- Sep 13, 2002
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Well, my column writing alter ego is, at any rate. Figured this is the only way for our downtrodden Florida State fans to get football news about a winning program
Typically by mid-August I am fine-tuning new tailgate recipes, looking at hotel rates for potential road trips and devouring as much Iowa Hawkeye football-related media as I can find.
Heading into the 2022 season, that is not the case.
I’m not sure if that has more to do with Iowa’s disappointing Big 10 Championship game performance and subsequent bowl loss or that the sport I’ve loved for nearly half a century feels like it’s rapidly morphing into an NFL minor league product.
Probably a little bit of both.
Considering Iowa is coming off a 10-win season, division championship and its best recruiting class in recent memory, my apathy feels a bit churlish.
Weirdly, despite this ambivalence, I really like the makeup of this Iowa team and fully expect them to be in the hunt for back-to-back West championships. I expect the defense once again to be elite. I am also irrationally optimistic that the offense will take a major step forward. That latter prediction might be based more on blind faith and hope than evidence, but I think the combination of a bit more experience on the offensive line and running backs with a more decisive style will make the entire enterprise run better.
I also expect the Hawkeyes to play with a chip on their shoulder coming out of the gate. Yes, they ended on a demoralizing two-game losing streak to end last season, but it is pretty disrespectful of both the coaches and the media to leave them out of the pre-season Top 20. I expect this to be a motivating factor.
Expect Spencer Petras to be extremely motivated to prove his many naysayers wrong as well. I’ve been hard on his propensity to panic at the first sign of pressure, but that is a fixable negative trait. I expect the game to come slower to Petras in his senior year, and that combined with better protection theoretically should quiet those happy feet.
I am also fascinated to see the outcome of Kirk Ferentz’s decision to essentially double-down on his faith in Brian as an offensive coach by adding quarterback coaching to his duties. On paper, it seems insane to put the architect of an anemic passing offense in charge of the signal caller, but there is something exciting about the pure chutzpah of the move, at least to me. I’m on record criticizing Brian for being too clever and cute at times. From what we’ve heard out of camp, the offense has been somewhat simplified and I’m curious to see what that looks like.
The first Tuesdays With Torbee missive of the year traditionally includes my record prediction. As usual, I break up the schedule in terms of should-wins, tossups and likely losses. For the record, I predicted 9-3 last season, which was the second prediction in a row that undersold the Hawks by one game.
Here’s how I see the 2022 season shaking out:
Should-wins
· South Dakota State
· Iowa State
· Nevada
· Rutgers
· Illinois
· Nebraska
Toss-ups
· Northwestern
· Purdue
· Wisconsin
· Minnesota
Likely-losses
· Michigan
· Ohio State
Iowa typically drops one it shouldn’t (please, Lord, don’t let it be Nebraska) and wins at least one it really shouldn’t (I personally want revenge on the Wolverines), so that puts you at 6-2 before the tossups. I expect each of those games to be anxiety-inducing stomach churners, but I love getting Wisconsin at home and expect a focused and furious effort to end the Purdue winning streak. I think Iowa goes 3-1 in the tossups and finishes with a well-earned 9-3 record against a pretty salty schedule.
I know that prediction is hardly earth shattering, but until Iowa proves to me it can be better than “good-but-not-great,” I will continue using history as my guide.
Again, maybe unfairly churlish, but I would like to see that next step taken.
Tuesdays with Torbee
Typically by mid-August I am fine-tuning new tailgate recipes, looking at hotel rates for potential road trips and devouring as much Iowa Hawkeye football-related media as I can find.
Heading into the 2022 season, that is not the case.
I’m not sure if that has more to do with Iowa’s disappointing Big 10 Championship game performance and subsequent bowl loss or that the sport I’ve loved for nearly half a century feels like it’s rapidly morphing into an NFL minor league product.
Probably a little bit of both.
Considering Iowa is coming off a 10-win season, division championship and its best recruiting class in recent memory, my apathy feels a bit churlish.
Weirdly, despite this ambivalence, I really like the makeup of this Iowa team and fully expect them to be in the hunt for back-to-back West championships. I expect the defense once again to be elite. I am also irrationally optimistic that the offense will take a major step forward. That latter prediction might be based more on blind faith and hope than evidence, but I think the combination of a bit more experience on the offensive line and running backs with a more decisive style will make the entire enterprise run better.
I also expect the Hawkeyes to play with a chip on their shoulder coming out of the gate. Yes, they ended on a demoralizing two-game losing streak to end last season, but it is pretty disrespectful of both the coaches and the media to leave them out of the pre-season Top 20. I expect this to be a motivating factor.
Expect Spencer Petras to be extremely motivated to prove his many naysayers wrong as well. I’ve been hard on his propensity to panic at the first sign of pressure, but that is a fixable negative trait. I expect the game to come slower to Petras in his senior year, and that combined with better protection theoretically should quiet those happy feet.
I am also fascinated to see the outcome of Kirk Ferentz’s decision to essentially double-down on his faith in Brian as an offensive coach by adding quarterback coaching to his duties. On paper, it seems insane to put the architect of an anemic passing offense in charge of the signal caller, but there is something exciting about the pure chutzpah of the move, at least to me. I’m on record criticizing Brian for being too clever and cute at times. From what we’ve heard out of camp, the offense has been somewhat simplified and I’m curious to see what that looks like.
The first Tuesdays With Torbee missive of the year traditionally includes my record prediction. As usual, I break up the schedule in terms of should-wins, tossups and likely losses. For the record, I predicted 9-3 last season, which was the second prediction in a row that undersold the Hawks by one game.
Here’s how I see the 2022 season shaking out:
Should-wins
· South Dakota State
· Iowa State
· Nevada
· Rutgers
· Illinois
· Nebraska
Toss-ups
· Northwestern
· Purdue
· Wisconsin
· Minnesota
Likely-losses
· Michigan
· Ohio State
Iowa typically drops one it shouldn’t (please, Lord, don’t let it be Nebraska) and wins at least one it really shouldn’t (I personally want revenge on the Wolverines), so that puts you at 6-2 before the tossups. I expect each of those games to be anxiety-inducing stomach churners, but I love getting Wisconsin at home and expect a focused and furious effort to end the Purdue winning streak. I think Iowa goes 3-1 in the tossups and finishes with a well-earned 9-3 record against a pretty salty schedule.
I know that prediction is hardly earth shattering, but until Iowa proves to me it can be better than “good-but-not-great,” I will continue using history as my guide.
Again, maybe unfairly churlish, but I would like to see that next step taken.