Iowa's Tough 2019 Football Schedule

[oregonhawkeye]

I have said this before. A hard schedule like 2019 compared to an easy schedule like 2018 really only makes a difference of 1 game at best.

An easy schedule does not turn a 7-5 team into an 11-1 team, it turns it into an 8-4 team.

The main difference between 2018 and 2019 is Iowa plays Michigan instead of Maryland. Plus everybody they played at home in 2018, they play on the road instead in 2019, and vice versa. So looking at the 4 teams Iowa lost to in 2018, they will play @Wisc and @NW, but PSU and Purdue will be in Iowa City. Pretty much a wash. So again, the main difference in 2019 is Iowa is playing @Mich.

My take is the opposite. Switch out an easy win for a hard loss means more than one game in the standings. More big games like that create more negative momentum if you lose, more opportunity to let down if you win, more injuries.

It'd be great if we were just enough better than the rest of the schedule to go 9-3. Easy though to imagine a lot of tough losses and morale killers and ending 7-5.

SEC teams have cakewalks in the OOC for a reason.

And 2019's schedule is more than one game harder than 2018.

 

[4thngoal]

One game at a time. The hardest game on the schedule???? The next one.
Doesn't matter if it's Illinois or OSU.

 

[ModebaSan]

Pulled up this thread because it fits better than starting a new one. To me football runs in cycles, and I believe this is gonna be a great year for Iowa football. If you look closely, you can see where this schedule is really close to the 2015 schedule when we had our undefeated run.

2015 / 2019
at Iowa St. / at Iowa St.
at Wisconsin / at Wisconsin
at Northwestern / at Northwestern
vs Purdue / vs Purdue
at Nebraska / at Nebraska
vs Illinois / vs Illinois
vs Minnesota vs Minnesota

The addition of a nine team B1G schedule and different crossover games is the only major changes from the 2015 schedule.

2015 / 2019
vs Illinois St. / vs Miami(Oh)
vs Pitt / vs Rutgers
vs N. Texas St. / vs M. Tenn St.
vs Maryland / vs Penn St.
at Indiana / at Michigan

I have to give a nod to the 2019 version of these matchups to be slightly tougher than 2015. But I have to keep these factors in mind. I believe Penn St. this year, is gonna struggle with a new QB. Michigan is gonna be tough, but we have beaten them 5 outta the last 6 meetings including at Michigan. The rest are par for the course. Our entire schedule is still gonna be tough, but I think this 2019 version of the Hawks are gonna be as good or better than the 2015 version. I’m not saying we are going undefeated, but I can see an Iowa vs. Michigan rematch in the B1G Championship Game.