Analyzing the 2009 schedule...
by StoopsMyAss on Jun 26, 2009 7:10 PM CDT
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PrintI’m bored so here goes a super early analysis of the Iowa 2009 schedule.
The first thing that pops out when you're looking at the schedule is that Iowa has seven…seven!…home games! We should be favored in all and all are very manageable:
- Northern Iowa – Iowa will be a big favorite as usual. And win. Drawback, UNI is an FCS team.
- Arizona – this will not be an easy win. But Arizona has to find a QB and they lost most of their OL. I expect the Iowa defense to wreak havoc. Arizona will have a fast and effective defense and Stanzi will need to play clean.
- Arkansas State – quick, what is their team nickname? Buzzzzz…times up, it’s the Red Wolves. We are not losing to the Red Wolves. Thankfully they are NOT an FCS team.
- Indiana – this team is in disarray. I expect a routine, potentially massive victory. At this point, Indiana should probably be an FCS team!
- Northwestern – revenge game, as thus could be ugly for jNU.
- Minnesota – did they get any better since the blowout last year? Not bloody likely, and it is at Iowa. And we might have gotten better. Expect another crush.
Now for the, so called, brutal road schedule:
- Iowa State – this is too often a tough game. I don’t know why. You don’t know why. It will probably be a tough game yet again. Although I would be shocked if we found a way to fuck it up.
- Penn State – no publications that I have read thus far give us a chance in this game. I can see why. It is on the road, at night. After what could be a tough Arizona game. But, I think Arizona will be good preparation. Iowa will have faced an athletic, fast team so Penn State will not surprise them in these areas. Meanwhile, Penn State should be healthy and well rested after three straight home games against Akron, Syracuse and Temple. Expect Penn State to have revenge on its mind. This is a toughy. Expect a loss but a win is not completely out of the question.
- Wisconsin – Wisconsin will be coming off a road game (loss no doubt) at Ohio State. It is possible they will enter the Ohio State game undefeated and thinking big things, only to be buried. We can easily steal this game unless Wisky gets a Zoloft prescription filled in Columbus before the ride home.
- Michigan State – Jesus, we should have beat them last year, and I expect them to be a bit worse and us to be a bit better. They will be coming off five straight weeks of tough games. It’s an early evening game which is...weird. I mark this game as a must road win.
- Ohio State – Ohio State will be coming off a road game at Penn State. We never play them well, anywhere, under any conditions. This will be one tough game to win. Expect a loss.
So….best case scenario is an improbable 11-1 season with Ohio State being the lone loss.
Second best case scenario is 10 – 2 with a loss at Penn State as well.
Third best scenario is 9 – 3 with an additional loss also at either Wisconsin or Michigan State.
Now for the worst case scenarios. This is really a disaster case scenario (a Fire Kirk Ferentz student march on campus case scenario) , a 5 – 7 season with no road wins as well as home losses to jNU and Arizona or Michigan.
If I were wagering, and I do like to do that, I would bet we will go 9 – 3 and finish third in the Big 10 and go to the Outback Bowl and play Alabama or Ole Miss. Not great but certainly not bad.
Dream Scenario – we finish in a three way tie for first in the Big 10 with Penn State and Ohio State and have an overall 11 – 1 record. Assuming we lose at Ohio State, that would come late in the season and have negative consequences on national hopes and cost us any shot at a National Title. But, since USC will likely beat Ohio State early in the season, they will have 2 losses. Assuming Ohio State losses at Penn State for their other loss and we beat Penn State earlier on, then we would be Rose Bowl bound thanks to Penn State’s most recent BCS participation.
Okay, that was fun.
Unless otherwise expressly indicated by BHGP editors, this FanPost is strictly the viewpoint of the author and is not endorsed by BHGP in any way.
