No single measurable captures the smashing level of success achieved by the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2015.
The school-record 12 wins come closest, with a shot at 13 against Stanford on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual.
But even that figure lacks the perspective necessary to understand Iowa’s return to prowess in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes, before this year, won 34 of 64 games over five seasons and finished no higher than in a tie for fourth place in their division. Expectations were low for Iowa, and attendance at Kinnick Stadium suffered even as the Hawkeyes rolled to 12 consecutive wins and a perfect home season before losing in the final seconds to Michigan State for the Big Ten championship.