Season Prediction 2018

HawkeyeDenis

Well-Known Member
So here we are two weeks out from opening day! Maybe I missed the prediction thread but anyway here's my WAG(wild ass guess).

Iowa has a lot of potential this year. A excellent QB, two very good TE's, an up WR corps with Smith Marsette and Easley. Big offensive line, running backs looking to start their legacies. Should be a great offensive year.

Defensive line was good last year, expect them to be the bedrock of this defense. Linebackers. They may be great, but they shouldn't be a drag on the defense either. Defensive backs will get better as the year goes on.

1. Northern Illinois. Good pass rusher. Iowa's starting tackles suspended. Iowa still wins. 31-17
2. Iowa State. Doesn't matter if Iowa State is good or bad this year. Still a dogfight. Iowa returns suspended players. Going to be a close one. Iowa wins by a FG. 31-28
3. Northern Iowa. Not enough for Iowa. Iowa wins a tune up game before Wisconsin. 42-10
4. Wisconsin. Iowa wins this game, they can make another 12-0 run. But a playoff bound Wisconsin coming to town is looking to spoil that thought. Iowa drops one. 31-21.
5. Minnesota. Freshman QB? Young. Not enough for Iowa. Iowa wins 42-13
6. Indiana. Not enough talent. 42-28
7. Maryland. Too many off the field problems. Homecoming for the Hawkeyes. Iowa wins 45-21
8. Penn State. Iowa's second game against a B10 contender. In Happy Valley. Penn State may not be as strong as last year but...Iowa loses. 27-21
9. Purdue. Defense from last year is gone. Offense still potent. Don't expect Iowa to get out played, out coached this year. Iowa wins. 41-27
10. Northwestern. Northwestern's hopes got a cool down at the B10 media event when it was disclosed Thorson might not be ready for a few games in. Limit Thorson Iowa wins. 31-24
11. Illinois. Young. Very young. Iowa wins. 43-14
12. Nebraska. Going to be tough for Nebraska to break that 3 game Iowa winning streak in Kinnick. Iowa wins. 37-17

I have Iowa 10-2. But as we know Iowa seems to win a game they shouldn't etc. So we will see! Go Hawks!
 
Stanley Jackson from the Big 10 Network & former Buckeye QB predicted 10 wins for Iowa this year and he loves Nate Stanley and said Fant is the best TE in the nation
 
So here we are two weeks out from opening day! Maybe I missed the prediction thread but anyway here's my WAG(wild ass guess).

Iowa has a lot of potential this year. A excellent QB, two very good TE's, an up WR corps with Smith Marsette and Easley. Big offensive line, running backs looking to start their legacies. Should be a great offensive year.

Defensive line was good last year, expect them to be the bedrock of this defense. Linebackers. They may be great, but they shouldn't be a drag on the defense either. Defensive backs will get better as the year goes on.

1. Northern Illinois. Good pass rusher. Iowa's starting tackles suspended. Iowa still wins. 31-17
2. Iowa State. Doesn't matter if Iowa State is good or bad this year. Still a dogfight. Iowa returns suspended players. Going to be a close one. Iowa wins by a FG. 31-28
3. Northern Iowa. Not enough for Iowa. Iowa wins a tune up game before Wisconsin. 42-10
4. Wisconsin. Iowa wins this game, they can make another 12-0 run. But a playoff bound Wisconsin coming to town is looking to spoil that thought. Iowa drops one. 31-21.
5. Minnesota. Freshman QB? Young. Not enough for Iowa. Iowa wins 42-13
6. Indiana. Not enough talent. 42-28
7. Maryland. Too many off the field problems. Homecoming for the Hawkeyes. Iowa wins 45-21
8. Penn State. Iowa's second game against a B10 contender. In Happy Valley. Penn State may not be as strong as last year but...Iowa loses. 27-21
9. Purdue. Defense from last year is gone. Offense still potent. Don't expect Iowa to get out played, out coached this year. Iowa wins. 41-27
10. Northwestern. Northwestern's hopes got a cool down at the B10 media event when it was disclosed Thorson might not be ready for a few games in. Limit Thorson Iowa wins. 31-24
11. Illinois. Young. Very young. Iowa wins. 43-14
12. Nebraska. Going to be tough for Nebraska to break that 3 game Iowa winning streak in Kinnick. Iowa wins. 37-17

I have Iowa 10-2. But as we know Iowa seems to win a game they shouldn't etc. So we will see! Go Hawks!

I like you're overall record prediction. But I think your offensive scoring prediction is insane. Until proven otherwise Iowa doesn't have the offensive capability from a coaching standpoint and/or talent at the WR position to play an entire season and score under 30 points only twice.
 
O was better last year than it had been in a while despite a whole lot of I experience. I think year 2 in the Stanley/BF era shows significant improvement. 10-2.
 
So here we are two weeks out from opening day! Maybe I missed the prediction thread but anyway here's my WAG(wild ass guess).

Iowa has a lot of potential this year. A excellent QB, two very good TE's, an up WR corps with Smith Marsette and Easley. Big offensive line, running backs looking to start their legacies. Should be a great offensive year.

Defensive line was good last year, expect them to be the bedrock of this defense. Linebackers. They may be great, but they shouldn't be a drag on the defense either. Defensive backs will get better as the year goes on.

