Kirk Ferentz and ESPN Play it Safe

UPDATE: ESPN's frontpage is ridiculously funny. It is akin to the Government launching their own counter-culture anti-government division and telling you that you no longer need to be a part of that protest group, because we've got everything you need right here! Don't mind that smell, it's just establishment...

Well, he has spoken. Kirk Ferentz did an interview with Adam Rittenberg for the WWL, and it was...um...fluffy?

Not that we've come to expect anything more from ESPN, but there was not a single poignant question relating to the alleged rape in that whole bunch. The most telling?

Do you expect the second investigation to change anything?

KF: I'm only involved in certain parts of it and I can just tell you this. Everything I'm aware of was done with concern for the young woman, also concern for the alleged parties involved. That's really all you can do. From what I know, at least everyone on campus exhausted every possible option available to them and everything was handled very well. The Regents already came to that conclusion after an investigation, and I'm very confident they're going to come to the same conclusion down the road. The only other aspect of that, I would not be surprised if they readjust the procedure one more time. That may be a result of this investigation. But that's up to them. All the parties involved could do was follow the procedure that's been laid out.

What could that adjustment be?

KF: I have no idea what that might be.

Right, Kirk. You have no idea what the adjustment might be. Here's a hint: why not get the POLICE INVOLVED? And Adam, you're really ok with that answer? Come on, dude, why didn't you press it?

Here's a question I'd like posed to the WWL: Why are you treating this with kiddie gloves? If this were Ohio State, USC, Michigan, or any number of programs, this would be a HUGE deal, and there is no way you'd just have Rittenberg spend 20 minutes on the phone flinging marshmallow questions. Hell, you'd have Outside the Lines and the Sports Reporters in one giant orgy of soft focus outrage.


But since you decided to take the "little-read pseudo-blog" route, any ONE of the following questions would have been good to ask:

Why weren't the police informed?
Why did you have somebody move into a crime scene?
Were you aware that the protocol in place involved an "in house" solution?

Rittenberg does an admirable job discussing the recent off the field issues - even going as far as to ask how Kirk plans to address the discipline issues that have plagued the team. However, the questions about the pending rape allegation were softballs at best. If Iowa AD Gary Barta is "looking forward to addressing the specifics of this case publicly" then I'm looking forward to hearing them, because Ferentz and ESPN both fluffed it up for this piece.

Waiting on an Explanation

No need to delve into the guts of the case here. If you're reading this site, you undoubtedly follow such things to an unhealthy degree, and thus, already know. If you are in need of a recap, please click here, and here, and here.

The upshot of the whole thing is, unbelievably, that a rape alledgedly occurred at the University of Iowa, and the university followed a procedure that did not include notifying the police. Allegedly, allegedly, allegedly. The very fact that there was an allegation is disheartening, the fact that the university had an "in-house" solution is downright despicable. As an add-on, the University also had the alleged victim living in the SAME BUILDING on the SAME FLOOR as the alleged assailant. This goes beyond fail, and into gross incompetence.

We fully support BHGP's call for the resignation of everyone who even could have been involved. Everyone.

We are also looking forward to Iowa's explanation, if only to laugh at how truly insufficient it will be.

State of Game Takes off the Kiddie Gloves

We were just going to use the "BHGP has gone too far" segment as a segue into a belated LTP potpourri awards posts in which we ripped on BHGP for picking all Iowa folks, and revealed our own picks. We were going to do it nicely. But Hawkeye State decided to bring out the big guns, so we'll go ahead and rub his nose in it.

I don't have the skills to make a slideshow on youtube, mostly because I

a) have a girlfriend
b) have a life
c) wasn't in the A/V club in high school
d) don't spend my Saturday nights playing Halo 3 while gazing at a life size fathead of Richard Simmons that is up to not only inspire me to get off my fat ass and move around a bit, but also satisfies my deeply buried homosexual tendencies brought on partly from watching Iowa Football all those years, but mostly because the one time my black heart was actually with a woman, I had no swelling whatsoever in my gold pants.

Here is what I can do. I can embed a youtube clip that somebody else made (Plagerism right? Kinda like ripping off that already established Michigan video to begin with?) that I feel encapsulates the Iowa football experience in a nutshell:



Iowa Football: Where nothing happens. Nothing, atall.

