JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
My favorite college football preview magazine has arrived on newsstands, at least in West Des Moines; Phil Steele’s annual tome is here.
Here is how Phil Predicts the Big Ten:
1. Ohio State
t2: Iowa
t2: Penn State
4: Wisconsin
t5: Michigan
t5: Michigan State
7: Northwestern
8: Illinois
9: Purdue
10: Indiana
11: Minnesota
Steele says this of Iowa: “Even though I pick them second, they may be favored in every game they play this year.â€
We shared Steele’s All Big Ten picks with you last week at this link.
Here are Steele’s unit rankings for Iowa in the Big Ten:
QB: 3
RB: 4
REC: 5
OL: 11
DL: 1
LB: 5
DB: 1
ST: 1
As we all know, the offensive line is going to be the difference between Iowa being an 8-4 team, or one that could go down in school history…with the injury bug always been the wildcard. Iowa has the fewest returning ‘offensive line starts’ according to Steele’s homework, and among the fewest of any program in the nation.
Steele rates Rick Stanzi as the 11th best QB in the nation, Adam Robinson as the 50th best RB, DJK as the 18th best WR, Marvin McNutt as the 36th best WR, Allen Reisner as the 41st best TE, Brett Morse as the 8th best FB, Riley Reiff as the 46th best OT, Adrian Clayborn as a 1st team AA and 2nd best DE, Tyler Sash as a 3rd team AA and 5th best SS, Broderick Binns as the 29th best DE, Christian Ballard as the 21st best DT, Karl Klug as the 42nd best DT, Tyler Nielsen as the 54th best ILB, DJK as the 18th best KOR, Jeremiha Hunter as the 38th best OLB, Ryan Donahue as the #1 punter, Shaun Prater as the 38th best CB, Colin Sandeman as the 19th best PR, Brett Grenwood as the 6th best FS….
He has Iowa’s DL as the 3rd best in the nation and the 5th best defensive backfield, plus the 13th best special teams unit.
Steele picks Iowa to go to the Rose Bowl to play USC, with Ohio State playing Oklahoma for the national title, and TCU vs Alabama in the Sugar…but there’s a big problem with that, in that it cannot happen as Steele has predicted it.
If Ohio State would play a BCS conference opponent in the national title game other than a team from the Pac 10, and if a non-BCS team is in the final BCS Top 12, that team would get the Big Ten’s vacated Rose Bowl slot this year, or the first time in happens over the next four years, so Iowa could not go to the Rose under the national title and TCU scenario he lays out. Iowa would go to the Sugar under Steele’s model. For more information on this Rose Bowl clause, click here for our article from May 12th.
Interesting notes: Michigan has now had back to back losing seasons after 40 straight winning seasons…10 of the league’s top 11 rushers from last year return this season, but all three of the league’s 3,000+ yard passers are gone…none of the returning quarterbacks threw more than 19 touchdown passes last year, with all but one returning starting quarterback throwing at least 10 interceptions in 2009…just one of the top seven tacklers from last year returns (Greg Jones of MSU), but nine of the top ten kickoff return specialists are back, not counting Iowa’s DJK who did not have enough returns to qualify.
I have barely even scratched the surface of all of the information in this magazine..amazing features, so much more on the Hawkeyes…it’s simply the best magazine for the money and I have no financial tie to the magazine what so ever.
Here is how Phil Predicts the Big Ten:
1. Ohio State
t2: Iowa
t2: Penn State
4: Wisconsin
t5: Michigan
t5: Michigan State
7: Northwestern
8: Illinois
9: Purdue
10: Indiana
11: Minnesota
Steele says this of Iowa: “Even though I pick them second, they may be favored in every game they play this year.â€
We shared Steele’s All Big Ten picks with you last week at this link.
Here are Steele’s unit rankings for Iowa in the Big Ten:
QB: 3
RB: 4
REC: 5
OL: 11
DL: 1
LB: 5
DB: 1
ST: 1
As we all know, the offensive line is going to be the difference between Iowa being an 8-4 team, or one that could go down in school history…with the injury bug always been the wildcard. Iowa has the fewest returning ‘offensive line starts’ according to Steele’s homework, and among the fewest of any program in the nation.
Steele rates Rick Stanzi as the 11th best QB in the nation, Adam Robinson as the 50th best RB, DJK as the 18th best WR, Marvin McNutt as the 36th best WR, Allen Reisner as the 41st best TE, Brett Morse as the 8th best FB, Riley Reiff as the 46th best OT, Adrian Clayborn as a 1st team AA and 2nd best DE, Tyler Sash as a 3rd team AA and 5th best SS, Broderick Binns as the 29th best DE, Christian Ballard as the 21st best DT, Karl Klug as the 42nd best DT, Tyler Nielsen as the 54th best ILB, DJK as the 18th best KOR, Jeremiha Hunter as the 38th best OLB, Ryan Donahue as the #1 punter, Shaun Prater as the 38th best CB, Colin Sandeman as the 19th best PR, Brett Grenwood as the 6th best FS….
He has Iowa’s DL as the 3rd best in the nation and the 5th best defensive backfield, plus the 13th best special teams unit.
Steele picks Iowa to go to the Rose Bowl to play USC, with Ohio State playing Oklahoma for the national title, and TCU vs Alabama in the Sugar…but there’s a big problem with that, in that it cannot happen as Steele has predicted it.
If Ohio State would play a BCS conference opponent in the national title game other than a team from the Pac 10, and if a non-BCS team is in the final BCS Top 12, that team would get the Big Ten’s vacated Rose Bowl slot this year, or the first time in happens over the next four years, so Iowa could not go to the Rose under the national title and TCU scenario he lays out. Iowa would go to the Sugar under Steele’s model. For more information on this Rose Bowl clause, click here for our article from May 12th.
Interesting notes: Michigan has now had back to back losing seasons after 40 straight winning seasons…10 of the league’s top 11 rushers from last year return this season, but all three of the league’s 3,000+ yard passers are gone…none of the returning quarterbacks threw more than 19 touchdown passes last year, with all but one returning starting quarterback throwing at least 10 interceptions in 2009…just one of the top seven tacklers from last year returns (Greg Jones of MSU), but nine of the top ten kickoff return specialists are back, not counting Iowa’s DJK who did not have enough returns to qualify.
I have barely even scratched the surface of all of the information in this magazine..amazing features, so much more on the Hawkeyes…it’s simply the best magazine for the money and I have no financial tie to the magazine what so ever.
