So I Said A Few Unflattering Things About Iowa

Especially since I’m going to two games this year, PSU and UNL. Fuck me if you’re right. That being said, at least you’re calling things question marks and concerns and not outright panicking because of it. Damn you and your journalistic integrity.

The only one of those three I think could be more of a tossup is @PSU, and that’s probably a stretch (but who the fuck knows? We are their jNWU, after all). As utterly loathe as I am to say it, I just don’t see Iowa ever beating jNWU again – until it actually happens, you know? I.e., until I’m proven wrong, I’m picking the fucking Cats every time.
And Nebraska? Yeah. Not this year.

Oh – and if (ok, ok, “when”) fucking Northwestern does beat Iowa, they had better goddamn win their fucking bowl game.

would 4-8 shock anyone? It probably shouldn’t, but it would. Why? Because just when you think Iowa’s about to OMG SUCK BIG T1M3, they rip off 10+ wins. That’s just how Ferentz rolls.

I’m expecting something in the 7-9 wins range, but wouldn’t find anything in the 5 to 11 wins range to be particularly stunning. There’s a lot of proven talent that graduated. There’s what should be really good talent replacing it. There are question marks in places. There are exclamation points in places, too.

In a year and a division where 5-3 might actually get Iowa to the B1G Championship Game and then it’s one game against either the Bielema / Chryst braintrust, the Ginger Avenger, the Waterboy, or the Zooker for the title, a conference championship and BCS game is very possible.

I’ll take my beating from Penn State fans if they have reason to believe they’ll be a strong team, but I see huge question marks on offense. I know nothing about the defense, but if it’s expected to be strong, then I think we’re looking at a 6-4 redux in 2011.

…with one loss against someone we shouldn’t lose to and one win against one of your three losses. That said, even two losses against Neb, PSU, and jNWU will suck once those people come around gloating.

Undefeated.

I have no idea what this team is going to do this year. The offense has the potential to be better than it was last year (frequently disappointing) and the defense is still probably the best coached unit on the team. They should also see improvements on special teams. So, I just don’t know how things could turn out.

When a 9 win season is a downer, life on the football field is pretty damn good. Worrying about WHO we might lose to rather than how we’re going to win 7 games is pretty nice. Our slightly less hated rivals to the north (Minny) and west (ISU) only dream of these types of things. For them, their annual ceiling is 5-7 wins.

Sounds crazy, but I think Iowa is going to beat NW this year due to it being a night game, and just because we’re due. Persa is the real deal, but the ’Cats defense is still not good at all. I re-watched the Illinois game last year where despite a ridiculous pick 6, the fighing zookers DEMOLISHED NW by just pounding the shit out of the ball. This year, with this o-line and Coker, we grind those pussies into the dirt in the dark.

As for NU, I’m not uber confident, but they play Iowa at the end of a long, extremely grueling schedule in a brand new conference. Mental and physical exhaustian will have them ripe for an upset. And hey, if freaking Iowa State can hang with them, we certainly should.

So where the four losses? Glad you asked – I’m worried about Pitt (early season game with a lot of new faces for Iowa), Iowa State (they are due and I like where Rhoads has them headed and it’s in the Ames Wind Tunnel Stadium. Penn State will beat us this year it just has to happen at some point and I think we drop the game in W. Lafayette. Even when Iowa has good, experienced teams, they seem to struggle out there.

What’s funny is I like MY 8-4 much better than Adam’s 9-3, just because I really, really, really want to beat the two NUs and I kinda like Penn State and OMHR.

