Black Heart Gold Pants: Iowa’s Strength Of Schedule Wins Over The Evil Machines

If the Hawkeyes filled out an eHarmony profile this week, the computer would probably keep it for itself. Iowa ranks first in five of the six computer polls (the only holdout is the notoriously flawed Billingsley poll, which places Iowa fourth). It stands to reason that Iowa’s eight methodical, workmanlike, borderline ugly wins would look better to the machines than they do to the sports information directors and retirees who vote in the human polls, especially given the fact that the computers cannot consider margin of victory. There is no rational argument for any of the other undefeateds playing a more difficult schedule than Iowa: The Hawkeye’s schedule-to-date is 18 games over .500; the next closest (Florida) is 2 over. That statistic, combined with four BCS-conference road wins, is enough to win over nearly every unfeeling electronic device.