Attrition has been the common theme around Iowa City the past 4-5 seasons. Not a goos theme for a porgram that has been a developmental program over the past three decades.
Phil Steele notes Iowa only returns 40 Letterwinners in 2015 for #14. The Hawkeyes were a 7-8 rated offense and defense in the Big Ten in 2014. Victims of two close losses.
Fans were thinking 9-4, not 7-6 like the Hawkeyes finished in 2014.
Iowa should have a solid pass defense in 2015 per Phil Steele. Stopping the run is a requirement generally for success in the Big Ten.
How good can the offensive and defensive lines develop after losing both tackles on both sides of the ball?
Reload in 2015?
Depth is an Iowa weakness as Kirk Ferentz enters year 17 as head coach and year 26 as a Hawkeye.
Phil Steele ranks Iowa’s coaching staff tied for 3rd with Minnesota behind only Defending national champion Ohio State and Top 10 Michigan State.
Iowa has a Top 12 underrated schedule with the likes of Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Baylor and Texas.
Iowa has zero individual units of relevance per Phil Steele entering 2015. No all-Americans, either.
While Phil Steele's preview ranks overall year and year out #1. His Big Ten and Iowa forecasts are not always his best work?
Iowa is Phil's #5 in the B1G West division as the lowest #3 in the West with Minnesota and Northwestern.
2015 surprise teams Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Penn State and Nebraska among others.
Look for Michigan, Pitt, Indiana and Northwestern to be above the 2015 most improved. So, will Hawkeye fans have to wait for 2016 or beyond, or is Phil Steele wrong on Iowa?
Iowa #57, with five of the Hawkeyes 11 FBS opponents ahead of them entering 2015. How long has it been since Iowa was among Top 25?
Too long for a loud, vocal minority of Iowa Hawkeye fans. The 2007 Iowa Hawkeyes fell short, but ticket sales was solid, a buzz this time in 2007.
Flip to 2015, ticket sales are flat lining, and Iowa’s schedule actually resembles 2007 with a B1G road opener at Wisconsin and a later trip to Evanston. Iowa last win in Evanston was 2007. Iowa's last win over Wisconsin was in Madison, ironically.
Wisconsin and Nebraska are clearly ahead of Iowa, Illinois,Minneaota, Northwestern and Purdue, since each as won a division at least once, since 2011. Each has a new head coach with little tradition winning division or conference titles elsewhere.
Though Wisconsin is Lucky #13 in Phil Steele's Pre-season Top 40.
#26 Nebraska
#36 Minnesota
Note, Pittsburgh is #52. Iowa's top OOC opponent in 2015.
"There is nothing about this Iowa team that would have you thinking Big Ten West contender."
"They have only just 2 players on my 1st and 2nd team All Big Ten preseason (56 players) and both are lineman."
Of course, if you eliminated players Iowa doesn't face in East, how many fall off?
Minnesota plays both Michigan and Ohio State. Nebraska hosts Michigan State, while Northwestern travels to Michigan, so does Phil Steele take it all into account?
"You would be hard pressed to name a handful of players on this squad off the top of your head. None of position unit rankings are above #7 in the Big Ten."
Phil Steele does project Iowa's offense and defense to finish similar, middle of conference #7 or #8 in 2015?
"Why do I have them tied for 3rd?" - Phil Steele
"Iowa draws Indiana and Maryland from the East and of my 9 sets of power ratings call for 5-3 in Big Ten"
"HC Kirk Ferentz does his best when expectations are low."
Of course, when Phil Steele has ever projected Iowa high in the preseason, it has been a reach none the less, each time.
The reality in pre-season 2015 is the Big Ten West is a major unknown at Iowa and throughout the division with the changes taking place.
Note, Steele failed to project the winner at Punter for 2015.
Steele ranks Iowa walk-on recruits, which makes his preview one of the most detailed.
5-3 is improvement for 2015, if Steele is right.
Iowa has only finished 8-0 once (2002). Iowa has won 3 of last 4 at Wisconsin, with lone loss the 2007 team, 17-13 loss, if I recall.
Kirk Ferentz is 8-8 in Big Ten road openers, but 5-1 of late and have won three straight, since Greg Davis became OC for Hawkeyes.
Two Iowa opponents are coming off bye week in 2015, both are B1G road opponents (IU and UNL). Mike Riley is 20-9 off bye weeks, by the way as college coach.
Kevin Wilson is 1-5 coming off bye week at IU. QB Nate Sudfeld is 0-2 as starter vs. IOWA, with two straight disastrous first halves at that. The Hoosiers have dropped 16 of last 21 Big Ten home games. Average loss is 14 points.
How much will loss or return of TE Jake Duzey have on 2015 campaign?
How strong will Iowa newcomers step up?
