FOOTBALL: Shonn Greene Wins the 2008 Doak Walker Award

Photo by Rodney White/Des Moines Register

Mad props go out to Shonn Greene for winning the Doak Walker Award for 2008!

Whether it was having the Play of the Year in the Big Ten or taking home the Silver Football, Shonn Greene is on his way to an award-filled postseason. He's an All-American. He is Iowa Football. Greene just completed arguably the best season by a running back in the history of the Iowa program, and we are lucky to have witnessed it. While I'd like to get all sentimental reflecting back at the season that was Shonn Greene, BHGP (HawkeyeState specifically) does a far better job than I could dream of - READ HIS STORY HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.

Congrats to Shonn; thanks for the memories!

FOOTBALL: Shonn Greene is NOT a Finalist for the Heisman Trophy

And neither is Graham Harrell.

Epic fail by those involved in the voting.

Greene was, by far, the best running back in the nation. Did he have a shot to win it? Hell no, but he deserved to be invited to NYC.

What a crock.

FOOTBALL: Iowa Has Accepted a Bid to Play in the 2009 OUTBACK BOWL

THE IOWA HAWKEYES ARE BACK IN A JANUARY BOWL!!




Opponent unknown, but likely South Carolina.

FOOTBALL: Shonn Greene is a Doak Walker Finalist

Shonn Greene, Jevon Ringer, and Knowshon Moreno are your 2008 Doak Walker Award finalists.

Congrats, Shonn.

FOOTBALL: 2008 Week Twelve - Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers Preview

VS.

GAME INFO: Sat., Nov. 22, 2008 - 6:00 PM CST - The Metrodome; Minneapolis, MN
IOWA: 7-4 (4-3) NR; MINNESOTA 7-4 (3-4)

TV COVERAGE: BTN (HD)
IOWA'S GAMEDAY CENTRAL : VIEW HERE

LINE: Iowa is a 6 point favorite on the road.

---

All good things much come to an end, and even some awful things must come to an end, as well. Today marks the day when the last Minnesota - Iowa football game will ever be played in the Metrodome (i.e. - Kinnick North). Floyd of Rosedale has been in Iowa City the past year and I fully expect him to remain there. Minnesota has lost 3 in a row (I predicted they'd drop the final 4 of the season at the end of October), while Iowa has won 4 out of their last 5. Iowa has a very good chance to wind up in a January Bowl game, something that would have sounded silly last month. As long as Ohio State and Penn State both get BCS bids (meaning the Buckeyes need to beat Michigan and hope Oregon St loses one of its last two game), the Hawks, with a win, will likely be headed to Tampa Bay and the Outback Bowl. Even if Northwestern finishes ahead of Iowa with a 9-3 record, you can bet that the Hawks will get taken by the Outback. Furthermore, don't be surprised that even if Iowa loses and NW wins, that Iowa doesn't still take that bowl from NW even though it has 2 fewer wins (the Outback is one of the bowls that is exempt from the 2 win rule, as is the Alamo).

We are heading to Minneapolis shortly, to sit amongst the Gopher season ticket holders midfield, 20 rows up. Should be a blast - going to hit up the warehouse district before and after the game.

Enough of the babble - let's look at this game...

Eric Decker has been penciled in to start this game, but I have a hard time thinking he is 100%, or even 50% for that matter. A high ankle sprain is a hard injury to kick in a few weeks time. The Gophers are going to need to him to stretch Iowa's secondary. Without Decker, Iowa is going to be able to sit back in their regular defense and allow MN to dink and dunk, but I would be very surprised to see them do deep on Iowa with their current personnel. MN is also very young up front, so Iowa DL should be able to do a lot of damage. Adam Weber scares the crap out of me with his moxy and escapablity, however if Decker isn't effective, the Hawk will be able to spy him all game (a la - Juice Williams).

Iowa really doesn't have much on the offensive side of the ball to work with... unless you are talking about Shonn Greene - oh yeah, him. The nation's leading rusher and likely winnner of the Doak Walker Award and undoubtedly a first team All-American. Greene is going to run wild on the Gophers - look for 200+ yards in this one as well. Stanzi, once again, just needs to manage the game for Iowa to pull out the win.

Offensive Player of the Game: Shonn Greene
Defensive Player of the Game: Pat Angerer

---

PREDICTION:
Iowa - 38
Minnesota - 27

Gopher administrative bodies are hoping the goal posts can come down quickly tonight.

FOOTBALL: R.I.P. KINNICK NORTH!!

As we say goodbye to the Metrodome, let's look at the day the goalposts left the Dome...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnUoQZUAdvA

Rest in Pieces, Kinnick North!

EDIT: Marc Morehouse sees it as one of the greatest moments in college football rivalries. I couldn't agree more.