The little video you made was cute, given that Iowa has won a grand total of 10 games against Michigan. That's not playing the "in the last 50 years" or "since the modern era" card. That's 10 games since the dawn of time. My guess is that Hawkeye State originally set out to make an "Iowa football: where amazing happens" video, found that he couldn't find any pictures of Iowa triumphs (here's a hint: they don't exist), and did the next best thing.

The road to OPS may very well go through you, HS - but that's only because you two are elephant-walking around so damn much that I get a two-for-one that I never, ever wanted to see. And dude, I'll take James Dean over Steve McQueen any day of the week. I notice you didn't bring Champ's pic into this, because the Godfather smokes McQueen all day long, twice on Saturday. You think we copied you on the "black and white badass celeb pic" for our own profile? That's cute, but the truth is we didn't really even know your site existed before we started this one, mostly because we haven't heard anything from Iowa Football since 2003.

Big Ten Bloggers Preseason Awards Show

A few days ago, an email flitted across my screen saying that Lake the Posts (friend [Ed - only friend, judging by recent events], Northwestern blog, good looking chap) was putting on preseason awards based on votes culled from the loose conglomeration known as "The Big Ten Bloggers." Round one would consist of our predictions for final standings, with all-Big-Ten awards to follow. The impetus for creating the awards was to prove that we, the intelligent bloggers of the Big Ten, would do a better job than the MSM at picking final standings, most notably concerning Northwestern. Well...the Northwestern bit didn't quite play out - and the MSM thing remains to be seen, but cruise on over to LtP for a complete wrap up. Notice that we're not in any outlier catagory - which is good. It's not our intensions to ruffle any feathers around here, now is it Champ? [Ed - more on this later]

For those disinclined to link out, here is how the conglomorate voted:

1 - Ohio State
2 - Penn State
3 - Wisconsin
4 - Illinois
5 - Michigan State
6 - Michigan
7 - Iowa
8 - Purdue
9 - Northwestern
10 - Indiana
11 - Minnesota

A pretty fair list, all things considered. According to LtP:

I was surprised at the wide disparity in voting. It isn't often teams get votes ranging 8 spots as a few did, including Northwestern. I was surprised by the Illini and Michigan State outcomes. I haven't bought in to the fact that Dufrene will keep "Ds" in check like Mendenhall for the Illini and also the on-field leadership of J. Leman is a bigger impact from a chemistry standpoint than I think non-Illini followers realize. For Sparty, I simply don't believe they have proven they know how to finish and while Ringer is legit, the loss of Devin Thomas removes an electrifying wrinkle that kept teams off-balance. That being said, my Michigan pick at 3 is completely irrational and goes against my better judgment. Perhaps I'm trying to hype them as I believe, truly believe, we will beat them in the Big House this year and who wants to win against Michigan and have it be a "down" year for them?

Beyond Ohio State, this was a crap shoot. I'm sure that all the BTB will be dissecting their picks today, and it will be interesting to see how the voting went. I know Nittany White Out already has their picks up, and I believe there was some sort of disagreement betwixt us. When I got a text from Champ saying "rant up" I went immediately to the basement to wait out the storm. I should make it clear that Beauford made the picks that went into the voting, with some help from Champ. So the following are not Champ's picks, FWIW.

Beauford's Picks:

1 - Ohio State
Sometimes, stereotypes exist because they're true. Sometimes, the majority is right because they're right - and there's no sense in playing the contrarian. In this case, Ohio State has, by far, the most talented team of anybody in the Big Ten and, IMO, the only team capable of competing for a National Title. On paper - which is the only thing we have to go on at this point - Ohio State should go undefeated in conference. I haven't done the Ridiculously Early Preview on them yet - but I would imagine that "trouble games" exist at Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Do they play Wisconsin this year?

2 - Wisconsin
This was a toss up between Penn State and Wisconsin. My reason for choosing Wisconsin was really foolishly simple: I compared schedules. Penn State's gotta play @ Wisky, @ Ohio State, while Wisconsin gets those games at home. The toughest road test the Badgers are going to face is probably @ Michigan, and with the season Michigan's predicted to have, that formarly ensconsed "L" becomes a toss-up leaning towards Badgers. When the dust settles, the most interesting game in the Big Ten this year may very well be that Oct. 11th rumble between Penn State and Wisconsin.

