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Lots of teams tonight could be claiming "moral victories"....Here's the thing about a moral victory, they still count as a loss in the only area that actually counts.

If you can accept losing, you can't win.

I don't know, when you're facing a FBS team more importantly possibly a BCS team I think there could be such a thing as a moral victory. Now if it was against another FCS team....

At least for me, and I dunno if this was the same for everyone, but I was more interested in seeing how my team played, rather than whether they win or lose.

I had pretty much resigned to considering our game with Tennessee a loss, and I think we played a lot better than I expected. You might call it claiming a moral victory, but we certainly learned a lot about our team, and I'm sure they learned a lot, too.

might sound like a wimp by saying this but this is sort of why I don't want to see ODU start playing FBS opponents on an annual basis....unless if it is every couple years or so.

Moral victories are for losers, imho.

Everyone was telling UNI that we won a moral victory against Iowa when we had every opportunity to win that game and break a 100+ year losing streak (we did not play all 100+ years). To control the game for 50+ minutes against a ranked FBS team in their house, have two chances to win at the end, and come up with an L had to/has to be shattering. I would argue that is a wound that will never heal.

Just ask Utah State if they believe in Moral Victories? Wondering what they'd say....

Trapped in CA wrote:Everyone was telling UNI that we won a moral victory against Iowa when we had every opportunity to win that game and break a 100+ year losing streak (we did not play all 100+ years).

haha, kind of an understatement, seeing how there was an 81-year gap when they didn't play each other at all

would you prefer that they go back to getting beat 0-27 or 0-45 or 0-66?

Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay


Just saying that was the best look that UNI had at beating Iowa. Next year is not looking like a good opportunity given the number of starters we are losing after this year. I am leaning more to 27-7 or 42-10 type scores for next year against both Iowa & Wisconsin.

Just saying moral victory + $5.00 will get you as many Cokes as $5.00 will. How many UNI football players had unsolicited offers for a "you almost won party" with the local coeds? How did we do in the playoffs that year? There is the moral victory value quantified.

Trapped in CA wrote:Just saying moral victory + $5.00 will get you as many Cokes as $5.00 will. How many UNI football players had unsolicited offers for a "you almost won party" with the local coeds? How did we do in the playoffs that year? There is the moral victory value quantified.

actual victories don't get you any more Cokes either, and if it does, it might be an NCAA violation.
and unlike some people, I don't keep tabs on what football players do with local coeds (however, seeing many of them in Iowa City, I hope that if they did get that opportunity, that the players in question were smart enough to wrap it up first......)
and as far as playoffs that year, I'd say that more blame for that would go to the play during the Illinois State game, or the SDSU game, or the game against SIU at home.


am I "happy" with such "moral victories"? no, not really.
but the drive back from Ames tonight (or from Iowa City a couple years ago) was a hell of alot less painful than the drive back from Ames last year (or the drive back from Macomb for that matter, too)

ODUalum11 wrote:I don't know, when you're facing a FBS team more importantly possibly a BCS team I think there could be such a thing as a moral victory. Now if it was against another FCS team....

4 of the last 5 fbs games uni has played UNI had had the lead in the second half, controlled the los, out gained the opposition, our walked away going "how the fuck did we just lose that game". There are zero moral victories when you go into the game expecting to win.

I take away the fact that UNI should be a very serious national title threat this year, and very few teams will be able to stop our offense our put up great numbers on our defense-like normal. Other than that all I actually take away from the game is even more hatred for Iowa State university.

Jay, the olds saying is "a win is a win if it is by 1 or 100".the same is true for a loss in my mind

clenz wrote:I take away the fact that UNI should be a very serious national title threat this year, and very few teams will be able to stop our offense our put up great numbers on our defense-like normal. Other than that all I actually take away from the game is even more hatred for Iowa State university.

Jay, the olds saying is "a win is a win if it is by 1 or 100".the same is true for a loss in my mind

if "a win is a win, whether by 1 or 100" is true, then why do your panties get all twisted up by SFA's 76 point (or whatever) win?

How about this: while UNI didn't get the win, they did get $400K (or whatever it is this year) and seemed to make it through the game w/o any major injuries (which is a good thing for any D-I fb game, regardless of the subdivision of the opponent). plus, most of the poll voters probably won't view this as that damaging of a loss for the Panthers (unless you've managed to convince some of them that a loss is a loss is a loss)

clenz wrote: Other than that all I actually take away from the game is even more hatred for Iowa State university.

also, what is it about this game that generated more hatred? (not saying that it isn't necessarily warranted, I'm just curious what your reasoning is behind it)

Screw moral victories. We came to win. Didn't happen, but there are a lot of positives to take away from this game. Our passing game appears to be a lot more potent than it was last year. Despite the loss, I'm feeling pretty good about this team.

I'd rather have an immoral win than a "moral victory."

Do you get a participation award with that moral victory?

Losses are always tough, but there's nothing wrong with taking away positives from a loss, especially a close one to an FBS team.

ODUalum11 wrote:Just ask Utah State if they believe in Moral Victories? Wondering what they'd say....

I'd think they'd want the actual W. At least I know I would. When the season ends the game is still looming in the L column.

It's not going to feel good losing to the Gophers after playing them tough the last two times. The Gophers are a better team and the Bison are not as good of team per the last 2 times they met. The only moral victory would be a win.

danefan wrote:Losses are always tough, but there's nothing wrong with taking away positives from a loss, especially a close one to an FBS team.

No moral victory in Charlottesville last night, but as poorly as our offense played -maybe it's better we were playing a FBS team. At least we can write it off that way.

danefan wrote:Losses are always tough, but there's nothing wrong with taking away positives from a loss, especially a close one to an FBS team.

like, we were positively awesome the first half and positively awful the second.

Nope, no moral victories there...it was a loss, and a bad one.

CatMom wrote:

danefan wrote:Losses are always tough, but there's nothing wrong with taking away positives from a loss, especially a close one to an FBS team.

like, we were positively awesome the first half and positively awful the second.

Nope, no moral victories there...it was a loss, and a bad one.

saw that score (was either a halftime score or a 2nd qtr score, can't remember.) on the board during the UNI/ISU game and thought "hey cool, TxSt is up". Saw it later and was like "oh, nevermind".

Vidav wrote:

danefan wrote:Losses are always tough, but there's nothing wrong with taking away positives from a loss, especially a close one to an FBS team.

x 21
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3

clenz wrote:

ODUalum11 wrote:I don't know, when you're facing a FBS team more importantly possibly a BCS team I think there could be such a thing as a moral victory. Now if it was against another FCS team....

4 of the last 5 fbs games uni has played UNI had had the lead in the second half, controlled the los, out gained the opposition, our walked away going "how the fuck did we just lose that game". There are zero moral victories when you go into the game expecting to win.
I take away the fact that UNI should be a very serious national title threat this year, and very few teams will be able to stop our offense our put up great numbers on our defense-like normal. Other than that all I actually take away from the game is even more hatred for Iowa State university.

Jay, the olds saying is "a win is a win if it is by 1 or 100".the same is true for a loss in my mind

This sentence sums up who I feel. When you expect to when, the no moral victory (sure there can still be positives to take away). If you are playing a power conference team and expect to take a beating, and then come away with a close game, that is what I think of as a moral victory.

I like morel victories.

those things are quite yummy when prepared right. every time you find one is a victory really.