FOOTBALL: Anyone see a pattern the past two weeks?

Here's hoping this week continues the trend...

FOOTBALL: 2008 Week Twelve - Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Purdue Boilermakers Preview

VS.
GAME INFO: Sat., Nov 15th, 2008 - 11:05 AM CST - Kinnick Stadium: Iowa City, IA
IOWA: 6-4 (3-3) NR / PURDUE 3-7 (1-5) NR

TV COVERAGE: BTN (HD) will televise the game to a national cable audience (609 on DirecTV). Thom Brennaman, Chris Martin and Anthony Herron will call the action.
DEPTH CHART AND GAME NOTES: VIEW HERE
IOWA'S GAMEDAY CENTRAL : VIEW HERE
KIRK'S PRESSER: VIEW HERE
LIVE BLOG THREAD: Gazette (Marc, Mike, and Scott)

LINE: Iowa is a 17.5 point favorite at home

---

Senior Day is here. Three months ago, this day seemed like ages away. It's afun day to be at Kinnick, but it's also sad because you realize the season is at its waning point. It will also be Joe Tiller's last time coaching inside of Kinnick.

My, oh my, how one week changes things! Iowa went from no one in the eyes of the national media to "savior of the BCS" after taking down Penn State last weekend. Expectations are high once again for this Hawkeye squad. If Ohio State and Penn State win their remain games, and Iowa follows suit, the Hawkeyes are undoubtedly heading to Tampa for a bowl. Who would have thought that after the loss to Illinois?

Iowa was embarrassed last year in West Lafayette. They haven't forgotten. Purdue is another squad running the spread (who doesn't these days?). I really like the way Iowa matches up with the Boilermakers. Iowa has the better offense, the better defense, the better special teams, the better coaching staff, the home field advantage, and the Senior Day effect. I don't see a let down in this one.

Purdue allows a ton of yardage, yet their scoring D has been pretty good as of late. Iowa, on the other hand has been stout throughout the year on the D end. Purdue's offense is lead by Heisman Trophy contender, Curtis Painter and Iowa has a huge question mark at running back.... oh, wait... that was preseason. And I wasn't buying it. Shonn Greene could run for 1250 yards in this one and 15 TDs.

Shonn Greene remains the only player in D-1 football with 100+ yards in every single game this season. He's a horse, and a horse that Iowa should ride to the win today. Stanzi will need to remain poised in this one, but as we saw last weekend, even when he gets knocked down, he gets right back up. Iowa can get away with mistakes in this one, but not as many mistakes as the NW game.

Offensive Player of the Game: Shonn Greene (Doak Walker, Heisman, et al contender - give it up this dude)
Defensive Player of the Game: Matt Kroul (Senior Day - go get em, Matt). I would have gone with Mitch King, but he got a buzz cut and we all remember the story of Samson.

---

PREDICTION:
Iowa - 34
Purdue - 17

FOOTBALL: New Scothawk Video New Scothawk Video New Scothawk Video New Scothawk Video New Scothawk Video New Scothawk Video New Scothawk Video!!!!!!!

Hell yea! IOWA BEATS #3 PENN STATE



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vskQkzK8qYI

Scothawk does it again.

FOOTBALL: 2008 Week Eleven - Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Penn State Nittany Lions Preview

VS.
GAME INFO: Sat., Nov 8th, 2008 - 2:37 PM CST - Kinnick Stadium - Iowa City, IA
IOWA: 5-4 (2-3) NR / PENN STATE 9-0 (5-0) #2/#3

TV COVERAGE: ABC (HD) will televise the game to a regional audience. Fans not in the ABC regional footprint can watch the game on ESPN (HD). The game will also be available online at ESPN360.com. Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire and Stacey Dales will call the action.
DEPTH CHART AND GAME NOTES: VIEW HERE
IOWA'S GAMEDAY CENTRAL : VIEW HERE
ABC COVERAGE MAP : VIEW HERE
KIRK'S PRESSER: VIEW HERE

LINE: Iowa is a 7.5 point underdog at home.

---

Photo Courtesy of Hawkeyesports.com

One thing that is blatantly obvious at this point in the season is that Shonn Greene is good. Real good. Greene is a man among boys on the field, and he should be able to run effectively in this game as long as Stanzi can relieve pressure and stop PSU from loading the box. Getting Seth Olson back for the game can't hurt his productivity either. The University of Iowa has started to embrace the "Shonn Greene for Heisman" talk, as well, with their Black Out / Greene Out for the game.



Penn State QB Daryll Clark's head might not be 100% on Saturday either. In recent reports, Clark has admitted to blacking out during the Ohio State game after he took a couple hard hits. If Iowa can get to him early, it might be enough to get him out of his comfort zone. Evan Royster continues to be overlooked by a lot of national pudnits, but Iowa is most certainly aware of his game. The Nittany Lions will be bringing the Spread HD (Highly Diverse) offense to Kinnick tomorrow, yet Iowa might be content to sit back in their base defense to defend it. However, PSU is going to run the Iowa secondary ragged, so don't be surprise to see Norm Parker add some extra DBs during different points of the game.

Penn State's defense is very underrated and if they follow the blueprints set by Illinois, they should be able to contain Shonn Greene. This will force the game into the hands of Ricky Stanzi, a plan that worked for the Illini last week. This game will undoubtedly be decided by the effectiveness of Stanzi, who seems to play better at home than on the road (or does he?). Stanzi needs to eliminate the mistakes he has been having in recent weeks.

Iowa most definitely can hang with Penn State on their defense alone. Iowa is not severely overmatched by the Nittany Lions.

KEYS TO THE GAME:
- Turnovers
- Redzone Offense vs. Redzone Defense

Offensive Player of the Game: Shonn Greene (for the 10th straight week)
Defensive Player of the Game: Pat Angerer

The bottom line is that Iowa is a very good 5-4 team. Penn State's 9-0 record is nothing to scoff at (and neither is their #2 national ranking). Make no doubt about it, Iowa will have its hands full in this one. However, the snow and cold should help level the playing field a little bit and the Hawkeye faithful will do their part in helping Iowa out. This game is absolutely winnable for the Hawkeyes. That said...

---

PREDICTION:
Iowa - 17
Penn State - 21

FOOTBALL: Well, It Was Only a Matter of Time Until the Pink Locker Rooms Were Mentioned

No mention of Erin Buzuvis (derp), but not a year goes by without someone in the media bringing up the pink locker rooms in Kinnick Stadium. The Daily Collegian is the latest to talk about it.

Is this REALLY still an issue? It certainly is an endearing feature of the stadium, but it's high time some of the media just lets it go... for at least one season.

FOOTBALL: Andy Brodell Takes It To The House vs. ISU

Just uploaded this one to YouTube today. It's the BTN's Promo that runs during some of the Hawk games. Stellar.



Direct YouTube Link

FOOTBALL: "I WILL" - The Iowa Hawkeye Version

Pretty cool.



YouTube DirectLink

FOOTBALL: Illinois Teams Up With Miller Lite

I don't know the validity of this billboard... but apparently there is a Miller Lite billboard around the Champaign area that changes on a weekly basis, depending on Illinois' upcoming weekend opponent.

Here's the alleged sign for the Iowa game:


However, through recent research I have discovered the first draft done up on the recommendation of good ol' Zooker. 

Here's the original billboard:


Now that's bulletin board material.

FOOTBALL: 2008 Week Six - Iowa Hawkeyes vs.Michigan State Spartans Preview

VS.

GAME INFO: Sat., Oct. 4th, 2008 - 11:02 AM CST - Spartan Stadium - East Lansing, MI
IOWA: 3-2 (0-1) NR / MSU: 4-1 (1-0) NR

TV COVERAGE: ESPN2 and ESPN2 - HD. Cover your ears, as Pam Ward and Ray Bentley will call be the announcers for the game... however I have also read that Clay Matvick will be going instead of Pam, we can all dream. Espn360.com will also carry the game.
FERENTZ'S MONDAY PRESSER: TRANSCRIPT HERE
DEPTH CHART AND GAME NOTES: HERE
IOWA'S GAMEDAY CENTRAL : VIEW HERE

LINE: Iowa is a 7.5 point underdog on the road.

---

It's the end of the first half of the season (it seems like just a very short while ago we were counting down to the Maine game). Iowa looks like the team most of us thought they would be, however the record hasn't followed suit. The Hawks are coming off of back-to-back losses, two losses that should have most definitely have been wins.

Looking at the MSU-Iowa game:
Iowa will stop Ringer (by stop, I mean hold to about 110 yards and 2 TDs). He's a load, everyone knows it. He has a motor that won't stop and MSU will likely give him the ball 40 times on Saturday. If Iowa can hold him to a buck 10, that's less than 3 yards a carry. Hoyer has a long way to go as a QB. While I realize Iowa doesn't have an All-American at the helm, either, Hoyer has struggled his share this year. Stanzi is getting better every game, and this will be his first true road test. He absolutely has the tools to succeed, his experience will need to catch up quickly. State's D is nothing to write home about, they have been suspect pretty much all year.

Our D is going to be able to hold, and as long as Shonn Greene is 100%, Iowa should be ok. That, my friends, is the biggest disclaimer of the week. If Greene isn't 100% from his head injury he received during the Northwestern game (one sustained by not one, but two, illegal helmet to helmet hits by two different NW defenders on the same play), then Iowa is deep trouble and will likely lose big.

If Greene is good to go, I like Iowa in this one on the road. I think the +7.5 is easy money.

Offensive Player of the Game: Shonn Greene (Sixth consecutive week for obvious reasons)
Defensive Player of the Game: Mitch King (This game will be his coming out party)

---

Assuming a healthy Shonn Greene -
PREDICTION:
Iowa - 31
ISU - 20

FOOTBALL: 2008 Week Five - Iowa Hawkeyes vs.Northwestern Wildcats Preview

vs.

GAME INFO: Sat., Sept. 27th, 2008 - 11:00 AM CST - Kinnick Stadium; Iowa City, IA
IOWA: 3-1 (0-0) NR / Northwestern: 4-0 (0-0) NR

TV COVERAGE: ESPN Classic
IOWA'S GAMEDAY CENTRAL : VIEW HERE

LINE: Iowa is 8.5 point favorite at home

---

I'm actually in Iowa City for the game this weekend, so I am going to be limited in this prediction.
Both Bacher and Sutton have been banged up this year, but both will be ready for this game. The Wildcats boast seniority, however, some key areas of their team have some youngin' hanging around (namely on the offensive line). Iowa should be able to run at will with Greene, assuming Ken O'Keefe allows it to happen (huge assumption). I really like Iowa in this game, at home, for homecoming.

Offensive Player of the Game: Shonn Greene
Defensive Player of the Game: Mitch King

---

PREDICTION:
Iowa - 27
NW- 17

FOOTBALL: 2008 Week Four - Iowa Hawkeyes vs.Pittsburgh Panthers Preview

VS.

GAME INFO: Sat., Sept. 20th, 2008 - 11:00 AM CST - Heinz Field - Pittsburgh, PA
IOWA: 3-0 (0-0) NR / Pittsburgh: 1-1 (0-0) NR

TV COVERAGE: ESPN 2 HD
IOWA'S GAMEDAY CENTRAL : VIEW HERE

LINE: Iowa is 1 point favorite on the road.

---

It's on the road.
Iowa still doesn't have an answer at QB.
I just don't have a great vibe in this one. Wannstache is not a great coach, Bears fans like myself know that first hand.

I think the Hawks struggle on the road. Low scoring.
I hope Iowa beats them 100-2, but I can't do that.

Offensive Player of the Game: Shonne Greene (until I am proven otherwise, he's my pick every week)
Defensive Player of the Game: Pat Angerer

---

PREDICTION:
Iowa - 10
Pitt - 13

And, yes, this is the worst prediction post of all time.

FOOTBALL: 2008 Week Three - Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Iowa State Cyclones Preview

VS.

GAME INFO: Sat., Sept. 13th, 2008 - 11:03 AM CST - Kinnick Stadium - Iowa City, IA
IOWA: 2-0 (0-0) NR / ISU: 2-0 (0-0) NR

TV COVERAGE: Big Ten Network - DIRECTV: channel 610 or 610-1 (HD); DISH NETWORK: channel 439 or 9500 (HD); MEDIACOM: Find Your Channel Here
FERENTZ'S MONDAY PRESSER: TRANSCRIPT HERE
IOWA'S GAMEDAY CENTRAL : VIEW HERE

LINE: Iowa is a 14 point favorite at home.

LIVETHREADS/BLOGS:
BlackHeartGoldPants Open Thread
Marc Morehouse LiveBlog

---

I'm not going to go into much depth here.
Go to the message boards around the Interwebs for all of the info you need.
Gameday is here. Iowa vs. Iowa State. Bitter rivals.
It's rainy down in Iowa City and the field conditions are anything but perfect.
Scary rumor this morning about the BTN not airing the broadcast because of a problem with the A/C in the truck, but it has been fixed.

I look for Iowa to use the pass to open up the running game.
Iowa's big boys on both lines are going to have a field day.
The dual QBs that ISU brings scare me, but not enough.

Offensive Player of the Game: Shonne Greene (until I am proven otherwise, he's my pick every week)
Defensive Player of the Game: Adrian Clayborn

---

PREDICTION:
Iowa - 31
ISU - 13

FOOTBALL: It's Game Day

That's really all I have to add right now. Excited to get this game started. Going to be a sloppy one in Kinnick with the rain coming down.

Preview/Prediction up before the game.

Early Score Prediction: 31-13 IOWA.

FOOTBALL: Iowa State is Fan-FARKING-tastic (A Retrospect)

Day before the game. Time to reload the blog with some of the ISU farks from over the years.

FOOTBALL: It's ISU Weak [sic]

Stats mean nothing in this rivalry. OK. I still want to look at them.

Here are the facts:

Both Iowa and Iowa State have played a couple relative cupcakes thus far (ISU's opponents are a bit better than Iowa, granted)... however, both teams if to be taken seriously should have dominated their opponents thus far.

Let's look at the stats, even if they lie this early in the season:


ISU vs. OPPONENTS (SDSU, Kent State)

Scoring: 92, 45
First Downs: 34, 38
Rushing Yards: 389, 423
Passing Yards: 373, 337
Total Offense: 762, 760
Fumbles (Lost): 5 (4), 7 (5)
INTs (Def): 5, 0

ISU is averaging 6 penalties a game at an average of 10+ yards per penalty.
Opponents are averaging 210+ yards rushing per game vs. ISU.
In the SDSU game, no one player had over 100 yards (passing, receiving, running) - the biggest individual stat was Arnaud passing for 98 yards.
ISU has yet to have a 100 yard rusher this season. Scales is averaging 1.9 yards per carry on 26 attempts.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


IOWA vs. OPPONENTS (Maine, FIU)

Scoring: 88, 3
First Downs: 52, 28
Rushing Yards: 486, 193
Passing Yards: 483, 245
Total Offense: 969, 438
Fumbles (Lost): 3 (1), 2 (1)
INTs (Def): 4, 2

IOWA is averaging 3 penalties a game at an average of 10+ yards per penalty.
Opponents are averaging less than 100 yards rushing per game vs. IOWA.
IOWA has scored 11 TDs and has yet to give up 1.
IOWA has scored more points in the first quarters of their games than they have in the entire second half of the games (mainly because of the starters being pulled and KF's refusal to run up scores).
Shonn Greene has back-to-back 100 yard games in two games where he only play 1 half of football in each - he is averaging almost 7 yards per carry. Greene has outrushed the entire backfield of the Cyclones in only 4+ quarters of action.
Moeaki and Stross haven't played a snap yet this year.

FOOTBALL: Congrats Karl Klug - Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week

Klug has been named the Big Ten DPOTW for Week 2.
Off the bench, nonetheless.

Klug, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound sophomore from Caledonia, Minn.., posted career highs against FIU with nine tackles and two sacks while also forcing a fumble to help the Hawkeye defense post a shutout. The sophomore tackle’s second sack forced a fumble that was recovered by Iowa on FIU’s final drive. The Hawkeyes limited the Golden Panthers to 56 rushing yards and four-of-15 on third downs.

Congrats, Karl!

FOOTBALL: You've Been Ricky (Stanzi) Rolled

Well, the FIU game went off without a hitch (except a few idiots inside Kinnick booing Jake Christensen). When you play teams like FIU, the fans and coaches normally do not get to take a huge amount of information away from what they watched on the field. In this case, however, it has become readily apparent that Ricky Stanzi has reached icon status among Iowa fans. Just short of turning water into wine, Ricky can do no wrong right now in the eyes of a lot of fans.

To tribute Ricky's rise to fame, I've commemorated Ricky's first start in this highlight film.

Congratulations, you've been Ricky Rolled.



DIRECT LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEADj9RlmVY

FOOTBALL: 2008 Week Two - Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Florida International Golden Panthers Preview

VS.

GAME INFO: Sat., Sept. 6th, 2008 - 11:03 AM CST - Kinnick Stadium - Iowa City, IA
IOWA: 1-0 (0-0) NR / FIU: 0-1 (0-0) NR

TV COVERAGE: Big Ten Network - DIRECTV: channel 618 or 618-1 (HD); DISH NETWORK: channel 5442 or 9503 (HD); MEDIACOM: Find Your Channel Here
FERENTZ'S MONDAY PRESSER: TRANSCRIPT HERE
IOWA'S GAMEDAY CENTRAL : VIEW HERE

LINE: Iowa is a 26.5 point favorite at home.

---

FIU was not impressive at all versus #14 Kansas last week (not a big shock all things considered). McCall completed 1/3 of his passes, didn't get to the 100 yard mark, and threw 2 picks. Their running game was equally bad, with their leading rusher, A'Mod Ned, being held to a mere 42 yards. FIU's lone TD came on a punt return by their most dynamic player, Eugene "TY" Hilton, a freshman with a ton of upside.

Don't look for FIU to give Iowa much trouble on Saturday. The ground game should be consistent all day long, and we hope to see some down-the-field action in the passing game, as well. Pretty sure you'd bet Jewel Hampton was going to run for 450 yards in this game if you asked anyone about him after the Maine game.

RUMORS AND RUMBLINGS: Word about is that Jake Christensen will not start on Saturday, instead Kirk has decided to allow Ricky Stanzi to start against the first team defense of FIU. I've heard anything from "this is absolutely true, bank on it" to "Jake is still the starter". Tyler Sash is supposed to have made his way into the starting lineup, displacing Harold Dalton. I am also interested in seeing who gets the nod at LG. Eubanks did get the nod last week, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Vandervelde getting a lot of reps this week. Brinson may have moved to fullback, which explains the three backs in the halfback rotation (Greene, O'Meara, Hampton).

Offensive Player of the Game: Shonne Greene
Defensive Player of the Game: A.J. Edds

---

PREDICTION:
Iowa - 44
FIU - 10

FOOTBALL: The Minnesota Golden Gopher Athletic Department Has No Balls

Thomas Neumann from ESPN's Page Two has a brilliant article on the non-conference strength of schedules of the BCS football programs. Neumann took the non-conference schedules of the 60 BCS schools and analysed their opponents over the last decade.

Here's what the data shows:

1.) Minnesota is the weeniest BCS program over the past decade (#1 weakest schedule).

2.) Contrary to popular belief, Iowa does a bang up job scheduling BCS schools in its non-conference schedule (7th out of 60).

Granted, Iowa hasn't done overly well against the BCS schools, but at least the A.D. has gone about scheduling real BCS opponents (18 for the Iowa Hawkeyes vs. 2 for the Minnesota Golden Gophers).

Minny has exactly ONE win versus a BCS opponent in non-conference action. One.

FOOTBALL: 2008 Iowa Hawkeye Season and Big Ten Standings Predictions

PREDICTED 2008 IOWA HAWKEYE FOOTBALL RESULTS

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

Wins: Maine, Florida International, Iowa State, Northwestern, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana, Minnesota

Losses: Pittsburgh, Penn State, Illinois

Record: 9-3 overall. 6-2 Big Ten

Bowl: Alamo Bowl

Explanation: We won't have a member of the Big Ten in the BCS Championship Game, so all the bowl games move down one. If Ohio State gets into the BCS Championship, then Iowa has a shot at the Outback or Cap One. Stellar defense, improved offense, moderate schedule gets Iowa to 9-3 this year. A loss to Illinois could be swapped with Wisconsin, but I like the way we have matched up with Wisconsin the past 20 years or so.


PREDICTED 2008 FINAL BIG TEN STANDINGS

1. OHIO STATE (7-1)
   
2. WISCONSIN (7-1)
   
3. PENN STATE (6-2)
   
4. IOWA (6-2)
   
5. ILLINOIS (5-3)
   
6. MICHIGAN STATE (5-3)
   
7. NORTHWESTERN (4-4)
   
8. MICHIGAN (4-4)
   
9. PURDUE (3-5)
   
10. INDIANA (2-6)
    
11. MINNESOTA (0-8)
    

FOOTBALL: 2008 Week One - Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Maine Black Bears Preview

VS.

GAME INFO: Sat., Aug. 30th, 2008 - 11:03 AM CST - Kinnick Stadium - Iowa City, IA
IOWA: 0-0 (0-0) NR / MAINE: 0-0 (0-0) NR

TV COVERAGE: Big Ten Network - DirecTV (Channel 618 or 618-1 [HD]) / DISH Network (channel 5441 or 9502 [HD])
OFFICIAL DEPTH CHART - VIEW HERE
LINE - No line available.

---

I think that I have the right logo for Maine... I think.

Maine's offense was abysmal last year, but as an Iowa fan that surely is calling the kettle black. As little as I know about Maine, I do know that they aren't Appalachian State - they really should not give Iowa that big of a test. One thing I see happening is some hard-nose defense from the Hawkeyes. Iowa's front 4 will have their way throughout the game. Look for the offensive line to bully, as well. Iowa should have a big game on the ground between Greene, O'Meara, and Hampton. It will interesting to see how the QBs perform, as well.

KCRG has a great video on the Kirk Ferentz - Maine connection. (Thanks, mikeshea)

Offensive Player of the Game: Shonne Greene
Defensive Player of the Game: Adrian Clayborn

---

PREDICTION:
Iowa - 41
Maine - 9

FOOTBALL: A List of 8 Audacious Big Ten Prognostications for the 2008 College Football Season

An arduous title for a blog entry? Perhaps. However, you see these sort of things titled, "Fearless Predictions" or "Bold Forecasts". Well, this is my look at eight events, contrary to popular belief, that will happen this college football season in the Big Ten. Why 8? Why not 10? I don't know... eight seemed to sound better next to "audacious." Do I think all of the events will happen? Hardly. If a few of them come true, then I win, in my own eyes. So I'll put up 8 different items that I believe we will or will not see during this season even if most people disagree.

1. OHIO STATE WILL NOT MAKE IT TO THE BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
   
   
   No doubt about it, Ohio State is stacked this year. They are, hands down, the best team in the Big Ten. The Pryor show will be entertaining. The defense is solid. Yet I don't see them getting past USC in the third week of the season inside the Coliseum. A one loss Ohio State team can absolutely make it to the BCS Championship game, but I think they end up with two losses on their resume. I see them slipping up either in Madison or East Lansing.
   
   
2. MICHIGAN STATE WILL NOT WIN 8 GAMES
   
   
   So I just told you Michigan State could beat Ohio State, which I think is true... but their season will not be as glorious as that potential upset. The rest of the world thinks it will be, though. Good Lord. Everyone loves Dantonio (Mark, the HC of the Spartans, not Mike, the bassist for Killswitch Engage). The Spartans are the Dark Horse for the Big Ten crown. Dantonio for Big Ten Coach of the Year. Enough already. Now don't take this as an anti-MSU rant, but I see them losing to CAL and ND in the out of conference schedule... and if that happens I just can't picture MSU getting 6 wins in conference when they have to face Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin (arguably the Top 3 teams in the Big Ten) and not getting the gimmie vs. Minnesota. 7-5 is the best I see from MSU. I keep hearing "watch out for Michigan State", but enough of that palaver because Sparty isn't going be "that team". Michigan State hasn't had back to back winning seasons since I was in grade school. They might break that streak this year, but not to the tune of 8 wins. Besides, it's not like MSU is known for rising to the occasion over the past few decades.
   
   
3. THE BIG TEN COACH MOST LIKELY TO BE FIRED AT THE END OF THE SEASON IS NOT KIRK FERENTZ.
   
   Kirk Ferentz has to be the most likely, right? He's overrated, overpaid, overmatched, etc... WRONG. SHUT UP. Ferentz isn't going anywhere unless he leaves for the NFL, which he has turned down multiple times during his tenure at the University of Iowa. His paycheck was based on the market's demand at the time, and I don't have a problem with what Iowa pays him. He's a hell of coach, and an even better person. He's not going anywhere. However, Tim Brewster might be. Oh, what a silly, silly comment to make about a man in his second year at a school. No way he is going to be fired. Think again. Timmy can't seem to keep any of his recruits eligible - the incoming freshman class recorded the lowest test scores of any school in the Big Ten. Rumor is their stud recruit, MarQueis Gray had someone re-take his qualifying test score. Whoops. Plus, Timmy wanted to bolster his defense, so he hired an assistant coach away from the football powerhouse named Duke. Let me repeat that. Tim Brewster, head coach of Minnesota, wanted to improve his team, so he hired someone from DUKE. DUKE! Well done, sir. Of all the Big Ten coaches, I would pick Brewster over anyone else to get the axe.
   
   
4. CURTIS PAINTER IS NOT A HEISMAN TROPHY CANDIDATE
   
   Contrary to the Purdue Sports Department's opinion, there's no way Curtis Painter is or will be a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. First off, Curtis Painter really isn't that good. Check out his Big Ten only stats and get back to me as to why he would be a candidate for the Heisman. He's not even the best QB in the Big Ten. Additionally, he plays for Purdue. By all means, you need to be in at least a January Bowl to be seriously considered for the Heisman. As much as Tiller can pray for it, Purdue isn't going to be bowling in the early part of '09. And finally, having a site like CurtisPainter12.com will do nothing to help the case... it's worse than having a huge banner on a building in Times Square.
   
   
5. MICHIGAN WILL NOT FINISH BETTER THAN 5TH IN THE BIG TEN
   
   Sure, the Wolverines have some of the best young talent in the nation; R-Rod brought a TON of athletes with him to Ann Arbor. The problem, though, is the system Rich brought with him to Ann Arbor. The offensive scheme used at West Virginia isn't the simplest one to pick up at the drop of a hat. Add in the fact that the players remaining from Carr's reign will have to completely change their approach to the game, and things aren't going to turn out well. You are going to see a lot of talented players, who don't know how to play together, trying to learn a system as the year progresses. Oh right... the starting QB for Michigan has never taken a snap at the collegiate level either. Still, there are experts around the nation putting them in their Top 25 for whatever reason. Michigan MIGHT get to 7 wins, but they will struggle to finish in the upper half of the Big Ten.
   
   
6. BIG TEN NETWORK'S "FRIDAY NIGHT TAILGATE" WILL STILL SUCK
   
   Listen, I adore the BTN. I really do. I love it more than eating Breyer's All-Natural Rocky Road ice cream (and I am man who loves him some ice cream). Here's their latest promo - JORDAN AND MIKE - "GET READY FOR THE TAILGATE". I'm not sure this is what Mike Hall had in mind after winning ESPN's Dream Job, but at least he's on TV and making money. But what's with the "FNT" logo? Are they trying to promote Wrestlemania or something? The fact remains that although you get to see some cool on-campus shots and a look at some of the co-eds, "Friday Night Tailgate" still makes me want to take the BTN off my DirecTV Favorites List... but at least they got rid of the fat guy. Clarissa Thompson could be its only saving grace, but it might require too much from her.
   
   
7. WISCONSIN WILL LOSE A GAME AT HOME THIS YEAR
   
   The Badgers have yet to lose a home game under former Hawkeye (and current recruit poacher), Bret Bielema. That will change this year. Penn State, Ohio State, and Illinois all make their way to Madison at some point during the season. Yes, Camp Randall is one of the most rocking stadium in not only the Big Ten, but also the entire nation. Yet the contingency of 76,000+ drunkards attending the games will not be enough to help out the Badgers in their quest to remain undefeated at home... no matter how much jumping around they do. QB woes will do in Bucky at home this year.
   
   
8. THE IOWA HAWKEYES WILL WIN AT LEAST NINE GAMES THIS YEAR
   
   I can hear it already, "YOU FRICKIN' HOMER!!" Settle down and read on. The safe bet would be to say 7-5 or 8-4, but this is supposed to be audacious... so there you go. Iowa will finish this season with a minimum record of 9-3. They could make it through the non-conference schedule unscathed, but I think they drop one over at Heinz Field. That leaves them with a 6-2 record in conference, which is very doable considering the schedule they have in front of them (I completely disagree that it's the easiest in the nation, however, by a long shot). Their toughest opponents (Wisconsin and Penn State) are at home, not to mention their bye week is after Wisconsin and before traveling to Illinois. If Iowa can stay healthy (and get healthy, as well - Moeaki, Stross, Bernstine, etc...), there is no reason they can't put at least the number "9" in the Win column. This year's front four on defense is one of, if not, the best in the Big Ten. The offense will struggle at times this year again, but with the return of Shonn Greene, as well as Moeaki, Brodell, and Stross, Iowa has some actual weapons out on the field. Don't overlook what Erik Campbell, one of the nation's best assistant coaches, will do for Iowa's receivers. Solid D + Contributing Offense = At least 9 wins.
   

FOOTBALL: Projected Starting Lineup for the First Game of the 2008 Season

Here's how I see it, right or wrong...

QB - Jake Christensen
RB - Shonn Greene
FB - Brett Morse
WR - Andy Brodell
WR - DJK
TE - Brandon Myers
OT - Kyle Calloway
OG - Rafael Eubanks
C - Rob Bruggeman
OG - Seth Olsen
OT - Brian Bulaga

DE - Adrian Clayborn
DT - Mitch King
DT - Matt Kroul
DE - Christian Ballard
LB - A.J. Edds
LB - Jacody Coleman
LB - Jeff Tarpinian (if he can't go, look for Jeremiha Hunter to start)
CB - Amari Spievey
CB - Bradley Fletcher
FS - Brett Greenwood
SS - Harold Dalton (Tillison will get a shot too)

KOS - Daniel Murray
PK - Trent Mossbrucker
P - Ryan Donahue
KR - DJK, Paul Chaney
PR - Brodell

Kuempel might start over Raf, but I just think Eubanks is too good to keep out of the starting lineup. Reisner is going to get a ton of PT, as are Bernstine, Tillison, and Sash. Also Stanzi is going to see a lot of snaps, as well.

Redshirts burned on Saturday: Jewel Hampton, Trent Mossbrucker, DeMarco Paine, Shaun Prater, Adam Robinson/Jeff Brinson, David Cato, Brad Herman. There will likely be a couple other guys on ST, some RS freshmen too... but I see these guys getting the early PT.

OTHER NOTES:
- Kirk confirmed Jake as the starter today.
- Nate Guillory has decided to transfer. Early yesterday morning, the rumors began that Nate had quit the team, and Kirk confirmed that today.
- Read Kirk's full presser on Hawkeyesports.com - HERE

FOOTBALL: Brandon Wegher Commits to Iowa

Brian Finley of Hawkeyenation.com has confirmed that the top player in Iowa for the '09 class has decided to be a Hawkeye.


(Photo courtesy of ESPN)

Brandon Wegher (4 star RB from Heelan) announced tonight after picking from Iowa and Nebraska.

READ MORE HERE: http://iowa.scout.com/2/782389.html

If you've been living in a cave, you can learn more about Wegher from his website.
VIEW WEGHER'S SITE: http://www.wegherfootball.com/

Be Sure to Tune into the BTN on Thursday! 90 Minute Iowa Football Practice - 8 PM

Be Sure to Tune into the BTN on Thursday! Iowa Practice - 8 PM

---

http://www.bigtennetwork.com/corporate/2008-BTT-Football-Tour.asp
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-fbc-big10practice,0,2377712.story

The Big Ten Network's "Big Ten Tonight" program will be on the University of Iowa

The session will be included in a monthlong series on the 2008 football season. The 90-minute editions of "Big Ten Tonight: Football Practice" will include interviews with special guests and analysis of each of the Big Ten teams. campus on Thursday to preview a Hawkeye preseason football practice session.