SEASON PREVIEW: Breaking Down Iowa's ENTIRE Football Schedule

hello and welcome to hotkey Nation this is hotcast your Iowa football basketball and recruiting podcast brought to you by Hawkeye Beacon and rivals.com I'm your recruiting analyst and host elliotl at Eliot cluff on Twitter joined as always by Adam jacobe and Ross binder here to preview the season we're breaking down every single game ahead of Iowa here in 2024 10 wins might be that threshold what we're talking about if people are satisfied with this year or not looking at that defense the hopes for the offense even though the quarterback situation is still definitely a question mark which by the way we are running a deal right now 70% off premium subscription for the entire first year that's 70% off you're only paying 30% of what people typically pay for our premium subscriptions and we got Intel on the quarterback situation we got Intel on the offensive line the receivers everything on the offensive side of the ball plus recruiting plus more so go check that out we got all that Intel on football on football recruiting basketball basketball recruiting all that on our board and our premium content again you can sign up today with code Hawk camp at Iowa rivals.com Hawk camp or you can uh find there's links in all the free articles there's links on our twitters you get the autofill you click it you get 70% off for your first year at IA rivals.com and today is the day that's true it is it it ends today Tuesday August 13 if you're hearing this on Wednesday the 14th you already missed it sorry about that but also like Elliot said it has been all over our Twitter's it has been all over the site it's right there on the front page so if you're hearing this on Tuesday August 13th you are still not signed up for some reason not hard to find promo code hot camp 70% off the entire first year an unbelievable seal guys it's even one better than 69% that's unbelievable now that's a nice deal Adam we've already had people flock into that deal so make sure you join them don't miss that again that's today we are publishing right after we're done with the Pod so you can hear that get that done get signed up with us get all that premium content for 70% off your first year again if you're watching on YouTube you're listening on Apple podcast Spotify make sure you smash that subscribe button so you don't miss an episode and if you're on YouTube as well drop a like drop a comment let us know what you're thinking about the season what's your season record prediction ahead drop that in the comments um maybe you'll agree with us maybe you won't we'll see so we want to get started here Illinois State week one they also play Troy week two we're going to kind of fly over those because well they're probably going to be wins of course nothing guaranteed we were remember the South Dakota State game a couple years ago we remember the North Dakota State game a few years ago too soon sorry Illinois State week one August 31st in kinck stadium Illinois state is the number 20 team in the FCS and as I told Ross before we started recording they are in the mvfc which is the SEC of the FCS so an absolutely loaded conference there they played excuse me uni last year uni beat him 2421 um they went six and five last season which is pretty typical at that back end of those rankings typical six and5 7-4 uh excuse me mvfc team in the FCS so they're not something to to look past they've got a few FBS transfers one from Western Michigan who's a tight end an offensive tackle from Minnesota and then a quarterback from Kansas State who you have to assume is h g to be vying for some time there so Illinois state of course you're going to rack that up as a win when you look at the schedule but they're a good FCS team yeah and at this point especially with the uncertainty that's surrounding the Iowa football offense in particular surrounding the the quarterback position and again like Elliot said we've got some premium Intel on the Press Box uh premium board uh so make sure you're subscribed if you haven't already read it you are going to want to read it but until there's a little bit more consistency a little bit more production a little just a little bit more clarity in terms of where that QB uh situation is you know is it going to be Brennan Sullivan probably not going to be a week one starter but are we going to see a lot of him on the field are we going to see more touch accuracy a better Rapport from Kade mcnamer and his receivers that's really going to be the big question that's facing Iowa in this game much more than a are they going to win are they going to lose because probably they'll be favored in that like mid uper 20 point range and you know we we have seen Iowa play it really close to the vest in these early season games you know they don't open up the Playbook if they don't have to and frankly we know that Kirk ference does not care about margin of Victory and he especially doesn't care at the beginning of the season so this one might stay close and you know if Iowa fans have been around long enough they know that the week one games do typically stay closer than you know frankly a lot of them would hope they are but ultimately yeah the the big questions are going to around Iowa's Personnel Iowa's offense you know you know where is that um execution level as they get into the tougher parts of the schedule so that to me is is really the big big question and you know especially after what we saw at H the kids day Kate mcnamer has got three weeks to improve from that and you know that is how much he improves is going to play a huge role in determining how safe his job is in this QB competition yeah I mean you mentioned the potential spread of you know 20 plus points Adam how many defensive touchdowns does Iowa need to score to cover that spread well fortunately the uh the the doughbys the ballhawks uh I I think they're probably I I shouldn't say probably there's a pretty darn good chance they'll get at least one yeah uh I mean I agree with what you and Elliott said like Illinois State solid FCS team obviously they're ranked brought in some FBS transfers so they're going to have have some Talent there in the starting uh lineup you would expect but you know this is not one of those um Elite uh National Title contending FCS teams like uh South Dakota State a couple years ago like uh North Dakota State and the the game that