Someone has got to win the West. Make your case for who.

NorthKCHawk

Well-Known Member
I will go from least likely to most:

NW: Dogshit. No chance.

Wisconsin/Nebraska: While you might get a tiny boost with a coaching change, rarely do midseason coaching changes work well that year. There is a reason the coach was fired. The team is shit. Subtracting coaches rarely makes the teams magically better. Still, Nebraska won this weekend and Wisconsin players can't have totally forgotten how to win a division they have dominated. 5% chance each.

Iowa/Illinois: Neither is perfect, but Illinois looks more balanced. Iowa still has pretty elite special teams and defense. Iowa is showing a feint pulse on offense and KF OL usually get better as the season progresses. The winner of the game this weekend doubles its chances. The other is done. Both have tough remaining schedules. 15% each.

Minnesota: They went from everyone's darling to flat on their face. Poor Rodents. Schedule is tougher than Purdue and they already lost head to head. 20%

Purdue: They have a great offense and a VERY favorable schedule remaining. 40%
 
Purdue to me is the big favorite to win the West. Next best chance is Illinois.

I think Purdue has the edge with their schedule and a real legit shot to win out, finishing 8-1. If they drop a game it will be in Champaign on 11/12 and even if they lose that game they still will have a better overall Big Ten record than Illinois at 7-2 unless Illinois can pull off the upset in Ann Arbor.


Iowa in my opinion finishes 7-5/6-6 record overall and 5-4/4-5 in the Big Ten. My gut tells me Iowa no better than 6-6.
 
Last edited:
It will be either Purdue or Illinois.

I think Purdue has the edge with their schedule and a legit shot to win out, finishing 8-1. If they drop a game it will be in Champaign on 11/12 and even if they lose that game they still will have a better overall Big Ten record than Illinois at 7-2 unless Illinois can pull off the upset in Ann Arbor.
I think it will be a lot messier than this. I don't see anyone winning out and I think anyone can beat anyone except maybe NW, and even then, never write off Fitz.

The remainder of the season in the West is more likely to be a slap fight melee where shitty teams cannabalize each other. It could easily be a 3-way tie. Hell, could 5-4 win it?????

I doubt the winning team will be ranked and it will further hasten the demise of divisions.
 
I think it will be a lot messier than this. I don't see anyone winning out and I think anyone can beat anyone except maybe NW, and even then, never write off Fitz.

The remainder of the season in the West is more likely to be a slap fight melee where shitty teams cannabalize each other. It could easily be a 3-way tie. Hell, could 5-4 win it?????

I doubt the winning team will be ranked and it will further hasten the demise of divisions.
I agree. Who knows? Based on where things are at right now, Purdon't makes sense, but they make some stupid decisions at times, too (see Syracuse game).

Wisconsin looks like dogcrap but who knows. Minny is pretty balanced. Illinois looks really great right now, but is that partially a reflection of their domination of the team who just had their coach fired?

Iowa may improve but likely not enough. Everyone isn't Michigan though in terms of talent.

If Illinois blows out Iowa I'll feel more confident about it being Illinois, Purdue, or still possibly MN.
 
Likewise, if Iowa goes into Champagne and handles business, then you gotta like Iowa's chances then.

Minnesota was the flavor of the week last week. This week it is Purdue and Illinois. I bet it is someone different next week.
 
Likewise, if Iowa goes into Champagne and handles business, then you gotta like Iowa's chances then.

Minnesota was the flavor of the week last week. This week it is Purdue and Illinois. I bet it is someone different next week.

No offense to IL or Purdue and I agree that they look like the crop at the current, those are 2 programs I don't trust at all to win a divisional title. Not that they can't, they just don't very often ya know?

Like, it's like saying the NY Jets are going to win the AFC East after 5 weeks because all the teams already have a loss and they've shown a spec of life. Can the Jets win the EAST? Yeah, is it likely? No. It's not.

If Iowa can find a way to win Saturday, they're in pretty good shape. I mean, Ole Man Kirk has 2 interim coaches left on the schedule.

If I'm a betting man I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable laying it all on Jets.
 
Iowa will win because Iowa is improving. In six years' iowa might have the best offense in the West. Iowa will win because they're the best. coolest uniforms and iowa plays nebraska and wisconsin at home. wehn up windows are glavinized, detourz and transmitions flzach verbinstein
 
I think it will be a lot messier than this. I don't see anyone winning out and I think anyone can beat anyone except maybe NW, and even then, never write off Fitz.

