SCHawkeye2
Well-Known Member
The defense won games Iowa should have lost with our offense.
The offense lost games Iowa should have won with our defense.
The offense lost games Iowa should have won with our defense.
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10 wins
- Thread starter hawkinn3
- Start date
I'm probably in the minority but I don't quite understand all of the fear with the four new teams coming in from the PAC-12. For years, that conference has been a laughing stock. They haven't made a playoff since when, 2016?
They've had a very good year this season, no doubt about it. And we have benefited by having a schedule heavy with average/poor B1G West division teams. The schedule will be more difficult. But we will adjust. Not saying that we'll compete for league championships because I think that bar is very high. Beating 17 other teams is very difficult for any team.
But these four newcomers are not going to just steamroll the entire B1G. Oregon will probably stay very good and maybe for a long time. The others? I don't see it. They will come back to earth. Iowa will be just fine.
They've had a very good year this season, no doubt about it. And we have benefited by having a schedule heavy with average/poor B1G West division teams. The schedule will be more difficult. But we will adjust. Not saying that we'll compete for league championships because I think that bar is very high. Beating 17 other teams is very difficult for any team.
But these four newcomers are not going to just steamroll the entire B1G. Oregon will probably stay very good and maybe for a long time. The others? I don't see it. They will come back to earth. Iowa will be just fine.
hawkdrummer1
Well-Known Member
We're getting the best of the PAC12. Washington, Oregon are top 10 teams (one likely in the playoff). They're on par with Michigan and tOSU (or close). USC is always in the discussion (think Penn St). UCLA is up and down.
It'll be interesting to see the contrast in styles next Fall. Will the speed game of the PAC challenge the B1G or will they not be ready for the physical nature of what awaits. Stay tuned.
One thing for sure, next year's schedule is a step up from 2023.
trj
Well-Known Member
Oregon is legit. Those other 3 schools I am in wait and see mode.
USC: Haven't been relevant since Pete Carroll left and he's been gone for 15 years. I just shrug my shoulders...are we sure Lincoln Riley can fix this defense? I mean fix the defense in terms of being more than a 8-4/7-5 football team.
UCLA: Has been floundering for 20+ years, with a fanbase that doesn't give a shit. Chip Kelly is a really good coach, but he is one 6-6 season away from being fired. What current B1G school member is fearing a 5-4 UCLA squad having to come East in November?
Washington: Debeor(sp?) seems to have it figured out. Chris Peterson had a "Kirk" like run during his tenure, other than that they have been a mess the last 15 years.
Other than Oregon, I am not sure what I am fearing here.
Yes, Iowa has to "modernize" their offense and they have to nail it in terms of Kirk's successor. If they get those two things right(which is a big if), it isn't the doom and gloom everyone thinks it is.
hawkdrummer1
Well-Known Member
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
We have heard the speed argument before, like the year we dominated USC in a bowl game. Oregon/Washington vs Mich and OSU? Not very close. USC vs PSU? Maybe but infrequent, I think. You are right on: Our schedule will be tougher. Only if our O takes a big step and we can rebuild the loss column in our D due to many Seniors, can we be in the conversation.
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
I get it. But OSU and Mich hide in a weak division as well. Except for each other, I guess. PSU? Nope. Also ran…
trj
Well-Known Member
This is the 2024 schedule:
Illinois St.
Iowa St.
Troy
@ Minnesota
@ Ohio St.
Washington
@Michigan St.
Northwestern
Wisconsin
@UCLA
@Maryland
Nebraska
That schedule doesn't scare me...it looks like a 8 or 9 win schedule to me. Moving forward that is what the schedule is going to look like. 3 protected rivals(Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska) plus ISU and a group of 5 school. Those seven other games, everyone of one them will not be some juggernaut that they can't win 4 or 5 of them.
Yes, things are going to be more difficult. Unless Kirk's successor is a complete failure, I don't see the second coming(no pun intended) of the Bob Commings era.
Seth53
Well-Known Member
And things were so atrocious the OC, the HC's own son, was basically dismissed with four games remaining.
Seth53
Well-Known Member
I think the league most years split out like this:
Elite Tier (Top 5 most years): UM / OSU
Upper Tier (Playoff (Top12) most years): PSU / OrU / UWa
Good Tier (Playoff 1 in 5 years): USC / IA / UWi / UCLA
Mediocre Tier (better than .500 most years): Minny / Nebby / MSU / Rut / Nw / IL
Coaching Carousel Tier: Purdue / MD / IN
If Riley ever gets a good DC, they'll move up a tier. If Kirk retires and they miss on his replacement, IA goes into mediocre tier and either Nebby or Minny move up.
I think we might be underestimating how much Nix and Penix mean to their teams...I could see both drop off substantially next year.
InGoodCo
Well-Known Member
No one wins a division title with smoke and mirrors. The schedule is out ahead of time. Massey ranks Iowa's schedule as the 17th hardest, Sagarin ranks it as the 30th hardest. Is it the hardest? No, not close, is it an easy schedule? Take all the biased opinions out, absolutely not. The B1G is the 2nd best conference in the sport, people who try and minimize that is a very lazy take that is not based in any sort of factual data. The data is out there, it's free, it's as easy as using google. You type what you want to know into it, and poof, it tells you.
If it were easy to win 10 games in any league, you would see more teams do it more often right? Like, typically every year there's about 15-20 schools that get there. 10 wins when you play 12 in ANY conference at any level of football is good guys, don't let these 2 ding dongs (Old or Champ) tell ya any different
If it were easy to win 10 games in any league, you would see more teams do it more often right? Like, typically every year there's about 15-20 schools that get there. 10 wins when you play 12 in ANY conference at any level of football is good guys, don't let these 2 ding dongs (Old or Champ) tell ya any different
I agree that I don't understand why everyone thinks teams like Iowa are going to drop into the basement when these 4 PAC schools enter the BIG. Comparing 2023 schedule to 2024, Iowa replaces Penn St, Rutgers, Illinois & Purdue (3-1 record) with Ohio State, Washington, UCLA and Maryland (Assume 2-2 record). So Iowa goes from 7-2 in the BIG to 6-3. Not a big drop.
Plus Washington for most of this century has been a 7-8 win team. Next year without Penix I assume they drop back to their normal win level. UCLA is just Illinois with cooler uniforms.
kicker22
Well-Known Member
Depending on where we define middle of the road we may be that team even with an offense once expansion gets here. I don't mean that as a negative, because the conference is definitely taking a leap forward from a competition standpoint, but with that means 10 win seasons may be a thing of the past as well.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Well, I also think it's not safe to presume the team will have a top 5 offense EVERY year. The margin is so thin that I think a change in the offense had to be made secondary to such a thin margin for error. In addition, getting another Taylor to punt prob isn't going to happen and can't bank on that either. Without that D coupled with Taylor, Iowa doesn't end 10-2 and could be in that 6-6 or 7-5 range.
Yes, the team did wonderfully and won 10 games but being able to sustain that every year would not happen.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Plus you need to add in there the distraction of the OC mess.
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
I don't know. Even with a competent OC, I still think there is a real talent gap between Iowa and the three headed monster in the East. It would have taken a lot to beat PSU in Happy Valley and we would still be a double digit dog against Michigan.
But, we certainly would have had a legitimate shot to win both of those games with any semblance of an offense, I agree.