3 - Penn State
See above

4 - Michigan
5 - Michigan State
6 - Northwestern

Here's my rationale: Michigan State is probably better than Michigan this year. On paper. I know that I said that paper is the only thing we have to go on, but that doesn't apply for Michigan State. You see, we make up the rules as we go here... The problem is that Michigan State is still Michigan State, despite hiring a coach that looks like Belechik and glares alot. The end result for the Spartans last year was...the same as it always is: one game within .500, a demoralizing loss to Big Brother, and a bowl defeat. Every year I pen Michigan State as being vastly improved, capable of challenging for the Big Ten, and probable winners against Michigan. Every year, I'm elated at the results (which are pretty much the exact opposite of my predictions). This year, every one of the aforementioned rings true. They should be improved (see Hoyer and Receiving Corp), they should present as much a challenge to Ohio State as anybody, and they should beat Michigan. But I'm tired of getting burned on that - so until they prove to me otherwise, Michigan State will be a middle of the road Big Ten team incapable of beating quality opponents in conference. I'm begging the Spartans to prove me wrong.

Call it homerism for my honorary favorite team this year, or call it a favor to this blog's only friend Lake the Posts, but I am buying the idea that this year's Wildcats can make some noise. For many of the reasons Champ outlined in his preview, I don't think they will challenge for the title, but I do expect them to beat some teams that they traditionally don't (including Michigan?). They've got to get better at scoring points, and they've got to shore up their defense, especially line-play. Hopefully two new coordinators can accomplish that. Northwestern gets themselves bowl eligible, and there is much celebrating in Evanston this year.

Which brings us to Michigan. Here is why I believe Michigan is not this year's Notre Dame:

1) Notre Dame has been mediocre-to-bad the past decade. Sure, they had a good stretch there with Brady Quinn's senior season, but a closer look at said season reveals a lot of smoke and mirrors. Their schedule that year was brutally easy, with losses coming to Michigan and USC - the two quality opponents they faced. The schallacking they took at the hands of LSU in the Sugar Bowl was a surprise to no one paying attention. Every time Notre Dame has had to reload, they've failed miserably.

Michigan, on the other hand, has been good-to-great the past decade, proving time and again that the talent that Carr recruits is capable of stepping in and filling holes left by departing players. When Henson jilted the team in favor of Baseball, and a half-cocked Navarre had to step in, Michigan still went 8-4. Navarre ended up breaking several passing records en route to a career only remembered as mediocre. When he was done, it was Henne for 4 years. The line of skill positions that have follwed the "had success, graduated/drafted, then been replaced with success" time-line is non-stop. The hiccup with an unseasoned Navarre is the best example that I can think of of a player stepping into a skill position and sucking for a year. Receivers, tailbacks, and (by and large) quarterbacks have been one star after another for as long as I can remember. Non-skill positions tend to be harder to judge, but even when Michigan has had to replace entire defenses, the results have been bowl-eligible 8 to 9 win teams. This has not been the case at Notre Dame: see Jimmy Clausen's efforts this past year, or their attempts at replacing their running back who bolted early. If Lloyd Carr was coaching this team, you would have them penned for another 8 win season. Just because Rodriguez doesn't have the exact personel to run "his offense" doesn't mean the talent isn't there to run "an offense" capable of winning.

Plain and simple: Michigan has proven they can weather the storm when it comes to replacing graduating/drafted players. Notre Dame has not.

2) Notre Dame's coaching has been suspect at best. Despite the blinding light off of Weis's multiple super-bowl rings (and the subsequent reflection from the fried chicken grease on his chin), the man has done virtually nothing in terms of beating top-notch oppoenents during his tenure at ND. He came to ND unproven, and is rapidly proving himself to be a bad head coach. Rodriguez may be untested at Michigan, but he is at least a proven collegiate head coach with a track record of success.

3) The cupboard is not bare at UM. When Rodriguez took over the program at WVU, he was working with athletes who were mostly passed on by big-time programs. It took him a few years to build up the base of players that he could work with, which explains his dismal first-year records. I will wager that the level of athlete that he is inheriting at UM - previous starter or not - is far higher than what he inherited at WVU. Thus, I believe that this team will be ready to compete at a higher level than many think this year.

