Sports : The slightly-silver lining for Hawkeye and Cyclone football fans

Attention, Iowa and Iowa State fans: I have some good news.

Like you, I have been surprised and disappointed to see the struggles of the Cyclones and Hawkeyes over the past few years and the disappointing scoreboards of this past season. But today, I have some good news.

Remember how they changed the BCS championship system because they wanted to be fair, to let teams decide on the field who is best, rather than allow some computer geek on his mobile device come up with some formula that mulches and mixes stats and win-loss records to determine who is No. 1?

Although the Cyclones stayed home for the bowl season and the Hawks seemed to sit out the first half of their bowl game, there’s good news for them to contemplate as they watch Ohio State play Oregon for the title of “National Champion.”

In our first year of determining a champion “on the field,” Hawkeye and Cyclone fans can look back on some interesting results.

Just follow along, for a moment, as I review some important on-field results of the 2014 season.

Ohio state lost to Virginia Tech.

VT later lost to East Carolina.

EC lost to Temple; which lost to Houston, which lost to Tulane, which lost to Tulsa, which lost to Texas State, which lost to South Alabama, which lost to Louisiana-LaFayette, which lost to Appalachian State, which lost to Michigan, which lost to Utah, which lost to Washington State, which lost to Nevada, which lost to Fresno State, which lost to Wyoming, which lost to Utah State, which lost to Boise State, which lost to Air Force, which lost to San Diego State, which lost to San Jose State, which lost to Hawaii, which lost to Rice, which lost to Old Dominion, which lost to Middle Tennessee, which lost to the University of Texas-El Paso, which lost to Western Kentucky, which lost to Illinois.

And as Iowa football fans know, Iowa beat Illinois.

And as every football fan in Iowa – along with every student and alum of both Iowa and Iowa State – knows, Iowa State beat Iowa.

So while Hawkeye fans sit puzzling their awful Taxslayer Bowl debut and Cyclone fans wonder when Coach Rhodes will finally bring SEC football to Ames, there is a bright spot: Both of Iowa’s major conference schools can boast that they beat the team that beat the team (repeat about 30 times) that beat the team playing for the national championship.

And Cyclone fans can boast that their team has one more victory over a team that beat the team that beat (and so on) the Buckeyes than the Hawkeyes have.

But, you say, what happens if Oregon wins?

Well: Oregon lost to Arizona State, which lost to Boise State. And as you know, Boise State lost to the team which lost to the team (and so on) which lost to the Cyclones.

Sure, it’s a moral victory.

But in some seasons, those kinds of victories are the only kind you can expect, or hope to achieve.

So, let’s celebrate! No matter who wins the championship game next week, both Iowa and Cyclone fans can brag that their team beat the team that beat the team (and so on) that is the best in the country.