1. Northern Illinois. Good pass rusher. Iowa's starting tackles suspended. Iowa still wins. 31-17
2. Iowa State. Doesn't matter if Iowa State is good or bad this year. Still a dogfight. Iowa returns suspended players. Going to be a close one. Iowa wins by a FG. 31-28
3. Northern Iowa. Not enough for Iowa. Iowa wins a tune up game before Wisconsin. 42-10
4. Wisconsin. Iowa wins this game, they can make another 12-0 run. But a playoff bound Wisconsin coming to town is looking to spoil that thought. Iowa drops one. 31-21.
5. Minnesota. Freshman QB? Young. Not enough for Iowa. Iowa wins 42-13
6. Indiana. Not enough talent. 42-28
7. Maryland. Too many off the field problems. Homecoming for the Hawkeyes. Iowa wins 45-21
8. Penn State. Iowa's second game against a B10 contender. In Happy Valley. Penn State may not be as strong as last year but...Iowa loses. 27-21
9. Purdue. Defense from last year is gone. Offense still potent. Don't expect Iowa to get out played, out coached this year. Iowa wins. 41-27
10. Northwestern. Northwestern's hopes got a cool down at the B10 media event when it was disclosed Thorson might not be ready for a few games in. Limit Thorson Iowa wins. 31-24
11. Illinois. Young. Very young. Iowa wins. 43-14
12. Nebraska. Going to be tough for Nebraska to break that 3 game Iowa winning streak in Kinnick. Iowa wins. 37-17

I have Iowa 10-2. But as we know Iowa seems to win a game they shouldn't etc. So we will see! Go Hawks!
That you, BF?
 
I like you're overall record prediction. But I think your offensive scoring prediction is insane. Until proven otherwise Iowa doesn't have the offensive capability from a coaching standpoint and/or talent at the WR position to play an entire season and score under 30 points only twice.

Iowa's line which was young last year is largely intact. Wadley is gone but there are running backs eager to make their mark. If teams try to double team Noah Fant that leaves TJ Hockenson open. (see Ohio State game) Smith Marsette. He's in his second year. He made mistakes last year, but he made a lot of good plays. Lot of potential there. Nick Easley we know what he can do. Defenses can't cover all those guys. Add to that Nate Stanley. Great year statistically. I expect more offense this year. probably not 31 points a game but better and more consistent than last year.
So who has a defense to stop Iowa? There's not a lot of defensive powerhouses on the schedule except Wisconsin and Penn State. Iowa State will pose problems no doubt. But that could end up being a shoot out.
 
Last edited:
[QUOTE="I have Iowa 10-2. But as we know Iowa seems to win a game they shouldn't etc. So we will see! Go Hawks![/QUOTE]
Nice thoughts. Just like 2015, I am grateful we are getting Wisconsin when we are - I think THE best chance of getting them is in September. And while it could be said that, on balance, especially in the last decade or so, we have played every bit as well if not better against the Badgers at Camp Randall than at Kinnick, this is one game we can be grateful will be in Iowa City. And by the way, the same can be said about the Hawks playing the Nittany Lions better in Happy Valley than they have near the corner of Melrose and Melrose. In that case, I will actually prefer that the game IS where it is this year - at Penn State.
The idea that those two scenarios could be all that keeps us from 12-0 is exciting. And by the way, if that happens, Nathan Stanley wins the Heisman, and after this season, he is gone. A lot of "if's", I know.
 
The huge concern for Iowa this year. A healthy Nate Stanley. Iowa's chances go with him. He stubs his toe and it's going to be tough to get to 6 wins.
 
6-6. Linebackers too green. Coaching also too green, or should I say making us feel green from pathetic and inconsistent gameplanning and play calling.
 
Shoot, if we score in the 40s most games and average in the 30s we will be the national champions. I dont think our offense will be as productive as the OP states,

8-5 for another year guaranteed and a $500k bonus. Why get the fans hopes to high with a 10 win season, that only raises expectations on the staff.
 
6-6 or 7-5. Way too much unfounded optimism at this stage. Too many question marks, and the impact of the suspensions will be felt vs ISU. ISU, Wisconsin, and Penn State are likely losses. UNI, Minnesota, and Illinois are likely wins. The rest could go either way.
 
Last edited:
Iowa loses to NW, Wisc, PSU, and ISU as our rushing offesense and defense fails us with inexperience in early, close games. Loses bowl game. 8 - 5.

Edit: Apparently, I can't add.
 
Last edited:
Iowa's line which was young last year is largely intact. Wadley is gone but there are running backs eager to make their mark. If teams try to double team Noah Fant that leaves TJ Hockenson open. (see Ohio State game) Smith Marsette. He's in his second year. He made mistakes last year, but he made a lot of good plays. Lot of potential there. Nick Easley we know what he can do. Defenses can't cover all those guys. Add to that Nate Stanley. Great year statistically. I expect more offense this year. probably not 31 points a game but better and more consistent than last year.
So who has a defense to stop Iowa? There's not a lot of defensive powerhouses on the schedule except Wisconsin and Penn State. Iowa State will pose problems no doubt. But that could end up being a shoot out.

There are 2 things that have shown to be pretty consistent during the KF era regardless of talent on the roster, player experience, injuries, assistant coaches, play calling, etc

1) Iowa is going to play tough defense, teams will earn every point against Iowa.
2) Iowa is going to struggle on offense, particularly the vertical passing game.

There is nearly 20 years of data that suggests there are plenty of B1G defenses that will stop Iowa's offense this year. Iowa basically had 3 great offensive games last year and the rest was a train wreck.

I hope you're right. KOK has proven that he can make the best of being saddled by KF. But KOK isn't calling plays now. So until proven otherwise, I'll believe what I've seen for 2 decades. Kirk's offense is going to struggle.
 
Logic says 8--4

Cynical side says 7-5

Optimistic side says 9-3.

I am feeling optimistic so I am going to say 9-3. Final answer

i'm feeling optimistic, too. i think stanley will be so good that even kirk can't screw it up. 9 or 10 wins. I see PSU as the only loss we should have. i'm not going to give kirk the excuse that we have 3 new lbs. it's kirks job to make sure that doesn't matter.
 

Latest posts

Top