The remainder of the season in the West is more likely to be a slap fight melee where shitty teams cannabalize each other. It could easily be a 3-way tie. Hell, could 5-4 win it?????

I doubt the winning team will be ranked and it will further hasten the demise of divisions.

Could be much worse.....


Epic Clown GIF - Epic Clown Fight - Discover & Share GIFs

:cool:
 
I will go from least likely to most:

NW: Dogshit. No chance.

Wisconsin/Nebraska: While you might get a tiny boost with a coaching change, rarely do midseason coaching changes work well that year. There is a reason the coach was fired. The team is shit. Subtracting coaches rarely makes the teams magically better. Still, Nebraska won this weekend and Wisconsin players can't have totally forgotten how to win a division they have dominated. 5% chance each.

Iowa/Illinois: Neither is perfect, but Illinois looks more balanced. Iowa still has pretty elite special teams and defense. Iowa is showing a feint pulse on offense and KF OL usually get better as the season progresses. The winner of the game this weekend doubles its chances. The other is done. Both have tough remaining schedules. 15% each.

Minnesota: They went from everyone's darling to flat on their face. Poor Rodents. Schedule is tougher than Purdue and they already lost head to head. 20%

Purdue: They have a great offense and a VERY favorable schedule remaining. 40%
Does anyone really want to win the west and lose by 50 to OSU to end things?
 
Likewise, if Iowa goes into Champagne and handles business, then you gotta like Iowa's chances then.

Minnesota was the flavor of the week last week. This week it is Purdue and Illinois. I bet it is someone different next week.

LMAO. No I still don't gotta like Iowa's chances even if we win this week. I love the Hawks but Iowa isn't beating Purdue at Purdue. Furthermore this Iowa team will lay another egg somewhere along the way. This Iowa team has a very good Defense/Special Teams, but this Offense is a complete mess and isn't improving fast enough!!
 
Purdue to me is the big favorite to win the West. Next best chance is Illinois.

I think Purdue has the edge with their schedule and a real legit shot to win out, finishing 8-1. If they drop a game it will be in Champaign on 11/12 and even if they lose that game they still will have a better overall Big Ten record than Illinois at 7-2 unless Illinois can pull off the upset in Ann Arbor.


Iowa in my opinion finishes 7-5/6-6 record overall and 5-4/4-5 in the Big Ten. My gut tells me Iowa no better than 6-6.

We gentlemen, are watching the West now turn upside down. Used to be the bottom half was crappy, now all are crappy.
 
LMAO. No I still don't gotta like Iowa's chances even if we win this week. I love the Hawks but Iowa isn't beating Purdue at Purdue. Furthermore this Iowa team will lay another egg somewhere along the way. This Iowa team has a very good Defense/Special Teams, but this Offense is a complete mess and isn't improving fast enough!!
lol Purdue beat FL Atlantic at home by 2 a little over a week ago. Let's not act like winning there is some insurmountable feat that can't be done. Iowa isn't winning at TOSU, after that, it's a coin flip at best at every team left on the schedule. Which is why it's anyone's still at this point.

There are programs that I trust a heck of a lot more and I think that's absolutely fair considering Purdue hasn't won a division title ever. Not once. Never. O times.
 
lol Purdue beat FL Atlantic at home by 2 a little over a week ago. Let's not act like winning there is some insurmountable feat that can't be done. Iowa isn't winning at TOSU, after that, it's a coin flip at best at every team left on the schedule. Which is why it's anyone's still at this point.

There are programs that I trust a heck of a lot more and I think that's absolutely fair considering Purdue hasn't won a division title ever. Not once. Never. O times.
For the same reasons we can throw Minny Mouse in there as well....when the going gets tough....they hide in their hole.
 
LMAO. No I still don't gotta like Iowa's chances even if we win this week. I love the Hawks but Iowa isn't beating Purdue at Purdue. Furthermore this Iowa team will lay another egg somewhere along the way. This Iowa team has a very good Defense/Special Teams, but this Offense is a complete mess and isn't improving fast enough!!
I am telling you, 5-4 might win this slap fight!
 
Minnesota or Illinois

Those 2 have the most complete teams in the division. I realize that isn't saying much but everyone else has such glaring weaknesses that it is hard to imagine those other teams stringing together 2,3,4 victories in a row.

Illinois has Iowa and Minnesota at home back to back weekends, if they go 2-0, give me the Illini. Otherwise, give me Minnesota dependent on Ibrahim's status.
 
Simple.
If we win out against the West, we win.
If that is not something we can do against the level of competition in the West this year, then the program has declined into dangerous territory.
 
Last edited:
Top