ESPN predicts Iowa will not finish last in 2008 Big Ten Football....

chuckd4735 · 02-21-2008, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by mustangcy

I hate to say it but Iowa will not finish 2nd to last in that league. They should be improved from last year.

I agree that the RETURNING players will be improved, but the fact that they are not returning key names like Sims, Young, Godfrey and Klinkenborg is probably going to cause them to be a little worse OVERALL next year...

cloneu · 02-21-2008, 01:26 PM

I would put them at 3-5 with a good chance of 4-4. Should beat NW at home, beat Minny, then a good chance at 1 win between Purdue, Penn St, and Wisconsin all of which are at home. Maybe they even win two of those. Michigan St. may pull a Michigan St. against Iowa and lose. Iowa doesn't have to worry about Hardy killing them this year which gives them a shot at Indiana. Illinois has Ron Zook.

cardinal&gold · 02-21-2008, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by atlantacyclone

As long as ISU beats them I could care less if they win the rest of their games. Actually, the better they do the better the win feels!

Exactly. The better they do, the better our win over them is for us. Iowa going 8-4 or 9-3, with one of those losses to us (on their own field, btw), would help us make our case for the postseason, assuming we can scratch our way to 6/7 wins.

cycloneworld · 02-21-2008, 01:29 PM

It appears the Big 10 will be a tough, tough league this year. Of course, the same has been predicted before and that hasn't been the case.

Seth · 02-21-2008, 01:39 PM

Part of me wants to relish this, but the other part of me realizes there is a very real possibility ISU will be picked to finish second to last as well. Other than Baylor, I'm not sure who I'd objectively pick to do worse than us.

I just hope that the media has quit falling over themselves about how great the Big 10 is. I really don't want to see another friggin Nat'l Championship game where we know a crappy Big 10 team is going to lose.

djcubby · 02-21-2008, 01:40 PM

Unless they have some stud redshirts that will be playing next year, I don't see them getting any better. They lost their only true offensive threat in Young, and they lost a lot on the defensive side, too. Teams like Illinois and Indiana are improving, so it will be tougher to get the wins they could almost count on in the past. Even Minnesota had a better recruiting class than Iowa did, so we'll see if those guys get the see the field, and if Brewster know's what he is doing on the sidelines.

djcubby · 02-21-2008, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by Seth

Part of me wants to relish this, but the other part of me realizes there is a very real possibility ISU will be picked to finish second to last as well. Other than Baylor, I'm not sure who I'd objectively pick to do worse than us.

Here's the difference, though.

$3 million/yr = "Traditional Powerhouse" in a downward spiral
1/2 million/yr = Rebuilding program with what seems to be a bright future.

Which one sounds better to you?

cyfanatic · 02-21-2008, 01:44 PM

I will be sending that link to my Hawk friends right now! Should make for a fun afternoon at work...

jdoggivjc · 02-21-2008, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by cycloneworld

It appears the Big 10 will be a tough, tough league this year. Of course, the same has been predicted before and that hasn't been the case.

Hey - the MAC is a tough, tough league every year as well. I don't hear too many people willing to give Bowling Green, Central Michigan, or Akron any kind of props when they do well in that league..

Seth · 02-21-2008, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by djcubby

Here's the difference, though.

$3 million/yr = "Traditional Powerhouse" in a downward spiral
1/2 million/yr = Rebuilding program with what seems to be a bright future.

Which one sounds better to you?

I agree with your characterization of the situation, but ultimately, the only thing that matters in my book is W's. It just seems hypocritical to bag on a team for being picked to finish low when you aren't likely to fare much better in the preseason hype.

MontyBurns · 02-21-2008, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by cycloneworld

It appears the Big 10 will be a tough, tough league this year. Of course, the same has been predicted before and that hasn't been the case.

It doesn't appear that way to me. Ohio State has been by far the best team in the Big Ten that past two years and looks to be the best team again in 2008, at least on paper. And we've seen what happens when the Big Ten's best plays the SEC's best in the championship game the past two years.

Originally Posted by jdoggivjc

Hey - the MAC is a tough, tough league every year as well. I don't hear too many people willing to give Bowling Green, Central Michigan, or Akron any kind of props when they do well in that league..

Not true. I gave props to Western Michigan for managing to finish just below the middle of the MAC last year.

jdoggivjc · 02-21-2008, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by MontyBurns

Not true. I gave props to Western Michigan for managing to finish just below the middle of the MAC last year.

TOUCHE'!

hoocher · 02-21-2008, 02:15 PM

Lets see...ISU won three games last yr....lost to Kent St.,Toledo, and Iowa. How can ISU be on the upward climb if you won only 3 games this year and won 4 under Mac the previous year? Some of you posters really need to get a grip on where your program is.

dosry5 · 02-21-2008, 02:15 PM

I didn't read the article...but did the author take into account the potential 10% of the players on the team being arrested next year? Because if he didn't, well, I won't put much stock in his prediction.

Indyclone · 02-21-2008, 02:17 PM

[quote=MontyBurns;374419]It doesn't appear that way to me. Ohio State has been by far the best team in the Big Ten that past two years and looks to be the best team again in 2008, at least on paper. And we've seen what happens when the Big Ten's best plays the SEC's best in the championship game the past two years.

Burns you can't use that as a comparison. Michigan did beat Florida and Wisconsin gave Tennessee all they could handle. Hell the Big East sucked last year and look what WV did to the Big 12 champ Oklahoma.

I also don't see Iowa finishing next to last. Their O can't possibly get any worse then it was last year and as far as their D I don't know what to expect other than King is an animal at DT. I believe most of their tough games are at Kinnick this year, but then again I don't think they have the home field advantage like they use to have if Western Michigan can come in their and win.