NW- L (41-35). They give us problems and until I see the coaching staff adjust to the different offenses we face this season, I think we will continue to see the Hawks struggle or even lose to spread teams. Especially ones like NW with an accurate, scrambling QB at the helm.
Ind- W (24-13). Shouldn't be too much trouble. It might be close in the first half due to Iowa starting off slow against them usually but we put it away in the second half.
Min- W (28-14). Minnesota is the worst team in the BIG this year and Iowa will find a way to win this one, regardless of whether it's pretty or not. Floyd returns to IC this year.
Mich- L (42-28). This game worries me because although we have beaten them in the past with Denard, I just don't think we have the front 7 to do it this time. Their D isn't great but it's better than it has been and they will score enough to win this one.
MSU- W (17-14). I think this will be the game that the Hawks play really well in and show us the potential that this team has. We usually play MSU well and I think that will continue to be the case this year.
Pur- W (20-17). I know a lot of us are worried about this game because we usually struggle in West Lafayette and it's very reminiscent of the Minnesota game last year. However, I think we find a way to scratch and claw this one out. I think this game may be a pretty big stepping stone to the game in Lincoln the following week.
Neb- L (35-28). I would love to predict a win for the Hawks here but I just can't see it. We are struggling to stop the run and Nebraska's option has the potential to give us a lot of problems. It will be a very hostile environment and although I think we will keep it relatively close, I think we come up short.
7-5, 4-4 in the BIG. Not good, not bad. Just average. This wasn't a team that should have been expected to go far because we are breaking in some new people at key positions but I think we will see a pretty decent football team at the end of the year.