4) Michigan had moderate to great success running zone-left long bomb offense. They never had to get tricky because they didn't have to. Now, with the departures on offense and defense, Michigan has to get tricky, and they have the best coach in the game at doing that. Combine Rodriguez's willingness to run plays not designed around a punishing left tackle with the fact that nobody has any film or any clue about what this team is going to look like, and you get a lot of surprised opponents. I fully expect Michigan to lose their fair share of ball games this year, but I also expect that they will catch quite a few teams with their pants down. Everybody and their mother knew what ND was going to come with last year - and ND played the part beautifully. Nobody knows what Michigan's coming with this year, which is an advantage.

5) We've got Vegas on our side! The folks who are actually paid to make predictions with millions riding on them say that there are only 9 teams with better odds at a National Championship than Michigan. That's right folks, they said National.

Also - Michigan gets Sparty, Northwestern, and Illinois at home.

7 - Illinois

Speaking of Illinois, I think that they will be a dangerous team, but that the loss of Mendenhall is going to hurt a ton. Juice can't throw; it's that simple. If the Illini can't produce a consistantly awesome rusher to replace Mendenhall, then I can't see how that offense is going to score points. Mix that with an already shaky defense losing an awesome 'backer, and a competent safety (Kevin Mitchell), and throw in a dose of suspect in game coaching of the Zooker, and you get a 7th place Big Ten team. The Illini may still have some shine to them from last year's Rose Bowl team, and I think the BTB final vote reflects that shine. The Illini won't suck this year - but they will take a step backwards.

8 - Purdue
There isn't much to say here. Tiller's last season, and "meh" collection of players coming of a mediocre season last year, etc. Purdue will beat the low-end Big 10 teams, and will lose to the top-end. In full disclosure, there wasn't a whole lot going on mentally when I slotted Purdue in at 8th.

9 - Iowa
With apologies to BHGP, I don't see this year's Iowa squad as contending for anything this year. Depending on their OOC results, they could get themselves bowl eligible, and (in hindsight) are probably deserving of a better showing than 9th.

10 - Minnesota
They were a frieght train of suck last year, and I don't expect this year to be much different. Next year, you could see them sneaking up into the middle of the conference given the mildly awesome level of recruiting they've been able to sustain. But not this year.

11 - Indiana
Loss of top flight talent? Check
Potential loss of field-equalizing QB? Check
Last place finish in the Big 10? Check


Wrap Up

We weren't really that much different than the combined results. We seem to be in disagreement about Illinois and Michigan, but other than those two, we seem to be right on the mainstream money. Tomorrow, I'll have a post comparing our little vote to those of the MSM and preview mags.

Iowa Football 2009 - Crystal Balls

Why isn't there a porn star named Crystal Balls?

A quick note from Beauford:

The final installment of Iowa's ridiculously early preview comes to us from as close an expert as we'll ever be in contact with. His name? Oops Pow Surprise. He writes for a fine (professional-speak for "awesomely awesome") blog called Black Heart Gold Pants, and knows more about Iowa football than I do about sleeping. I beg you to add BHGP to your daily reading if it isn't already there.

Without further ado, OPS on Iowa football:

-B2

One thing the media will harp on that is ridiculously off base:
Quarterback Jake Christensen. Obviously the quarterback is the most important position on the team, but JC's struggles were largely a result of a decimated receiving corps and a patchwork offensive line. All three should be improved this season.

One thing the media will completely ignore that is integral to this team's success:
I can't predict what the media will or won't cover, but the absolute biggest key to Iowa's success this season is the offensive line. With it, the hastily-compiled running back corps will have holes to run through and Christensen won't be running for his life a half-second after he gets the snap.

Most important contributors on each side of the ball:
OFFENSE: The Flyin' Hawaiian, Tony Moeaki. He's a highly touted tight end who's every bit as good a blocker as he is a receiver. With him, the Iowa offense succeeded in all facets (granted, it was against the Syracuse defense, but whatever). Without him, the Hawkeyes struggled. Pretty simple.

