Iowa had the Big Ten championship in its sights Saturday night, and then it didn't after Michigan State played keepaway and scored the winning touchdown with 27 seconds left.

The loss left the Hawkeyes hurt and, evidently, the person who runs U.S. Senator Joni Ernst's Twitter account confused. The following message went out from Sen. Ernst's account: "Congrats @hawkeyefootball on the big win! #big10 #B1GFCG #iowa"

The tweet later was deleted (although CBSSports.com screen-grabbed it), then followed up by a mea culpa.

Staff error or not, it was just salt in the wound for the Hawkeyes, who not only lost the game but also a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Thumbnail photo via Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports Images