I don’t understand where this idea is that jNW is a “legit” good team this year. Their offensive line returns a lot of experience, but this was the case going into last season as well. And their RBs won’t scare anyone. Plus, despite the legendary FITZTENSITY!, I won’t believe in Northwestern defensive ability until I actually see evidence of it (in games not involving Iowa, sigh). Basically, this team is the same team it was last year: Persa, and 1 sneaky good WR and a couple other decent WRs and a whole mess of question marks.

we have all these holes on defense and all the questions from last year to take and line up against at least 5 or 6 spread and shred offenses (or at least some hybrid or variant thereof). being the first iowa team in years to lose by more than one possession is an even tougher pill to swallow, but entirely possible, as you say these streaks can’t last forever.

the last thing i’ll say is that this offense gives me some hope and it makes me nervous when all the talking heads pick the same finishes across both sides of the conference.

While jNW always makes me nervous, we have at least 3 things going for us this year.
1) Norm is back on the sidelines in the press box to dial up some D.
2) Our D is more geared for jNW this year. Slightly undersized/faster.
3) Coker is ready to mash any majic potatoes that end up on the field.

Arguing that Iowa will lose at Penn State this year because we can’t keep doing it is not a very good argument. What we did there last year or five years ago are relatively independent of what will happen this year. Obviously much of the coaching staffs are the same, but it just seems like a lazy argument.

It’s that no one will make it through the conference cleanly.

Might they be one of Iowa’s losses?

on the coaching. Not the coaching of the players between games, the coaching during games and preparing for the games, also known as play calling. I am now of the mind that the defensive play-calling and scheming last year was mediocre. In the KF era, if he and his staff think we hold an experiential or talent advantage they turn things into pure vanilla and put the pressure on the kid to win the battle…over…and…over…and…over…and…over…again. There was a time when that worked, that time was when Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler were coaching. Oh, and Norm was coaching then too. He’s not totally exempt from criticism.

I would seriously doubt that the staff thinks we will hold a talent or experience advantage in too many games this year, so we might see some creativity and thus improvement in the scheming. If not, I’m going to predict 7-5 with loses to Penn State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Iowa State or Pitt, and Michigan State. I think KOK is also a key to the season. If he is allowed to do more—and he should be as VDB is hardly young and inexperienced with the ways of this staff—we could see a good year from KOK.

VDB represents improvement in two significant areas over Stanzi: he will throw the ball away and he is able to pull the trigger quicker. If you watch him in the Ohio State game, a game he was allowed to play most of the offense (unlike the other two games he played significant minutes that year) he was TWO quarterbacks. When we were tied or close he was deliberate and telegraphed and even awkward — like Northwestern and much of the Minnesota game. When we were playing with urgency he was quick and accurate. In other words, when his talent was unshackled it was impressive. He will throw into tight spots in a way Stanzi did not. Stanzi threw difficult balls as a default to a play degrading. VDB threw there as first choice. Some would say gunslingers do that. I think he’s of that mind. Managed well, he is Drew Tate with potentially far greater skills, poise and intelligence. Managed poorly he is Marc Bulger his senior year at WVU.

I’m a Nebraska fan, and I sure as hell am not pegging the Iowa game on Black Friday as a guaranteed win for us. Torbee had a good point about our season: we get you guys at the end of a long and grueling schedule. And you can bet on Iowa showing up in Lincoln with a chip on their shoulder and their teeth bared.

You’re being all whoa-as-me representing Iowa knowing that we are the most successful when we are supposed to SUCK. Good show.

Pile it on.

I am just not that sold on Bo yet for two reasons.

1. They had every reason in the world to play well against Texas last year. Stick it to the Big 12, send Mac Brown packing his Longhorn network right up his butt, win the division and Texas wasn’t good. But they didn’t – they looked like shit on both sides of the ball and got beat by an inferior team. I can’t get the image of Mac Brown on the plane back to Austin wearing the most expensive boots he owns kicked up, smoking a fat Cuban cigar, drinking a glass of single malt laughing his ass off at Nebraska.

2. Bowl Game – they beat the piss out of Washington earlier in the year and got kind of thrashed in that game. I know one bowl game isn’t that much of an indicator, they were already disappointed in the season, etc… Iowa pulled it together and beat the 10th ranked team in the nation.