DEFENSE: LB A.J. Edds (it's pronounced Eads. I don't know why.). He's a converted tight end whose pursuit and coverage skills are nonpareil. With Sean Lee out for the season, Edds is an odds-on (pronounced oads-on--again, don't know why) favorite for 1st team All-BXI at linebacker. Then again, if he gets a touch of the injury bug, Iowa is F-U-C-T fucked.

Area that scares you as an opponent:
If Iowa has a #1 tailback emerge and if the offensive line begins to play up to Iowa standards, the Hawkeyes will be very tough to beat in 2008. The defense is as stout as it's ever been, and 17 points ought to be enough to win most games they play.

Area that makes you salivate as an opponent:
All those ifs in the preceding statement. The offensive line returns just about everybody from a stunningly inept unit in 2007, and the tailbacks are... a juco transfer who hasn't played in 18 months, another juco who's about a buck 65 soaking wet and who cannot block, someone named Jeff, someone named Jewel, aaaand this guy.



Shown above in action; below in awesomeness



Yes, Hawkeyes, run on us. We beg you.

Random factor that you think will come into play this season:

Same as every year--it's injuries. Who will be the 3 or 4 kids who get dinged up before the season and never really contribute? Will they be all backups or key starters? Can Iowa afford another season of losing everybody at receiver? (answer: NO.)

Overall Record:
This could be all over the place. With the cupcake schedule Iowa's got in front of them, 9-3 or 10-2 is totally plausible. Seriously. All their tough games are at home and they don't play OSU or Michigan. But SMQ's law of scheduling or something dictates that you should be wary of any team where the best thing you can say about them is who they don't play. Also, this team lost to WESTERN FUCKING MICHIGAN BY NINE FUCKING POINTS last season, so let's not consider many wins "automatic." Therefore, 6-6 (or, god forbid, worse) is also totally plausible too. Let's jump in the middle and say 7 or 8 wins. Probably 8, unless severe injury problems wreck the conference slate.

Final Big Ten Standing:

8-4 (4-4) is good enough for 6th.

Bowl Destination:
Being that Iowa is an attractive bowl team, they'll probably get picked up by the 4th or 5th bowl if they finish at 8-4 (4-4). That would be either the Champs or the Sun Bowl. It's better than sitting at home with the Cyclones over Christmas, but it's still not great. Remember that this Iowa team was, just 3-4 short years ago, in a four-year streak of NYD bowls that only about four or five schools in the nation could match at the time. The Sun Bowl, therefore, is not exactly where the fans want to be. Expect more off-season grumbling from Iowa City unless the Hawkeyes reach at least the Outback.

WARNING: This post contains an Iowa-like substance

Once, in the land of the great Midwest, there was a small group of people dedicated to learning, and furthering their potential as human beings. Gathering at a small juncture betwixt two rivers, the group would meet to discuss matters of intellect and humanity: namely how to resolve the rapidly widening margin between the two. They called themselves Hawkeyes, and quickly the University of Iowa was born. Then they decided to have a football team, and this happened:



That image, culled from the social networking site facebook.com, prompted the University of Iowa to crack down on the "egregious" pictures and "politically incorrect statements" found on athlete's pages. Basically, athletes will have to sign a form outlining the department's guidelines for social networking sites, and will be subject to punishment should any random search (conducted by the department) turn up any "partial or total nudity, sexual misconduct, underage alcohol consumption, use of illegal drugs, hazing and obscene gestures."

There are numerous problems with this, all stemming the one overarching problem with social networking sites in general. That problem is this:

The individual in question does not have control over what gets posted to social networking sites. I don't do anything illegal (that I know of), yet I'm sure that at the next party I attend, you would be able to take a snap shot of me looking pretty downright filthy. And if that picture gets posted to facebook? I can detag myself - and that's it. There is no control over what gets posted to these sites, and thus, is it really right to hold the athlete responsible for what gets found? There is nothing you can do about somebody posting a picture of you in cyberspace. All you can do is hope it doesn't get found.

My question for the University would be this: What is this policy aiming at stopping? Is this really the best way to combat athletes making themselves look like imbeciles, or is it the best way to combat the public finding out about it?

