No one knows obviously, but I see at least one major difference from most of you.
Iowa has won 5 of 6 v. Michigan. I don't think there's a lot of fear there for Iowa because these two programs basically believe the same things, and unless Michigan's talent simply overshadows the Hawks (and it has at times), this is a very, very motivating matchup that is very winnable. It's a chance to validate technique and fundamentals, and KF teams do very well here. If you have Michigan as an L, I don't understand you. Our coaches and players have proven excellent over time when a game comes down to execution versus a bigger name university. I'll go one step further: I think the chances of us beating Michigan are better than Wisconsin and Purdue. If it was in Iowa City, I would add Iowa State, Northwestern, and Penn State. Wisky's run defense has to be broken by the Hawks before I will believe otherwise. Brohm may be the best game coach in the League; he's a savage. We could easily win either/both of those games, but we just haven't. If ISU doesn't do it this year, I'm not sure when they will. NW is to Iowa as Iowa is to Michigan. They see us as a measuring stick with similar convictions, and they believe they can outdo us in the end, and unfortunately, it has played out like that too often. Penn State is the biggest bitch on our schedule; they used to be similar to Harbaugh's UM teams (bloated), but they turned the corner. Maybe we work Kinnick magic and take 'em down though. It can certainly happen.
I'm not sure what to think of Nebraska, Miami, Minnesota, Illinois, or Rutgers. For example, the Nebraska QB could be out for the season game 1 or he could be present for the Heisman presentation. I have no idea. But, another belief I'll share is that MTSU isn't a gimme. I think we win, but they're SEC country kids who have good skill position players this season. If they're QB plays well...? They open at Michigan and host Duke before meeting us, so they're not going to be awed by us, and they have a bye before us. Need I remind you how many times we've lost "this game"? NDSU, WMU, CMU, UNI (shoulda), N.Ill., etc. I keep thinking "step on their throat early and often"...?
Love this staff and team. Can't wait to see what happens.