SI Early Top 25

[errball]

Alabama, Boise State, Ohio State headline post-spring Top 25 - Andy Staples - SI.com

Haven't seen this posted yet. It would be amazing if we could start and finish in the top5!

 

[brewhawk23]

I cannot wait to see if Jewel comes back and wins the starting spot....We may be LOADED at running back this season barring any injury.

 

[tm3308]

I'm not buying this guy's top 25. I don't care if we're in the top 5 or not, he's got Penn State ranked #14. That erased all credibility he had, IMO.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

The Big 10 is looking fine.

 

[hwkwyld]

The Big 10 is looking fine.

Agree - Three teams in the top ten and 4 in the Top 15. It'll be a fun year to be a Big 10 Football fan!

 

[burky247]

I'm not buying this guy's top 25. I don't care if we're in the top 5 or not, he's got Penn State ranked #14. That erased all credibility he had, IMO.

I'm having trouble buying that Iowa is a Top 5 team right now either.

 

[tm3308]

I'm having trouble buying that Iowa is a Top 5 team right now either.

I'm not certain of that either. I think 7-9 is about right, given the question marks up front. If the line gels as quickly as I think it will, then we'll be up in the top 3-4 pretty quickly.

 

[Hawks4life11]

I want to play Boise State. Prove to everyone that they are a joke and put all that bs to rest. Their conference is a bunch of high school teams wearing college uniforms.

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

I'm having trouble buying that Iowa is a Top 5 team right now either.

I'm having trouble with anyone not buying that Iowa is a Top 5 team right now.

Since you need assistance as to why Iowa is going to get the high ranking and the pub that is coming and I mean it's going to be coming like a Frieght Train by the experts.

Stanzi
DJK
McNutt
hampton
Wegher
Robinson
Chaney

Clayborn
Ballard
Binns
Hunter
Sash
Greenwood

 

[SwirlinLingerie]

Chaney? Not sure the 4th or 5th (maybe 6th) WR, coming back from major knee surgery, will be highlighted by the experts.

 

[tm3308]

I'm having trouble with anyone not buying that Iowa is a Top 5 team right now.

Since you need assistance as to why Iowa is going to get the high ranking and the pub that is coming and I mean it's going to be coming like a Frieght Train by the experts.

Stanzi
DJK
McNutt
hampton
Wegher
Robinson
Chaney

Clayborn
Ballard
Binns
Hunter
Sash
Greenwood

Receiving a top-5 preseason ranking does not mean you are a top-5 team. See Penn State 2009 for reference.

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

Receiving a top-5 preseason ranking does not mean you are a top-5 team. See Penn State 2009 for reference.

Sorry but when you have the guns returning like Iowa the experts will target you. Sorry but nobody shoud be surprised by the high rating.

As for Penn State they have been overrated for the past 10 years and our going to be again this year. As long as JoePa is roaming the sidelines for Penn State they will continue to get ranked pre-season. Not a good analogy by you sorry.

 

[tm3308]

Sorry but when you have the guns returning like Iowa the experts will target you. Sorry but nobody shoud be surprised by the high rating.

As for Penn State they have been overrated for the past 10 years and our going to be again this year. As long as JoePa is roaming the sidelines for Penn State they will continue to get ranked pre-season. Not a good analogy by you sorry.

Again, "experts" saying you're a top 5 team doesn't make it true. I'm not saying I don't think we'll be top 5 in the preseason. In fact we probably will. I'm saying I don't think we're actually THAT good yet. The OL needs to gel before we're THAT good, IMO. But the "experts" have proven that they're willing to overlook question marks such as the holes on the OL, and put a team in the top 5 anyway.

 

[tm3308]

Sorry but when you have the guns returning like Iowa the experts will target you. Sorry but nobody shoud be surprised by the high rating.

As for Penn State they have been overrated for the past 10 years and our going to be again this year. As long as JoePa is roaming the sidelines for Penn State they will continue to get ranked pre-season. Not a good analogy by you sorry.

Oh, and I missed where Penn State in 2009 was a poor example of having a top ranking not actually meaning a team was that good. Texas in 2006, then. Or USC 2009. Or Clemson in just about any year. Georgia in 2008. Or Illinois the past two years. There's lots of examples. But my point was that just because a team is labeled as a top team does NOT mean they actually are. So PSU in 2009 was still a good example of that. "Experts" overlooked the OL because they were wearing their JoePa glasses.

 

[EastLosRandy]

Penn State's 2009 team finished 11-2 with a January 1st bowl win over LSU and a top ten ranking. Technically, they didn't live up to their preseason top-five ranking, but that's still a damn good season. If Iowa is ranked top five preseason and finishes 11-2 again with another big bowl win and top ten finish, then I will be very, very happy.

And I won't blame or resent the preseason rankings for whatever setbacks we may have. I think #5 is a very good PREDICTION for Iowa. Nobody here thinks it's a guarantee, and much more importantly nobody on the team thinks that either.

I don't see what's so crazy about PSU being #14. They're always talented, they're always good on defense, and they return Evan Royster and the whole offense minus Clark. Replacing the QB is a big deal, of course, but PSU will keep every game close (including Alabama) by running the ball well and playing good defense. Look at their schedule. I see a 9-3 season with close losses at Bama, at Iowa, and at OSU. If they win their bowl game, why wouldn't they finish top 15 with a resume like that?

