DES MOINES, Iowa -- All Iowa did for most of the season was win and all the Hawkeyes seemed to get for it was grief.
Iowa got the last laugh on Tuesday night: The Hawkeyes outmuscled Georgia Tech 24-14 at the Orange Bowl for their first BCS win, perhaps silencing critics who saw them as little more than a lucky band of Big Ten slowpokes.
Nobody suffered from the Big Ten's lagging reputation in 2009 more than the Hawkeyes (11-2), who never cracked the top five despite a 9-0 start. But Iowa's victory over the ACC champions capped a stellar postseason run by the league's elite teams.
While upstarts such as Cincinnati and TCU fell flat on the big stage, Big Ten champion Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and the Hawkeyes all won bowl games many thought they couldn't. Each held their opponents to 17 points or less, proving that smashmouth football still works in the golden age of the spread.
"It's gratifying," said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz of the Big Ten's postseason success. "It's way easy to just to generalize, 'Boy, this conference is down, that conference is down.' Maybe this will put those theories to rest for six more months."
Overall, the conference was 4-3 in bowl games as Michigan State, Northwestern and Minnesota all lost close games.
In many ways, the Orange Bowl was classic Big Ten football. It was certainly classic Iowa football.
The Hawkeyes defense put the explosive Yellow Jackets on their heels early, and their offense and special teams did just enough to get by. With Georgia Tech's defense tiring late in the fourth quarter, Iowa delivered the knockout blow on a 32-yard TD run by Brandon Wegher and matched the school record with 11 wins.
Iowa, which was ranked No. 10 before the game, will almost certainly finish in the top 10 for the fourth time since 2002.
Based on who's coming back, the Hawkeyes will likely start 2010 in the same rarified air.
Iowa's defense, the cornerstone of the program, could bring back as many as nine starters next season -- including Orange Bowl MVP Adrian Clayborn and the rest of the defensive line.
Quarterback Ricky Stanzi, emerging wide receivers Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Marvin McNutt, and three running backs who broke school rushing records for freshmen are also expected to return.
The major questions for Iowa are what to do with that glut of talented young backs and the retooling of its offensive line, especially if tackle Bryan Bulaga, a projected first-round pick, leaves for the NFL.
The first problem is a great one to have. Adam Robinson finished with a freshman-record 834 yards rushing. But Wegher, upstaged by Robinson for most of the year, turned in a star performance in the Orange Bowl with 113 yards rushing.
Jewel Hampton, once the heir apparent to Shonn Greene, is expected back from a knee injury by the fall after an impressive rookie campaign in 2007.
Of course, none of them will look very good if the Hawkeyes can't rebuild the line.
Iowa has usually patched together a solid front under Ferentz, a former line coach in the NFL. Look for the Hawkeyes to rebuild behind tackle Riley Reiff, who appears to be the next star lineman.
Iowa will sorely miss linebackers Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds, but the defensive line will again be stout. Clayborn was simply unblockable by the end of the season. and he will lead a unit that should give the rest of the conference nightmares in 2010.
Iowa's nightmare in 2009 was supposed to be its schedule. It didn't turn out that way, and now it turns back in the Hawkeyes' favor next season.
Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State all have to visit Kinnick Stadium next season after losing to Iowa at home in 2009, along with emerging rival Iowa State. Rose Bowl champion Ohio State also visits Iowa City for a Nov. 20 showdown.