More questions than answers for sure in 2015. Happy Independence Day indeed!
peace
Phil Steele notes Iowa only returns 40 Letterwinners in 2015 for #14. The Hawkeyes were a 7-8 rated offense and defense in the Big Ten in 2014. Victims of two close losses.
Fans were thinking 9-4, not 7-6 like the Hawkeyes finished in 2014.
Iowa should have a solid pass defense in 2015 per Phil Steele. Stopping the run is a requirement generally for success in the Big Ten.
How good can the offensive and defensive lines develop after losing both tackles on both sides of the ball?
Reload in 2015?
Depth is an Iowa weakness as Kirk Ferentz enters year 17 as head coach and year 26 as a Hawkeye.
Phil Steele ranks Iowa’s coaching staff tied for 3rd with Minnesota behind only Defending national champion Ohio State and Top 10 Michigan State.
Iowa has a Top 12 underrated schedule with the likes of Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Baylor and Texas.
Iowa has zero individual units of relevance per Phil Steele entering 2015. No all-Americans, either.
While Phil Steele's preview ranks overall year and year out #1. His Big Ten and Iowa forecasts are not always his best work?
Iowa is Phil's #5 in the B1G West division as the lowest #3 in the West with Minnesota and Northwestern.
2015 surprise teams Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Penn State and Nebraska among others.
Look for Michigan, Pitt, Indiana and Northwestern to be above the 2015 most improved. So, will Hawkeye fans have to wait for 2016 or beyond, or is Phil Steele wrong on Iowa?
Iowa #57, with five of the Hawkeyes 11 FBS opponents ahead of them entering 2015. How long has it been since Iowa was among Top 25?
Too long for a loud, vocal minority of Iowa Hawkeye fans. The 2007 Iowa Hawkeyes fell short, but ticket sales was solid, a buzz this time in 2007.
Flip to 2015, ticket sales are flat lining, and Iowa’s schedule actually resembles 2007 with a B1G road opener at Wisconsin and a later trip to Evanston. Iowa last win in Evanston was 2007. Iowa's last win over Wisconsin was in Madison, ironically.
Wisconsin and Nebraska are clearly ahead of Iowa, Illinois,Minneaota, Northwestern and Purdue, since each as won a division at least once, since 2011. Each has a new head coach with little tradition winning division or conference titles elsewhere.
Though Wisconsin is Lucky #13 in Phil Steele's Pre-season Top 40.
#26 Nebraska
#36 Minnesota
Note, Pittsburgh is #52. Iowa's top OOC opponent in 2015.
"There is nothing about this Iowa team that would have you thinking Big Ten West contender."
"They have only just 2 players on my 1st and 2nd team All Big Ten preseason (56 players) and both are lineman."
Of course, if you eliminated players Iowa doesn't face in East, how many fall off?
Minnesota plays both Michigan and Ohio State. Nebraska hosts Michigan State, while Northwestern travels to Michigan, so does Phil Steele take it all into account?
"You would be hard pressed to name a handful of players on this squad off the top of your head. None of position unit rankings are above #7 in the Big Ten."
Phil Steele does project Iowa's offense and defense to finish similar, middle of conference #7 or #8 in 2015?
"Why do I have them tied for 3rd?" - Phil Steele
"Iowa draws Indiana and Maryland from the East and of my 9 sets of power ratings call for 5-3 in Big Ten"
"HC Kirk Ferentz does his best when expectations are low."
Of course, when Phil Steele has ever projected Iowa high in the preseason, it has been a reach none the less, each time.
The reality in pre-season 2015 is the Big Ten West is a major unknown at Iowa and throughout the division with the changes taking place.
Note, Steele failed to project the winner at Punter for 2015.
Steele ranks Iowa walk-on recruits, which makes his preview one of the most detailed.
5-3 is improvement for 2015, if Steele is right.
Iowa has only finished 8-0 once (2002). Iowa has won 3 of last 4 at Wisconsin, with lone loss the 2007 team, 17-13 loss, if I recall.
Kirk Ferentz is 8-8 in Big Ten road openers, but 5-1 of late and have won three straight, since Greg Davis became OC for Hawkeyes.
Two Iowa opponents are coming off bye week in 2015, both are B1G road opponents (IU and UNL). Mike Riley is 20-9 off bye weeks, by the way as college coach.
Kevin Wilson is 1-5 coming off bye week at IU. QB Nate Sudfeld is 0-2 as starter vs. IOWA, with two straight disastrous first halves at that. The Hoosiers have dropped 16 of last 21 Big Ten home games. Average loss is 14 points.
How much will loss or return of TE Jake Duzey have on 2015 campaign?
How strong will Iowa newcomers step up?
More questions than answers for sure in 2015. Happy Independence Day indeed!
peace