The steps to "this policy stops athletes from acting STUPID" goes like this:

a) Athlete does something stupid
b) Random frat-dude takes a picture
c) Random frat-dude posts pic to facebook
d) Admin finds out about it
e) Athlete is punished

IF (and it's a LARGE "if" here, folks) the athlete is smart, he or she will connect the dots as such: I don't have control over what goes on facebook, so I'd better be on my best behavior 100% of the time. This is the only logical way that this plan will combat the larger problem of athletes acting stupid. Oh sure - it may stop the CityBoyz from posting cash-eating pictures, but it won't stop dudes from throwin' signs half-cocked at a party. I don't think I'm going way out on a limb saying that this is a reach.

This policy may pull the wool down over the public eye, but it certainly doesn't curb the larger problem of athletes being stupid. All it does is add a confusing layer to the already muddled waters of "social networking sites," while at the same time being horribly unfair to the athlete, who is playing the roll of unwilling participant in a photo shoot that he/she was not aware of. Go out and act stupid - just make sure it doesn't end up on facebook, boys.

Maybe an actual analysis of Iowa football forthcoming. Maybe.

Des Moines… it’s in Indiana or something

Little Spinal Tap for everyone there to get us off on the right foot. And yes Iowa faithful, I know that the University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, thank you.

Hey, remember when there were at least two separate occasions last November where Michigan fans like me were trying to come to grips with LOUD rumors of Kirk Ferentz to Ann Arbor?? Oh I can shrug and smile now, but those days were some of the worst in recent memory. I recall how it began…

(A gentle waking to a cool gray late autumn/early winter morning)… stretchhhhhhhh… yawn, scratch, perhaps I’ll have some Smart Start today, that Special K just doesn’t get it done anymore, ah good the coffee’s done, let’s just set this down while I just check out the ol’ rumor monger machine shall we? JESUS TAPDANCING CHRIST! Who in the name of Bump Fucking Elliot are we looking at? Kirk Ferentz… (hits refresh)… not joking… (refreshes again)… but wha… no way… we’ll be fine, I’m going to enjoy this fine java while I wait for the “har-har just kidding here” PBBBBBBBBBBBBTTGHHHHHHHH! Oh it burns! It burns!! Wait what do you mean there’s a goddamn flight that was tracked from Cedar Rapids to Ann Arbor, they have PLANES in Cedar Rapids?! It’s not conceivable, (refresh) (refresh) (refresh) repeat for 8 hours a day until rumors subside… which oh by the way was somewhere near 9045 years… Not since Tim Dwight scared the ever loving bejeezus out of me in ’97 have I been that terrified of something from Iowa... so anyways, yeah on to the Hawkeyes, alright!

1. One thing the media will harp on that is ridiculously off base – Let’s get back to our friend Kirk Ferentz for a quick second… The media seems to constantly portray this guy as a worker of miracles with “lesser talent”. Hey, I’ll give him all kinds of credit for his three year run that started in ’02, but uh… other than that burst of success, in the always fair and objective game of college football, his last three seasons have left a lot to be desired. That’s 1-game-above-.500 level of desire by the way. Iowa had a top 10 or top 15 recruiting class in 2005, they should be coming into the prime of their careers this season, but uh… through either horrific character misjudgment or even worse luck with injuries, I wouldn’t say that the excitement is brimming over at this point. I’m not saying Ferentz is to blame for all of the problems with the program, but uh, there have been more than a few, and at some point don’t you have to look at the coach? The media won’t, they’ll extol him as a great molder of talent if Iowa shows as much as a pulse this season, but I wonder how much patience Iowa fans really have at this point.

2. One thing the media will completely ignore that is integral to this team's success – First things first, Iowa gets out of playing both the Buckeyes and the Wolverines this year, which is the greatest gift the Big 10 can give to a team. Actually on the field the slotted starters on the O-line are looking like they’ll play different positions from where they were respectively last season. Seeing as how Iowa’s O-line was somewhere between god-awful and “Michigan-against-Ohio-State-Non-Existent” last season, perhaps this shakeup was the only real option/idea the Iowa coaching staff had. Oh, yeah, and THERE’S A BATTLE AT CENTER!!! YAH!!! Kirk Ferentz has a freshman son who might play center someday too! Holy crap! Center love all around!! In all seriousness though, there is experience here, if they can somehow be even a serviceable unit, Iowa will be a much better offensive football team than the 2007 version… which was 110^th in the nation in scoring offense (wow). Oh oh, and the scoring defense? 12^th… I’m sure the team meetings were a BLAST for the O last year!