Bo seemed to fade late in the year and hasn’t really had a signature win. His biggest accomplishment was almost beating Texas in 2009 championship game. I think they are going to be beaten down and Iowa typically plays better with a younger team as the season progresses (last year notwithstanding). I think we can win that game.

I would not be surprised if Penn St beats us in Happy Valley. We have their number but they are due.

jNW will be a good team but a night game and badassed run game will smother P Fitz no matter how many baked potatoes he makes sweet love-time to. Plus we are due.

Either Mich St or Mich get by us, but whichever one it is will have 2 other conference losses.

Nebraska will be quite a challenge but it will be the end of the year and after a brutal schedule they might be relegated to subbing some of “the world’s greatest fans” onto the field. I think Wisc and Ohio St both beat Nebraska as well.

We win the division and beat Penn St in the rematch in the first B10 championship game.

Ferentz and the Hawkeyes then bukkake Oregon in the Rose. After that we all have ice cream.

I will, but…

Iowa doesn’t have weaknesses and strengths, it has unknowns and possibilities. Every team is that way.

This sport is crapshoot. I really believe that. You can do.film work and weight work and all that good stuff, but this game comes down to odd bounces, good or poor health, and random officiating.

Football is a mix of poker and a slot machine; you can only control.much.

Woot!!!

5.5 of his TFLs came against Eastern Ill and Ball State. Zero TFL in the final four games. Of course, there are other measures of efficacy for a DT, but mayhem jumps off the page.

Selective statting? That could be argued. He had four TFL against Arizona and MSU.

You get full-blast effort from Daniels. He has uncommon strength and good quickness, but he lacks size. I imagine there’s some give and take with his body type.

But I think after a loss to PSU breaking that streak, we get coached up about breaking the jNW streak. I’m calling a big MIchSt ’10 win vs. jNW.

However, I feel we could lose against one of the Mich/MichSt games (most likely MichSt).

Other loss is Neb.

But what do I know?

is getting started early. LLWS is on right now on ESPN and Iowa has the bases loaded with 2 outs in the top of the 1st.

There will be 2 key games early in the season that will show us what kind of football team we have: Pitt and PSU. If we roll Pitt(or at least convincingly beat them) we have reasons to be optimistic this year. Next, if we just beat PSU we’ll know that our team is the real deal and with teh remaining schedule have a legit shot at the B1G champs. I’m not concerned with MSU because I think Cousins will have a hard time sleeping the night before the game(visions of laterals and Pick-6ers). Michigan scares me. Even though they are amidst a coaching/scheme/style change, we know they have the talent to put up massive amounts of points. That’ll be the biggest challenge this year for our D. jNW is obviously scary, but it’ll be interesting to see how they handle the hype(something they haven’t had in a long….err…ever).
Am I the only one who’s actually optimistic about the Nebraska game? We’re going to have a lot of film on how they play against the B1G defenses(especially tOSU and Wiscy games). Am I the only one who saw them flop around like a dead fish towards the end of last season? Their D is tough, but they O is sketchy at best. TMart won’t be a rookie, but he might be in a body bag before Iowa comes to town. It can’t be that tough to win @Memorial(see ISU/Texas last year)

this could be a fun team to watch, or at least an entertaining and competitive team to watch. Last year’s team was so senior laden that we did not see much improvement from September to November, but this year we have some talent that just needs experience. Aside from PSU in October, the meat of our schedule hits in November which is when Iowa traditional is hitting its stride. I will not bet against the Hawkeyes this season (or any other season for that matter.)

So here it is.

I know what AJ said is all true but I got’s to believe. I’m going down swinging my sword at a Big Ten title. All the teams in the conference have flaws this year and Iowa’s are no worse than anyone else’s. I’ll concede that the Nebraska defense will be a buzzsaw but I am not sold on the fact that an offensive makeover will make their O better. Michigan State? Not worried. Teams that worry me? Michigan and Northwestern. Both will be good (if not great) on offense and better on defense that they were last year.