Iowa vs. NDSU an 11 AM kickoff on ESPN/ESPN2

[Cornicator]

This game will be close for a half and Iowa will win by 3 touchdowns. NDSU has an excellent program, and they would likely be favored vs. some past Hawk teams. But NDSU has never played an experienced top top 25 Power 5 program. Their most impressive win came over a K-State team replacing 17 starters including a 3 year starting QB. That same K-State team was 2-5 going into the last week of November. Iowa will not be in the same boat in 2016.

However, Ferentz probably should open up the offense a bit more than he does versus other non con opponents like UNI and The Clones. NDSU is not the type of team you want to let hang around late. They're too smart and sound.

But... NDSU has never played a team like this before. They've beaten awful 3 win Minnesota teams or 2 win Iowa States. That win at Colorado State was actually 4 years ago before the Rams were good under McElwain.

 

[Bill_Callahan2.0]

Holy Moly do I hate NDSU fans. I will be happy for the first time watching Iowa punish a team up and down the field. Iowa by 20+

 

[eyeohuh]

They seem overly confident. The largest crowd they played in front of last year was 26k in a week 1 loss. Most of these kids were not on the team during their (nonimpressive) P5 wins.

 

[soybean]

The thing that helps is that it isn't the first game of the year for Iowa. Those first week games can always be weird.

A key factor not to be overlooked. The angst over this game is bemusing.

 

[BondHawk]

Surely you have not forgotten all the 'woe is me' from this very poster all throughout the 2015 season.

At least he has toned down some of his 'sky is falling' rhetoric.... at this time last year, he was guaranteeing an Iowa loss to "one of the isu's."

Give him time, it's only June and his mind is in other places.