Hlas: “Extreme Extremes,” the 2017 Iowa football story

It's a really weird Iowa football season.

The weirdest? Nah, not even close. That was 1988. The Hawkeyes opened the season by losing in the warmth of Hawaii, closed it by losing in a cold rain to North Carolina State in Atlanta's Peach Bowl, and finished 6-4-3 after ties against Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.

Iowa played three Big 8 teams in a row — Kansas State, Colorado and Iowa State — before starting Big Ten play. It was a different time.

But what has happened within the last nine days is something we've never seen from Hawkeye football, nor are we likely to see again.

You had two performances as far apart as two performances get, the mother of all extremes. The ecstasy of ecstasy and the agony of agony.

First, Iowa dissected Ohio State, did what no team had ever done in crossing the 50-point barrier against an Urban Meyer-coached team in a 55-24 win.

The Hawkeyes gained 487 yards, threw five touchdown passes, picked off J.T. Barrett four times, and seemingly made a superpower crumble.

Adding to the weirdness, Ohio State promptly dusted itself off and crushed Michigan State Saturday in Columbus. Now people are saying the Buckeyes could go back to the College Football Playoff if they win out. It was as if Iowa never happened.

Anyway, the Hawkeyes proceeded to unbeaten Wisconsin. If they would have won that game, this would have been the most-fulfilling non-championship season ever around here. The consensus was the Badgers would win, but it would be hard-fought. Most people thought the 12.5-point spread was too high.

They said the same about Ohio State being favored by 15 over Michigan State. Yeah, question the Vegas oddsmakers. They like that.

The Badgers won, 38-14, and the score doesn't reflect the game's one-sidedness. It was the most-feeble offensive showing the Hawkeyes have had since, well, maybe since leather helmets.

Sixty-six yards, zero offensive points. The Hawkeyes never gained more than 10 yards on a single play.

You hear about occasional futility like that in faraway places like New Jersey, but you never think you'll see it with your own eyes. Just like you never think you'll see a top-10 Ohio State team go somewhere and get annihilated.

Did that Ohio State game even really happen? Was it a mirage? A hallucination? One of those Halley's Comet things, only one that's seen even more rarely?

For that matter, did Josh Jackson really happen?

Had Iowa won Saturday, you have to think Jackson would be getting a lot of run in Heisman Trophy discussions. You pick off three passes against Ohio State and come back by returning two interceptions for touchdowns at Wisconsin, you've just had a two-game stretch like nothing we've ever seen from a Hawkeye defensive back.

Oh, Jackson also forced a Badgers turnover via fumble Saturday.

He leads the nation in interceptions with seven and in passes defended (broken up or intercepted) with 23. Ralph Russo, the lead college football writer for Associated Press, wrote Sunday that Jackson 'pretty much has wrapped up a spot on the AP All-America team.'

That might sound like the most obvious of statements now, but keep in mind Jackson was an unknown to the nation just two weeks ago.

Iowa is 6-4, and 6-4 isn't thrilling. But you can't deny this season hasn't featured more than its share of weird, wild stuff.

This Saturday, the Big Ten's most-attractive game is Michigan-Wisconsin. It kicks off at 11 a.m., the time slot traditionally reserved for, well, opening acts. Purdue-Iowa, the very definition of an 11 a.m. matchup, will be in the headliners' 2:30 p.m. slot.

Nothing makes sense around here this year.