Hawkeye Fans React to Bowl Announcement

IOWA CITY – Fans are looking forward to seeing the Hawkeyes play in the Insight Bowl game. But, of course, it's also bittersweet because the team did not do as well as everyone expected.

If you stopped by a Hawkeye bar at the beginning of the season, just about everyone would have told you this was the year their favorite team would go all the way.

"We were hoping for a national championship. We kind of do that every year, but we'll take the Insight Bowl. It didn't end up like we wanted to. The three games were, obviously, a little disappointing,” Hawkeye fan and alum Steve Schulz said.

Pat Sheeren, another Hawkeye fan and alum, said, "It's obviously not what we were hoping for at the beginning of the season, but we'll take it. I'd rather go there than the Motor City Bowl."

Former players like Llyod Kimber have been cheering on the team all season. Kimber was a defensive back for the Hawks when they went to the Rose Bowl in the 1980s. He's hoping a win at the Insight Bowl will re-energize everyone.

"Hopefully it will change the attitude of some of the fans believing we have hope for next year and we're going to get better,” Kimber said.

So far, fans do seem optimistic about facing off against the Missouri Tigers.

"Give Kirk Ferentz a month to prepare, and yeah, we could definitely win that game,” Sheeren said.

Even though dreams of a national championship died about a month ago, love for the Hawkeyes still remains strong.