shopi mentioned but we've already mentioned it twice so we failed um so I mean I think there is cause for cons a little bit of concern just because you don't want to chalk up any game as that's a win no questions asked but of all the games on Iowa schedule this is definitely the one you should have the least amount of worry for like on a talent level uh Iowa should be far superior to Illinois State and with that Iowa defense you know the question is how much is Illinois state going to be able to move the the ball on Iowa it it seems like that should be a real struggle for the Red Birds um so then you know the question is you know how effective can Iowa's offense be you know based on what we saw in the what you guys saw in the kids day obviously long ways to go but uh between the fact that there's three weeks two and a half weeks now until that this game happens and that it is an FCS opponent it is an FCS defense you know I think you have to have a little confidence that the offense can uh can find a few things uh that'll work well enough that Iowa will win this game one more little quick thing to add here uh Old Friends of the Big 10 uh will recognize Illinois State head coach Brock Speck formerly of Purdue formerly of the uh Joe tiller regime uh over there uh Still rocking an absolutely glorious mustache so at the very least the uh the visitor sideline uh uh at at kinnick stadium for week one uh will'll be uh we'll have quite the uh flavor saber uh leading the pack there so uh does that have anything to do with the actual football of course not but you can't let a mustache like that slide that's all sorry for your interrupting you Elliot as I was saying Talent discrepancy it's just like size discrepancy I was gonna have the better athletes they're going to have the bigger athletes and that's why we tend to chalk these games up as as wins for Iowa like you said Adam they're going to be conservative in their play calling they're not going to show too much but it should be a win by how much that's yet to be determined obviously then we're on to week two and Iowa hosting Iowa State this year Cyclones coming off a seven- six season Iowa beat him 20-3 at Jack tce expectations are high for the Cyclones this year they believe they could possibly go out and win a big 12 title the real competition Utah and then after that it's kind of a question mark in the Big 12 Kansas State Kansas but yeah I mean are they worried about BYU right they're not I can tell you that spoiler alert so expectations are high for the Cyclones this year I've already heard a couple other podcasts expect and pick the Cyclones to beat Iowa and I am not on board there for a couple reasons and I I'll share those and then I'll go to you guys here well first things first the best quarterback in the programs history never beat Iowa right Brock pie and from my Iowa State cohorts people love to compare Roco back to Brock P I've heard that a bunch of times especially in personality that's one thing and again Brock py never beat the Hawkeyes two when Iowa state has high expectations I.E the Brock P are era they kind of fall in they didn't fall in their face but they lose to Iowa Iowa in in this match up between the Cyclones and I'm GNA quote my my my buddies from the ANF podcast here because they do awesome work they know ball these are some of my buddies I was on a podcast with them uh just earlier this summer if you want to listen to it talking about the recruiting class in 2024 but effectively what they said is this game is a game of triangle right triangles which is the front the defensive front for for Iowa back to Jay Higgins and Iowa is just going to fundamenta fundamentally be better than Iowa State in that regard this 335 defense is really productive against teams in the Big 12 but it's not against Iowa I think Iowa's going to be able to smash the ball down their throat what they used last year was counter counter counter counter counter with jazz Patterson and they don't have their best corner anymore of course they've all they they've returned a bunch of production but I don't think these guys are big as strong as as what Iowa's got up front do I am I saying Iowa State's a bad football team I'm not what I am saying is Iowa is a better football team so I'm gonna pick Iowa here to start the season two and0 yeah this is going to be a tough one one because you know I you don't want to fall back on the cliche of you throw the records out the window especially when it's going to be week two but but these two teams the way they play each other does not always match their you know relative levels of of talent and Elliot I agree that Iowa on paper is a better team than Iowa State but you know this is just one game things often go sideways uh you know when these two teams go at it because ultimately you know Iowa State fans sort of resent the implication that this is their team Super Bowl but this is a game that both teams should get should should be getting as high up as about just about any on the entire schedule for every single year because of how much is writing on it because of how much pride there is involved because of how much they know the other team is geared up for it too we know both teams love beating the other right like that is that's not even controversial to say so uh if this is an Iowa State Super Bowl it should be like it's a better idea so one of the ways that a game can really go sideways is turnovers and if Iowa can create them against Iowa State you know last year in 20123 when ISU turned the ball over they were two and five when they didn't they were Five-0 I think that pattern's going to continue uh for this season as well and yet like Rocko Beck if he can take that leap and uh you know not throw the easiest touchdown of Sebastian Castro's career on a pressured uh out route like he did at Jack tce last year you know Iowa State can at the very least you know run some clock run some you know sustained drives because they have that sort of offense and they you know their offensive line has been coming for you know several years now but it's um it's good enough that at the very least I think they'll be able to sustain drives not necessarily touchdown drives but I think they'll be able to move the ball a little bit on the other side of the ball Iowa will have a little bit more clarity as to where their QB position is coming off of week one but isu's different or