I know it's only the first game of the B1G season.....

SpiderRico

SpiderRico

Well-Known Member
...but I really think this game Saturday is for the West, for several reasons:

1. It's at Madison. Winning this game is like going up +2 on Wisky. In addition, while we have an easy conference schedule, Wisky's is actually easier.
2. The next difficult game is at Northwestern, but they've just lost 2 stout defensive players, Justin Jackson already has nearly 120 carries on the season, and they have to play Minnesota and Michigan before us...probably the two best defenses in the B1G this year. We get a creampuff in Illinois before playing them.
3. The next difficult game after that is Minnesota, but like NW, they have to play some real "big boys" before us.....namely Nebraska, Michigan and OSU...back-to-back-to-back. Conversely, we get Maryland and Indiana before we play Minnesota. And we get the Gophers at home.
4. Finally, there's Nebraska. I just don't think Nebraska has the defense to be a player in the West.

While you certainly can't say that we'd have the division locked up by winning at Wisky.....you just really can't find a plausible scenario where we lose at Wisky and still win the West.

Can't wait for Saturday at 11am!
 
Agree with you.

Plus ---- good info about Minnie's and NW's pre-Iowa schedule.
 
I've looked at the schedules for Wisconsin, NW, Minnesota and Nebraska. Simply put, an Iowa win against Wisconsin doesn't guarantee a BIG West Division title, but it could give the Hawks a 1 game cushion in case one of those bad losses occurs (i.e. at Indiana). Wisconsin has a pretty favorable schedule. Iowa is one of their toughest games, even though it's played in Madison. Minnesota will suffer a couple losses because of their schedule, and Nebraska will as well because of their defense. I wouldn't be surprised to see Illannoy beat Nebraska. In my opinion, the only way to win the West will be do do it with no more than 2 conference losses, and no more than 1 loss within the division.
 
Iowa's cross-division schedule may be "easy" having to play @Indy and MD in Iowa City.

, but the games inside the division did not work out great.
@Wisc, @NW, @Neb
ILL, Minn, Pur in Iowa City.

Iowa plays the top 3 teams in the division on the road. not good.
 
SpiderRico said:
...but I really think this game Saturday is for the West, for several reasons:

1. It's at Madison. Winning this game is like going up +2 on Wisky. In addition, while we have an easy conference schedule, Wisky's is actually easier.
2. The next difficult game is at Northwestern, but they've just lost 2 stout defensive players, Justin Jackson already has nearly 120 carries on the season, and they have to play Minnesota and Michigan before us...probably the two best defenses in the B1G this year. We get a creampuff in Illinois before playing them.
3. The next difficult game after that is Minnesota, but like NW, they have to play some real "big boys" before us.....namely Nebraska, Michigan and OSU...back-to-back-to-back. Conversely, we get Maryland and Indiana before we play Minnesota. And we get the Gophers at home.
4. Finally, there's Nebraska. I just don't think Nebraska has the defense to be a player in the West.

While you certainly can't say that we'd have the division locked up by winning at Wisky.....you just really can't find a plausible scenario where we lose at Wisky and still win the West.

Can't wait for Saturday at 11am!
Click to expand...

Minnesota may be in a spoiler role by the time we play them. I hope they are trying to spoil our divisions leading record.

Any time you can get a road win at one of your top competitors site and get the tiebreaker against them it is just about like having a 2 game lead on them.

I am not 100% locking in Maryland, Illinois, and Purdue as wins but they look very close to the hawks being heavily favored. Illinois got smashed by NCarolina and just barely survived against Mid Tenn St, I mean barely survived. And Minnesota's offense is really struggling and if they cant pass well I like our chances at home against mainly their run game. And Purdue is really bad. And Maryland just gave up 300+ on the ground to WVa.

This first game is very important for the division race.
 
Its pretty crazy to think that the very first game of the B1G season could have such an impact but with the way the schedules break down, I think the OP nailed it. If Iowa loses, its just not realistic that they win the West.
 
guffus said:
Iowa's cross-division schedule may be "easy" having to play @Indy and MD in Iowa City.

, but the games inside the division did not work out great.
@Wisc, @NW, @Neb
ILL, Minn, Pur in Iowa City.

Iowa plays the top 3 teams in the division on the road. not good.
Click to expand...

As we know, last year was the year to strike iron, and we, instead, got stuck in the mud.
 
Xerxes said:
Its pretty crazy to think that the very first game of the B1G season could have such an impact but with the way the schedules break down, I think the OP nailed it. If Iowa loses, its just not realistic that they win the West.
Click to expand...

10-2 or 9-3 is a pretty good consolation prize.
 
Look at how big Tennessee felt about their first conference game against Florida.
We just can't go downhill, after this game, like 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014.
 
Lots of football to play. I just hope in the next 8 weeks of conference play the divisional opponents beat the tar out of each other and we avoid the injury bug. Wisconsin's a huge game, but ultimately our boys in black and gold need to perform every week and then focus on the next big game the following Saturday while avoiding dwelling on the previous week's performance or looking to far into the future.

Great feeling to feel relevant going in to conference play again.
 
No doubt this will be a HUGE game in revealing what Iowa's identity is going to be. A legit Big Ten conference contender or a team that played a very weak pre-conference schedule but wilted when the competition got real. I am hoping for a win and a great season.
 
Xerxes said:
Its pretty crazy to think that the very first game of the B1G season could have such an impact but with the way the schedules break down, I think the OP nailed it. If Iowa loses, its just not realistic that they win the West.
Click to expand...

While I, sort of agree, it's possibly a very big game,
I hope the IOWA players view it as just another game, because the
Hawkeyes have rolled thru every challenge, thus far and the
Hawkeyes now have their sights on getting another W, this Saturday.

Just another fine Hawkeye victory, this weekend.

#goHawks
 
We need a #2 back if we're going to keep on winning. And one thing's for sure--his name isn't Leshun Daniels. Leshun's brought nothing but injuries, slow feet, and indecision at the line of scrimmage. We need to look to Derrick Mitchell as our #2 option...or else.
 
HawkleberryFinn said:
We need a #2 back if we're going to keep on winning. And one thing's for sure--his name isn't Leshun Daniels. Leshun's brought nothing but injuries, slow feet, and indecision at the line of scrimmage. We need to look to Derrick Mitchell as our #2 option...or else.
Click to expand...

Agree with Hawkleberry..........someone needs to follow the LEADER, Jordan Canzeri and
STEP-UP. If LeShun Daniels isn't ready to do that, then DMX, or Akrum Wadley should be ready, by now.

#goHawks
 
HawkleberryFinn said:
We need a #2 back if we're going to keep on winning. And one thing's for sure--his name isn't Leshun Daniels. Leshun's brought nothing but injuries, slow feet, and indecision at the line of scrimmage. We need to look to Derrick Mitchell as our #2 option...or else.
Click to expand...

LOL! You could have said the exact same thing about Canzeri prior to this season! C'mon.
 
Le Shun will be just fine. Get over yourself. I just hope that we don't put the Hawks in the graveyard if the WI game turns out to be a loss. We are riding high, for sure. But, WI is a good defensive football team that can produce decent offense. And the game is, I would remind you, in Madison. If we do fall to the rodents, remember that we still have 7 very important football games to play. Like the players will, we fans just need to move on, regardless of the outcome.
 
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