Kirk Ferentz has spent the last 28 years coaching Iowa football, which is about 60 years in any other career. He has led the Hawkeyes to a 143-97 record in that time. If his team manages to win one game, he will become the No. 5 all-time winning coach in Big Ten history.

Amos Alonzo Stagg, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Joe Paterno … and Kirk Ferentz.

Yet as he approaches his 63rd birthday, on Aug. 1, Ferentz shows no signs of fading into the sunset.

He makes it a priority to stay physically fit. He’s under contract through the 2025 season. He’s coming off his program’s best three-year win total (28) in nearly a decade. He's recently re-tooled his offensive staff. In games, he's become increasingly aggressive — fake field goals, going for fourth downs — with age.

Sounds like there might be a chance Ferentz will be around when the Hawkeyes return to Ohio Stadium on Oct. 10 in 2020.

That is unless, of course, the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes manage to make a Big Ten championship before then. Iowa hasn't won a conference championship since 2004.