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How do you feel about the home game against Michigan?
by Twin Cities Hawk on Jun 27, 2009 6:56 AM CDT reply actions
Answer: confident but not cocky
Knowing that we will have a very, very experienced, if not damn good, defense, gives me that confidence. If Iowa breaks down this year it will be because of the offense. It will be due to lack of scoring, and perhaps due to special teams. We play a lot of teams without experience at QB. So that will makes things easier. Unfortuantely, Ohio State and Penn State will have experience at QB and great athleticism at that position. But Wisky, MIch St., Mich, Arizona all have to figure that position out.
"When you don't know that you don't know, it's a lot different than when you do know that you don't know." Bill Parcells
I still think we beat aOSU.
Don’t know why, can’t really back it up with any solid reasoning or anything, just… had a hunch since about Smarch. Assuming there are no key injuries, and assuming the whole team (specifically the offense) doesn’t inexplicably implode into a coiled turd of incompetence…
I dunno… we get them in November, our D should be plenty good enough to hang with/control their O, I think our Special Teams actually will be pretty solid, I think Stanzi is gonna have a breakout year, and we get them in November… I dunno. Just feels good this time.
I’d say the same about the PSU game if it weren’t so early on in the season. I don’t care that it’s @ Happy Valley, I don’t give a rip about their White Out, the revenge thing, D. Clark, etc. I still think the Hawks can win that one too, but I’m less confident about it than I am the one in C-bus, and it’s solely due to timing. If we do beat PSU, that would be a HUGE confidnece & momentum boost, and I would not want to be any team that plays the Hawks after that.
by Bucketochicken on Jun 27, 2009 10:51 AM CDT reply actions
You forget one thing
No can possibly beat us in Happy Valley because we have the power to blare “Zombie Nation” over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, never letting the band get a word in edgewise except to play “Seven Nation Army” and certainly not “Fight on State”. Arrrrgh.
And by the way, I also think you will defeat Ohio State.
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Jun 27, 2009 12:52 PM CDT up reply actions
I take no pleasure in thinking the way I do, but Iowa football history tells me to expect the worst (clowns, jNW) so the strong finish takes out some of the sting. Soooooo … I see losses at PSU (even if KF always plays them tough, the only magic we’ll get is if they want revenge too much, game gets tight, fans fucking freaking out, etc), tOSU, either Wisky or MSU, and the early inexplicable to either clowns or jNU. That way, anything better than 8-4 I’ll be happy with, even with a “what might have been”. Not trying to be a depresser, but come on, this is Iowa. Shit goes wrong (and I almost gave an example but someone would remember and blame me if it came true. Fuck that) and when it goes really, really well we get USC in the Orange Bowl.
One bad loss
I hate to say it, but I think we’ll have another awful loss to a much lesser team again this year. The kind of loss where you kill a fifth of Wild Turkey and cry into the big flopping titties of an East Dubuque stripper. (Fuck you jNW. Thank you Starla.)
Luckily, to balance it out we’ll have a miracle win against the big stupid assholeface buckeyes.
No self-respecting man from Iowa goes anywhere without beer
by Hayden Fry's Moustache Ride on Jun 29, 2009 9:47 PM CDT reply actions
It's all about....
Swinging Dick. If he breaks out, then anything is possible.
The more I think about it…the team to fear, is Arizona. We desperately need to win that game. Period.
"When you don't know that you don't know, it's a lot different than when you do know that you don't know." Bill Parcells
by StoopsMyAss on Jun 29, 2009 10:04 PM CDT up reply actions
I still think we win that game comfortably...
if Swinging Dick takes care of the ball and our offense is halfway competent. AZ is supposed to have a good defense, but I like the odds of our defense at home against a QB making his first road start.
Plus, it can’t hurt to get a West Coast team playing at noon their time, when they almost never play games that early.
The “trap” games I’m most concerned about are Iowa State and Northwestern, just because they seem to have some sort of fucking voodoo hexes over us over the last 4-5 years or so.
Please don’t lose to Iowa State. Please.
DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?
by ReadingRambler on Jun 30, 2009 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions
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