2014 is a cushion, but will Iowa land on it?

The general consensus is that Iowa's 2014 football schedule is a cool breeze on an island beach. A veritable boat drink with a little reggae in the background.

It kind of is.

The Hawkeyes will be part of the welcoming crew for Maryland when it joins the Big Ten in 2014. Iowa will travel to College Park, Md., on Oct. 18 and then enjoy its second off week. Prior to the Terrapins, it's at Purdue, off week, Indiana (Iowa's other East Division matchup) and then at Maryland.

Just one of those teams (Purdue) made a bowl in '12. The other two finished 4-8, just as Iowa did.

There's that and then there are the names you don't see on Iowa's schedule -- Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State.

Consider where Iowa is today and think about this September snapshot: Iowa State, at Pittsburgh, at Purdue and then Indiana after an off week. That's a tricky stretch, considering where Iowa is today, but it doesn't include any of the Big Ten bluebloods. So far, so good.

When the calendar flips to November, Iowa will face five straight West Division matchups against border states, beginning with Northwestern at Kinnick Stadium and ending with Nebraska. A home game against Wisconsin is in there along with road games at Minnesota and Illinois.

This is a doable schedule, and it especially would be if Iowa were at standard, a team that wins eight games and contends for a Florida bowl. Iowa finished 4-8 last season. Next season remains to be seen, but standard might be considered an achievement (at least at this point).

Some of you have found your way to this question. Some of you see it and don't believe it. Some of you are already there, wondering where everyone else is.

In the grand scheme, what will 2014 mean for Kirk Ferentz?

Here's what's in the books: The Hawkeyes finished 8-5 in 2010, 7-6 in '11 and 4-8 last season, with no bowl eligibility for the first time since 2000.

Is 7-6 doable in 2013? If it is, that's 8-5, 7-6, 4-8 and 7-6. One thing that has been repeated, including from Ferentz himself, this offseason is no one is cool with 7-6. That's not what they're shooting for. If that's where Iowa finishes in '13, what will be the expectation for 2014, given this "doable" schedule?

Iowa athletics director Gary Barta might have a 2014 goal in his mind. He'd never reveal what that is. Ferentz's buyout will be around $11.6 million at the end of '14.

We're getting ahead of ourselves here, but at some point, a 7-6 trajectory will leave all parties feeling cold.

The November '14 run will come with a Fahrenheit and some other gauge with Ferentz's name on it.