IOWA CITY, Iowa -- It seems popular for national pundits to criticize the University of Iowa football team these days, despite a 9-0 record and a No. 4 ranking in the BCS poll. Many have said the Hawkeyes don't belong on the same board with Florida, Texas, Alabama, Cincinnati, Texas Christian, Oregon or Boise State.

Iowa's schedule has been rated the seventh-toughest in the nation. Only one team in Big Ten history has defeated Penn State, Michigan State and Wisconsin on the road in the same season (Michigan did it in 1997). The two schools Iowa does not play in the Big Ten this season have the worst overall records in the league (Purdue is 3-6; Illinois is 2-6).

To say Iowa hasn't played a strong schedule is to be totally misinformed. Take a look at these facts:

Number of opponents defeated that currently have winning records:

Total won-lost records (and winning percentage) of defeated opponents:

Total won-lost records of opponents defeated in their home stadiums (i.e. road wins)

Number of defeated opponents ranked in current BCS top 25:

Won-lost records of remaining teams left on schedule: