Fishhead said:
Some simplistic thoughts and predictions on my beloved IOWA HAWKEYES in the above thread.......................
As the season approaches and being a strong supporter of Iowa and thus following them very closely, here are a few of my thoughts.
Easy schedule?.............Yes, as they will be favored by a TD in all but two of their games this year. The exceptions will be when they travel to MICHIGAN and host OHIO STATE on September 30th. The easy schedule is the biggest thing that may aid the HAWKEYES in being a surprise team this year and enabling them to finish higher at seasons end then their current 15-20 ranking.
Concerns?.................The Hawkeyes are VERY inexperienced with wide receivers and this could hamper the offense somewhat. On the defensive side of the ball they must replace two of the finest linebackers in Hawkeye history with the departures of CHAD GREENWAY(1st round Vikings) and ABDUL HODGE(2nd round Packers)
Hope?.............To go along with the easy schedule as mentioned above, the Hawks bring back an abundance of talent. Rating their OL and DL as a tandem, no team would/should probably be ranked higher in the country, as both units are rated in most everybodys top ten units individually in the nation. Drew Tate(QB) and Albert Young(RB) if they can remain healthy will be strong candidates for many ALL-AMERICAN teams and are both considered preseason Heisman hopefuls. The kicking game is in great shape too as they return the Big Tens best PK.
My preseason
ATS picks for the entire HAWKEYE 2006 schedule....
Montana..............Montana
@Syracuse...........Syracuse
Iowa State...........Iowa State
@ Illinois..............Illinois
Ohio State...........IOWA
Purdue................IOWA
@ Indiana............IOWA
@ Michigan..........Michigan
Northern Illinois.....IOWA
Northwestern....... IOWA
Wisconsin............IOWA
@ Minnesota........Minnesota
FINAL TALLY(including SU record prediction)
ATS- 6-6
SU- 9-3
Translation/prediction is IOWA to be heading back to the OUTBACK BOWL in Tampa for the third time in four years.
