By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – With spring now in full swing, and with the 2025-26 college sports calendar year almost over, the two guys who can’t seem to agree on anything Hawkeye related were at it again recently as Mr. Optimist and Mr. Pessimist held their latest debate at an undisclosed location somewhere between Larchwood, Iowa and the Quad Cities.

They were nice enough to share a transcript of the debate with Hawk Fanatic. And it’s our privilege to share it with our readers.

Mr. Optimist: Ben McCollum leading the Iowa men’s basketball team to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in 39 years, and in his first season as head coach, was a spectacular accomplishment, and proof that Iowa made the right choice in hiring him.

Mr. Pessimist: It almost makes you forget that Iowa only finished 10-10 in the Big Ten and suffered road losses against Penn State, Maryland and Minnesota, all of whom finished at or near the bottom of the conference standings.

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Mr. Optimist: In her first two seasons as the Iowa women’s basketball coach, Jan Jensen has compiled an impressive 50-18 record, including 25-11 in Big Ten play. The 50 wins are the most in program history for an Iowa women’s head coach after two seasons.

Mr. Pessimist: Iowa is just 2-2 under Jensen in the NCAA Tournament, failing to advance past the second round in both seasons.

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Mr. Optimist: The Iowa wrestling team finished in fourth place at the 2026 NCAA Championships, marking the 16 consecutive season in which Iowa has finished in the top five in the team standings.

Mr. Pessimist: The Iowa wrestling team has only won five national titles since 2000, while Penn State has won 13 national titles since 2011.

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Mr. Optimist: The Iowa football team has dominated its border rivalry with Nebraska, winning 10 of the last 11 games in the series, including a 40-16 beat-down in Lincoln this past season.

Mr. Pessimist: Since 2015, Nebraska has had eight losing seasons and has won more than seven games in a season just once.

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Mr. Optimist: The NCAA’s decision to expand the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments to 76 teams will make what is already arguably the greatest annual event in sports even more powerful and prosperous.

Mr. Pessimist: Try telling yourself that while you’re watching the 12th-place team from the Big Ten play the 11th-place team from the SEC in the first-round on a Tuesday night in Spokane, Washington.

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Mr. Optimist: The Iowa football team has had 101 players selected in the NFL Draft under head coach Kirk Ferentz, including a record seven players in the 2026 draft.

Mr. Pessimist: The number of receivers, quarterbacks and running backs that have been selected under Kirk Ferentz adds up to just 11; five wide receivers, three quarterbacks and three running backs.

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Mr. Optimist: The Iowa football team has a very realistic chance of starting the 2026 season with three straight wins over Northern Illinois, Iowa State and Northern Illinois, all of which will be played at Kinnick Stadium.

Mr. Pessimist: Following those three games, the Iowa football team will play at Michigan, at home against Ohio State and at Washington on a Friday night in the next three games, which means there is a very realistic chance that Iowa will be 3-3 midway through the 2026 season.

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Mr. Optimist: The Iowa baseball team entered this weekend’s series at Nebraska ranked in the top 15 nationally in eight statistical categories: first in triple plays (1), third in fielding percentage (.985), 10th in triples (16), 13th in triples per game (35), 15th in batting average (.311), 16th in doubles per game (2.26), 17th in doubles (106) and 24th in hits (498).

Mr. Pessimist: The Iowa baseball team’s pitching staff is ranked 13th in the Big Ten with a 6.22 earned-run average.

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Mr. Optimist: The Iowa football will return its top two running backs from last season, along with its top three tight ends, two starters on the offensive line, left tackle Trevor Lauck and guard/center Kade Pieper; starting cornerback Deshaun Lee and do-everything defensive back Zach Lutmer, who is showing signs of being Iowa’s next great defensive back.

Mr. Pessimist: The Iowa football team has to replace its starting quarterback from last season, three  starters on the offensive line, all of whom made first-team All-Big Ten, a record-breaking kicker, its starting punter, one of the greatest return specialists in Big Ten history and nine starters on defense.

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Mr. Optimist: The building of yet another parking ramp, this one across the street from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, will make parking more accessible and convenient for both football and basketball games moving forward.

Mr. Pessimist: The line for a Carver Cone inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena still will be at least 50 deep before tip-off of most games, while the climb from the seats near courtside to the concourse will leave most fans gasping for air and wondering why the arena doesn’t have a middle mezzanine.

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Mr. Optimist: Since 2021, the Iowa men’s basketball team has had four players selected in the NBA Draft: Luka Garza, Joe Weiskamp, Keegan Murray an Kris Murray.

Mr. Pessimist: From 1990 to 2020, the Iowa men’s basketball team only had six players selected in the NBA Draft: Les Jepsen, Acie Earl, Ryan Bowen, Ricky Davis, Adam Haluska and Devyn Marble.

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Mr. Optimist: Forest Evashevski was arguably the greatest head coach in the history of the Iowa football program.

Mr. Pessimist: Forest Evashevski was arguably the worst athletic director in the history of Iowa athletics.

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Mr. Optimist: The Iowa football team has won at least eight games in 16 of 27 seasons under Kirk Ferentz.

Mr. Pessimist: The Iowa football team has lost at least five games in 15 of 27 seasons under Kirk Ferentz.

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Mr. Optimist: Football legend Gale Sayers had originally planned on attending Iowa in the early 1960s, because at the time, Iowa still was riding its wave of success under Evashevski in the mid-to-late 1950s, making it appealing on so many fronts.

Mr. Pessimist: You left out the part in which Sayers said while being interviewed during a broadcast of a Chicago Cubs game in 2010, that he decided against going to Iowa after the Iowa head coach Jerry Burns did not have time to meet Sayers during his on-campus visit. Sayers would go on to play for Kansas, where he earned the nickname the “Kansas Comet.” He then played for Chicago Bears, becoming an NFL legend despite his career being cut short by knee injuries.

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Mr. Optimist: Former All-Big Ten quarterback Chuck Hartlieb passed for an Iowa program-record 3,738 yards as a senior in 1988, completing 288-of-460 attempts.

Mr. Pessimist: Iowa finished just 6-4-3 in 1988.

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Mr. Optimist: Former All-Big Ten receiver Marvin McNutt set Iowa program records with 1,315 receiving yards and 12 touchdown receptions in 2011.

Mr. Pessimist: Iowa finished just 7-6 in 2011.

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Mr. Optimist: Iowa has arguably the greatest tradition in college sports in “The Wave.”

Mr. Pessimist: Iowa also has a tradition of pumping up a burrito.