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Ian Pike Hammer
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Obviously requires wins over both Wisconsin and Northwestern. When was the last year we beat them both in the same year? Surely it hasn't been that long ago... has it?
Watch this will probably be the year that both Wiscy and NW are down, and then a team like Purdue will finally gets its Sh!t together and win the West.No excuse for not beating Wisconsin and Northwestern this year. I really believe we are the better team right now. Evanston is like a home game for us, although Madison is always tough when they their stadium is full.
Watch this will probably be the year that both Wiscy and NW are down, and then a team like Purdue will finally gets its Sh!t together and win the West.
Overlooking Illinois would be a huge mistake. Last year they played Iowa tough in the first half. They looked like contenders. Many of those seniors are taking the extra year of play. They have an experienced QB and a proven coach. We may not like Belima but it's tough to dispute his record in the B1G.Don't sleep on Illinois, either. Watch us beat Illinois but wind up with a few fluke losses and losses to Indiana and Penn State that leave us in third for the division even though it totally sucks.
I don't know what happened to their personnel with the coaching change, but they had some really decent young talent in 2019 and looked okay at times in 2020. Lovie just wasn't very good at developing college guys and teaching fundamentals. They are precisely the kind of team that comes out of nowhere and wins 9-10 games in our lackluster division.Overlooking Illinois would be a huge mistake. Last year they played Iowa tough in the first half. They looked like contenders. Many of those seniors are taking the extra year of play. They have an experienced QB and a proven coach. We may not like Belima but it's tough to dispute his record in the B1G.
Its actually been the last three years. The 2018 game at Kinnick was poised to go to OT when Stanley hit TJ with a clutch fourth down pass that got Iowa into field goal range...I loath to say this, but Nebraska is due for some breaks. Way overdue. Now, they have about the most brutal schedule imaginable so I am not suggesting they will contend. But, Frost is on the warm seat and I am expecting them to get in the 6-7 win range so they will be relevant. And even though we have a nice streak going against those dirty bugeaters, the last two years have been narrow escapes.
I think Iowa has the most talent in the West, but I still would wager on Wisconsin based on history. Indeed, the safest bet in the West is that Iowa will finish second.
Fair point on schedule. But, I would rather get PSU then OSU any day. And, even though the Clowns will likely be a top 10 team when we play them, I would rather go to Ames than Norman any day and twice on Sunday.Its actually been the last three years. The 2018 game at Kinnick was poised to go to OT when Stanley hit TJ with a clutch fourth down pass that got Iowa into field goal range...
I say this every year. The reason a team like Nebraska always seems to have a brutal schedule is because they are not on it. They do seem to get stuck with tOSU every year though (hee, hee, hee)
Our crossover is no walk in the park this year, especially if Indiana is for real. Penn State is always a threat and Maryland could be the most improved team in the B1G.
Summers flyin'! All of this goes down in about ten weeks!
That's a team I wish we could play earlier in the season... I wish we could play them week 1 and play Indiana later in the yr. I think IL will improve as the yr goes on as Bielema gets more established.Overlooking Illinois would be a huge mistake. Last year they played Iowa tough in the first half. They looked like contenders. Many of those seniors are taking the extra year of play. They have an experienced QB and a proven coach. We may not like Belima but it's tough to dispute his record in the B1G.
This is all true and makes perfect sense. It woulda been nice if a kid that was in year 3 of the program being a little more ready to go last yr then he was. But yeah covid the lack of practices/spring etc etc are legit reasons.Petras was a first year starter in a pandemic year with essentially no off season and a truncated preseason. While that was true of everyone, I think the lack of offseason and cupcake games would have the most impact upon a young, first year QB starter. They have the biggest learning curve.
Despite that, he led the team to a 6-2 season, which we all agree with a couple breaks could have been 7 or 8 wins. Most importantly, he finished the year with three strong games. He improved.
With a full offseason, I expect Petras will be better and look more comfortable back there. Experience and reps breed confidence. If he makes just a normal progression from year 1 to 2, Iowa will have a shot at a relatively weak West. But, if he makes a big leap, this team could be very dangerous. I don't see him regressing.