This is all a way of saying that I actually like Staples' rankings. It's a good read, too, well written, imho.

 

[tm3308]

Penn State's 2009 team finished 11-2 with a January 1st bowl win over LSU and a top ten ranking. Technically, they didn't live up to their preseason top-five ranking, but that's still a damn good season. If Iowa is ranked top five preseason and finishes 11-2 again with another big bowl win and top ten finish, then I will be very, very happy.

And I won't blame or resent the preseason rankings for whatever setbacks we may have. I think #5 is a very good PREDICTION for Iowa. Nobody here thinks it's a guarantee, and much more importantly nobody on the team thinks that either.

I don't see what's so crazy about PSU being #14. They're always talented, they're always good on defense, and they return Evan Royster and the whole offense minus Clark. Replacing the QB is a big deal, of course, but PSU will keep every game close (including Alabama) by running the ball well and playing good defense. Look at their schedule. I see a 9-3 season with close losses at Bama, at Iowa, and at OSU. If they win their bowl game, why wouldn't they finish top 15 with a resume like that?

This is all a way of saying that I actually like Staples' rankings. It's a good read, too, well written, imho.

Not to mention they also have some holes on the OL again. That's a second straight year with the OL being a question mark. And losing Clark is going to hurt them alot, because they don't exactly grow QB's on trees at PSU. PSU also lost both Shuler and Quarless at TE, and as Iowa fans we know that a good TE is a new QB's best friend, and PSU just lost 2 good ones. Defenses will be able to key on Royster and Green too much.

Their defense has to replace Odrick, Lee, Bowman, Hull, and A.J. Wallace. That's quite a bit to ask to replace the Big Ten Co-Defensive POY, an entire (and VERY good) linebacking corps, and your best corner.

Altogether, I don't have a problem with them being ranked. But #14 just seems ludicrous considering the holes they have to fill.

 

[burky247]

I'm having trouble with anyone not buying that Iowa is a Top 5 team right now.

Since you need assistance as to why Iowa is going to get the high ranking and the pub that is coming and I mean it's going to be coming like a Frieght Train by the experts.

Stanzi
DJK
McNutt
hampton
Wegher
Robinson
Chaney

Clayborn
Ballard
Binns
Hunter
Sash
Greenwood

Hmmm...I looked at that list of yours four times and still didn't notice any offensive lineman in it. Right there is a good reason why I'm not sold on a top 5. Top 10?? I think a case could be made. Top 15?? Definitely.

As for the experts, unfortunately a lot of us know more about Iowa than some of them do. I'm nothing if not consistent. I thought most of them were uninformed when they barely had Iowa in the Top 20 after a 5-0 start. And I think they are now as well.

I'm not saying Iowa couldn't be a Top 5 team late in the season. But they're not going to look anything like it at the beginning of the season. They rarely even look like a Top 25 team early on. We see it every year. We will have a struggling offense, and strong defense, and we will look underwhelming for a while. Hopefully we play well enough to squeak out enough wins until we start clicking.

That Arizona game continues to worry me. When was the last time an Iowa team looked good out West against a decent team? There were a couple bowl wins in the Holiday Bowl in the 80's I think. Other than that I'm having a hard time remembering any.

 

[SoCalHawkI]

I'm having trouble buying that Iowa is a Top 5 team right now either.

I know. I mean, who have we played?

 

[whammer33024]

no one brought up michigan the year they lost to appalachian state?

anyway, its pre-season rankings and is nowhere near official. relax guys, its still a long time before the fall. and preseason rankings don't mean anything compared to the rankings that come out in november

 

[HawkeyeMike23]

Hmmm...I looked at that list of yours four times and still didn't notice any offensive lineman in it. Right there is a good reason why I'm not sold on a top 5. Top 10?? I think a case could be made. Top 15?? Definitely.

As for the experts, unfortunately a lot of us know more about Iowa than some of them do. I'm nothing if not consistent. I thought most of them were uninformed when they barely had Iowa in the Top 20 after a 5-0 start. And I think they are now as well.

I'm not saying Iowa couldn't be a Top 5 team late in the season. But they're not going to look anything like it at the beginning of the season. They rarely even look like a Top 25 team early on. We see it every year. We will have a struggling offense, and strong defense, and we will look underwhelming for a while. Hopefully we play well enough to squeak out enough wins until we start clicking.

That Arizona game continues to worry me. When was the last time an Iowa team looked good out West against a decent team? There were a couple bowl wins in the Holiday Bowl in the 80's I think. Other than that I'm having a hard time remembering any.

Which teams would you have in your top five? I think every team except Boise State, which returns 21 of 22 starters, has question marks. Obviously being an Iowa fan you follow the Hawks more closely than many of the experts, but I think sometimes this means you become overly critical of the weaknesses of this team compared to their strengths.

If this wasn't Iowa and you heard that a team went 11-2 and soundly defeated the ACC champion GT in the Orange Bowl last year. Returned 9 of 11 starters on D, including possibly the best D-Line in the country. Returned maybe the best senior punter in the country. Their top two RBs, both who were freshman last season, returned as well as the preseason starter from last year who missed all of last season with an injury. They had possibly the most talented WR group in school history and a senior QB who is 18-4 as a starter. Yes, they're losing four starters on the offensive line but their head coach is regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. Are you telling me that doesn't sound like a top 5 team to you?