3. Most important contributors on each side of the ball – In case you haven’t noticed, I LOATHE picking the quarterback in this section, but I have to here. Iowa has no discernible talent at running back that is capable of even walking right now. They do however have a surprisingly well stocked cabinet of wide-receivers though. They will be worthless if Christensen or Ricky Stanzi (which is perhaps the most polar opposite name of Bronco Nagurski that one could ever have) can’t get them the football. The rushing game will also be hapless without the threat of danger through the air. Defensively? Iowa has always had at least one linebacker on the field that is nothing but a guy who goes out and flat out makes plays, and I don’t think there’s any reason that’ll be different this year, and the few times I saw Iowa play last season (key word: FEW) A.J. Edds looked impressive.

4. Area that scares you as an opponent – Iowa was on their way to closing out the season on a bit of a high note before choking on applesauce against Western Michigan. Perhaps the Hawkeyes were starting to figure a few things out? They scored 120 points in their first 8 games and managed to get to 102 in their final four… I’m reaching I know.

5. Area that makes you salivate as an opponent – Hey did you hear that Iowa lost 17 players from its 2007 roster? Oh, oh yeah, and right now this is their running back:

I mean when I hear Paki O’Meara, I guess this comes to mind…

6. Random factor that you think will come into play this season – Remember how Iowa had that bit of success years ago and all of a sudden they were the chic pick every year with Drew Tate to be the team to beat in the Big 10… and they pretty much were as far from that as possible? Well now with the glare of expectations out of the way, perhaps Iowa will have the chance to sneak up on some people. If they get any kind of a running back, the offense has nowhere to go but up.

7. Overall Record – 7-5, Iowa heads back to the bowls, but not by too big of a margin.

8. Final Big Ten Standing – There are a number of teams in the conference that are simply more complete football teams than Iowa right now, missing out on Ohio State and Michigan is a gift, but I still don’t think Iowa is going to be much more than a .500 Big 10 team. Call it 4-4 again this season, which I’ll say is good for a big ol’ tie in the middle of the conference in the 5-6-7 range.

9. Bowl Game Destination – I guess that’d mean either the Motor City Bowl or the Insight Bowl??? Something like that…

"I-owe-uhhh...Zach ten dollars!"

And ten points to whoever gives me the origin of that quote.

Yes folks, that's right - after a particularly vicious stay in Canada, old B2 is back to give you more of what you want - ridiculously early previews of Big Ten teams! What's that you say? You don't want? What if I told you that a special guest may be weighing in on Iowa? You don't even blink, do you?

Onward - to Iowa! (that's the first time in recorded history that phrase has ever been typed, trust me, I googled it.)

One Word Season Recap: Blasé. That's right. I went French on you. Uninterested. It was as if the Hawkeyes had become bored with football, and decided that no, they weren't going to try. Oh sure - they'll beat up on the dredges of the conference, but put them in a game against something resembling a football team, and they die. The lone exception seems to be a 10-6 victory over eventual Rose Bowl victims Illinois. When a 10-6 victory is the highlight of your season, however, you've got problems. Even their record was boring. 4-4 in conference? 6-6 overall? You know, Iowa, it's not bad to throw in some variety every now and again.

Iowa finished 6th in the conference and missed a bowl game for the first time in 6 years.

Oh yeah, they also had this guy:



2008 Tangibles:

Schedule
8/30 Maine
9/06 Florida International
9/13 Iowa State
9/20 @ Pittsburgh
9/27 Northwestern
10/04 @ Michigan State
10/11 @ Indiana
10/18 Wisconsin
11/01 @ Illinois
11/08 Penn State
11/15 Purdue
11/22 @ Minnesota

Wait a second. They play Maine? Is that even a state? More on this soon.

Coach:

Kirk Ferentz enters his 10th season with the Hawkeyes. His only other head coaching experience comes from a short stint with...you guessed it! Maine. (1990-1992)

Returning Playmakers
Quarterback Jake Christensen returns for his senior season. In '07, he threw for a surprisingly good 17 TD's to 6 INTS.


Champ? Mystery Poster?

What comes next is a mystery...