Wishing each of you a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend to you and yours 👋🏼
As we thank those who paid the ultimate price in service to our Republic. 🇺🇸🙏🏻🙏🏻
Time for the Hawkeyes to take the West again. It has been six years. One division title, since 2014. Wisconsin and Northwestern have earned four and two, respectively.
2. IOWA HAWKEYES 6-2 LY
Conference Championship Appearance Probability: 44%Conference Championship Win Probability: 17%
Projected Win Total: 8.4
Iowa excelled in pass coverage last season, and the team appears poised to do so again in 2021. The Hawkeyes finished second among Power Five teams in expected points added allowed per pass play last season and return their most important contributors from that unit, including outside corners Riley Moss and Matt Hankins and free safety Jack Koerner. The team's offense is a different story, though.
The offensive line will be in good shape with Tyler Linderbaum — the highest-graded center in college football last season — leading the way, and tight end Sam LaPorta returns as a formidable receiving weapon, but quarterback and the wide receiver unit aren’t as solid.
The Hawkeyes' wide receiver room in 2020 was the third-lowest-graded unit in the Big Ten, and it will be without its top two wideouts from last year, Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Meanwhile, quarterback Spencer Petras struggled to get much going downfield in his first year as a starter in 2020 and displayed suspect accuracy. He subsequently earned a poor 56.9 passing grade for the year.
Removing Iowa’s first two games of 2020 — the team's only losses — propels its coverage unit to No. 1 in the Power Five in expected points added allowed per pass attempt. Meanwhile, the team's passing offense was as average as it could be, ranking 33rd of the 65 Power Five teams in passing efficiency.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Hawkeyes produce similar results in 2021. And considering they have one of the easier schedules in the Big Ten (10th) and are in the easier division, that could get them pretty far. - PFF
Flashback to the rebuilding days.
Finding things to hold us over.
