Snap out of your food coma, it's the season finale. We'll start at the same place we did last Saturday, with Marc Morehouse's Big Analysis. Morehouse is split on his advantages and picks the Cornhuskers to win this one 27-24.
Phil Steele also picks Nebraska 24-21. Steele doesn't tell us a lot we already didn't know but if you click on the "last 14 year match-up" link you'll see that in 2000 Iowa was a 41.5 point underdog to Nebraska. Yikes.
Randy Peterson, of the Des Moines Register, is also split on which team has advantages. Peterson doesn't give a prediction and his breakdown includes this interesting note, "Mike Meyer has made just two of his last six field-goal attempts."
Tom Shatel, of the Omaha World-Herald is taking Nebraska too. He has a predicted score of 34-24 and says Nebraska will bring its "Michigan State game" today.
Shatel also writes this, "I hope our new friends from the great state of Iowa don't take this the wrong way. But if the Hawkeyes beat Nebraska today, we're dropping football." Shatel goes on to state that Nebraska fans are "football snobs" and that the Hawks "don't have Nebraskans' attention." I'm really not sure what to make of this turd article. It wouldn't surprise me to see Shatel writing from the press box with one of those goofy corncobs on his head.
When Shaun Prater decided to return to Iowa for his senior year he looked at the schedule and decided that a game against Nebraska "definitely played a major factor in coming back." Prater isn't the only player looking forward to a showdown with his former childhood favorite team. Tanner Miller, whose dad and uncle played for the Cornhuskers, "wanted to grow up and be a Husker."
Pat Angerer had the week off and made it to West Lafayette to watch the Hawks take on Pudue. Marc Morehouse caught up with the former Hawkeye and they discussed his pal James Vandenberg. It turns out Pat and James have a friendship that dates back to JV's freshman year and James might be difficult to choke out.
Matt Tobin and Brandon Scherff have shared the left guard spot most of this season. Marc Morehouse writes that both should be top candidates for starting guard spots next year. It's not a given that either move in to senior Adam Gettis' right guard position. Austin Blythe, Jordan Walsh and Dan Heiar will battle these two for both guard positions.
Hoops. It took Coach McCaffery awhile to emerge from the locker room and meet with the press following Iowa's home loss to Campbell. You can read the transcript of McCaffery's abbreviated press conference here. You can also see what the players had to say. I'm going to put as much effort in writing about hoops today as the team put on the court.
The starting lineup for IPFW remains the same as the previous five games. IPFW is 2-1 on the season with the lone loss coming to #14 Xavier 86-63.
Other links of interest:
- Kid Captain : Will Linder
- Iowa Football Assistants' Salaries under Ferentz
- It was Iowa or Bowling Green for Kevonte Martin-Manley
- Iowa vs. Nebraska, a natural rivalry
- Yet another breakdown/preview of Iowa vs. Nebraska
- Solid read on Norm Parker
- Nebraska fans loving the Big Ten?
- Football recruiting notes
- Nebraska vs. Iowa bigger than Nebraska vs. Colorado, K-State or Kansas?
- The Nebraska fan base has crazies too
- Husker POV: Today's storylines
- Husker POV: Today's key match-ups
- The Husker/Hawkeye rivalry, a chance to grow
- Husker POV: Iowa's defense improving