Dec 31

The fuzzy math of bowl season

Posted on Monday, December 31, 2012, at 11:28 PM by Jeff

Memphis, Tennessee — In four years, Paul Rhoads has taken Iowa State to three bowl games. With this 31-17 loss to Tulsa in the Liberty Bowl, he also has three seasons with losing records.

Despite the 6-7 record, this is the game that “doesn’t count”. The first game against Tulsa in this three-game series was crucial for bowl eligibility, and so will the last. A bowl loss is a blemish to be sure, but given the current standards it’s still better than the alternative.

In both of ISU’s Liberty Bowl losses, the winning team scored 31 points.

The cover-your-eyes side note: Steele Jantz’s last five appearances on the field were as follows: Interception, 1-yard sack, 8-yard completed pass, incomplete pass, rush-fumble.

It could have been worse. It could have been raining the second half instead of just most of the first.

If only they gave points for attendance.

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Dec 27

Tama County upgraded to “severe drought”

Posted on Thursday, December 27, 2012, at 12:12 PM by Jeff

The U.S. Drought Monitor map for Iowa shows a batch of central counties along US 30, plus Polk, Dallas, and Guthrie, in Stage D2 (“severe”) instead of D3 (“extreme”). The Register explains why the snow helped.

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Dec 26

Half a Pizza Hut

Posted on Wednesday, December 26, 2012, at 11:14 AM by Jeff

More than a decade after losing a full-service Pizza Hut, Toledo has one again, sort of. A small standalone building west of US 63 that was originally for a Subway (that moved beside Hardee’s) and then became a Sub City has been remodeled again. However, this Pizza Hut is only delivery/carryout.

The competition is the Casey’s stations in Toledo and Tama.

Belle Plaine and Vinton each have full-service Pizza Huts.

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Dec 23

Break

Posted on Sunday, December 23, 2012, at 12:26 AM by Jeff

Unless something particularly interesting comes up, this blog will be on hiatus for the next week and a half or so. I should’ve just done it with all the schools that got two more extra days of break.

A possible name change (but not address change) is on the way.

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Dec 21

It’s the end of the world as we know it

Posted on Friday, December 21, 2012, at 5:12 AM by Jeff

and I feel fine.

What are we going to use for a doomsday date now?

(This is a timed post. If the world ends you won’t see it.)
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Dec 19

Fifteen years ago today

Posted on Wednesday, December 19, 2012, at 3:21 PM by Jeff

“Titanic” was released in theaters Dec. 19, 1997, and I saw it about 10 days later. It’s been that long. Wow. Still my favorite movie, although I’m biased toward the subject material; I was very interested in the Titanic before the movie came out. (The stack of books I have now proves it.)

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Dec 19

Very early IA 100 work begins

Posted on Wednesday, December 19, 2012, at 1:22 PM by Jeff

The first step is relocating turtle habitat. (Cedar Rapids Gazette) It’s still going to be nearly a decade before the road opens.

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Dec 18

Pull out the rabbit ears, again

Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, at 10:13 PM by Jeff

KCRG and Dish Network have been unable to agree on a retransmission charge. The signal was cut off at noon. The station’s 9.2 subchannel is also an issue.

(Yes, I am aware that pulling out rabbit ears doesn’t work anymore. It’s what had to be done in January 2007.)

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Dec 18

License Plate Tracker — ANU

Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, at 4:33 PM by Jeff

We’re using U’s again!

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Dec 15

The Big Two and Little Six

Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2012, at 5:57 PM by Jeff

Imagine the 48 years of the Big Seven and Big Eight conferences (1948-95) as 48 football championship units, divided in split-title years. Of those, only 6 and 1/6 units were not won by Nebraska or Oklahoma, broken down as follows from sports-reference.com:

  • Colorado, 3 (1961, 1989, 1990) plus 1/2 (1991) plus 1/3 (1976)
  • Missouri, 1 (1960) plus 1/2 (1969)
  • Kansas, 1/2 (1968)
  • Oklahoma State, 1/3 (1976)
  • Iowa State and Kansas State, zero

It makes the Big Ten of the same time period look positively egalitarian. The three-way 1967 split of Indiana, Minnesota, and Purdue is still the most recent conference championship for the first two.

Of the four who did not win a full championship, Kansas won one (1930) and two halves (1946-47) in the Big Six while Kansas State won one (1934). Oklahoma State is credited with a title in 1926 as Oklahoma A&M in the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association before the split. (Nebraska was 5-1 in conference, OA&M was 3-0-1.)

Iowa State’s only conference titles are 1911 and 1912 in the MVIAA, both shared with Nebraska. Iowa State has never, ever, ever won a conference football championship outright.

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