blind eye to abuse, do things Kirk's way and this was their only notable offer. Their bodies are not close to pro bodies, nor their athletic skill and speed. That's fine and all, but ditch the pro-style socks already. They aren't doing iowa any favors. And our NFL loving eyes have been unconsciously honed over the years to recognize this immediately. The discrepancy is offensive to the well-trained eye. Disgusting.
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