excuse Iowa State's uh defense is going to be better than Illinois State's defense so if there's some struggle from who whoever qb1 is against the red birds in week one you know that especially against this real attacking real um uh turnover happy defense that isu's got you know that is a situation where this can if not get out of hand you can see the balance of the game Lurch pretty quickly but when Iowa does not turn the ball over and and we saw it at uh Jack T last year you know that game was well in hand for the Hawkeyes for pretty much the entire thing 20 to 13 doesn't really give Justice to how much better Iowa was than Iowa State on the field and I don't think much in in the way that you know talent coming in talent coming out Talent progressing I don't think that balance has shifted very much in this offseason for either team to the point where you can say you know well ISU is the better team on paper no they're not but Iowa has got to take care of business because the how many times Ross in the last 20 years have we seen Iowa not take care of business and Iowa's not a great September team to begin with and have it blow up in their face uh against these Cyclones yeah that has definitely happened you know far too often it was a more of a common occurrence in the first half of fence's tenear at Iowa than the second half I think Iowa's been a lot better against Iowa State over the last 10 or 15 years and they were the first 10 or so years um you know one thing of interesting or of note Hing into this game is that HomeField has not mattered in this series lately the road team has won four in a row and five of six so you know I don't think the Cyclones are going to be scared of kenck uh in the way some non-conference teams or even some big 10 teams that maybe don't come to KCK all that often might be uh you know they they're not going to have that Fear Factor they've been here they've won they won here two years years ago so it's like there are guys on that team who are still playing this year so like they they can draw on those those memories uh I think what you you know you noted the turnovers that to me is the key um when Iowa has had recent success in this series it has been heavily around forcing turnovers uh from Iowa State uh often directly leading to scoring like we've seen a number of defensive touchdowns from Sebastian Castro Josie juel uh you know other Iowa stalwarts in recent years uh and you know that's been a key for Iowa's Victory so I do think Iowa definitely needs to win the turnover battle uh and you know Cade Brendan whoever the quarterback is has to avoid you know stupid turnovers turning the ball over in positions that give Iowa State's offense easy scoring chances makes things hard for this defense which you know I think if Iowa state has to go the length of the field on this defense I don't anticipate a lot of success for them but if they get short fields that can change uh that calculus um you know I'm with you both I think in the camp of Iowa winning this game um but it is I think going to be tighter than we want especially if the quarterback play uh doesn't improve dramatically before week one and between week one and week two uh for that matter looks like you wanted to add something there Adam yeah I you know what this game really might come down to is special teams and and on that end as well and we've seen that happen in this rivalry a couple times too uh you know I I don't think Iowa state is going to have two guys run into each other on a critical punt return this time around that that was sort of winning the lottery ticket of strange ways to win in this rivalry but you know Iowa state is replacing their kicker and it's h with a guy at FAU who hit only two of four field goals last year so in terms of the incom Talent the returning talent I think Iowa's got a pretty substantial advantage and when you've got these two types of teams that really go at it with each other match up I I would say pretty well with each other uh if this game stays competitive and it really does come down to a special teams play I think I was got the advantage there I think this is also a game that's a good test early test for the you know our belief in the Iowa offensive line and running game you know we've highlighted that a lot uh in the leadup to this season and you know that the need for that unit to be more consistent to play at a higher level uh and I think that's going to be important especially with the question marks around quarterback and the passing game right now but you know if the offensive line is able to impose its will in this game uh control the line of scrimmage you know get holes for Caleb and LeSean um that's going to go a long way towards giving Iowa uh a much improved opportunity to win the game so yeah though definitely a winnable game but definitely also one with some real question marks this is uh of the early games the one for Iowa that gives me the most pause uh by far the other thing I wanted to note from two years ago that game that Iowa State came into kinnick stadium and won man Iowa had so many opportunities to win that game so many opportunities that's the reason I go back to Iowa winning this one is because they essentially gave that one up handed it to Iowa State on a silver platter yeah that was an ugly game and about half my family is Iowa State grads or super fans and they will uh taunt brag gloat about anything again it's a rivalry that's the way it should be after that game crickets it was so ugly that they didn't even want to gloat about it uh but you know it was it was basically two teams you know seeing could lose the game more and it turned out to be Iowa you know missing that kick at the very end but uh I don't think the level of uh execution is going to be that bad for either team this time around so I think it's going to be a pretty competitive game I think again Iowa should be favored I think Iowa should win that game but should doesn't have a whole lot of place in the shawk Rivalry so uh I would just say buckle up and uh and hope things don't Lurch too badly to the Cardinal and goal week three is Troy which is going to be a very different looking team than they were last year uh coming back they are 11 and three but they've got a new head coach and gerod Parker who was the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Notre Dame and fun fact this is where Tim Lester was set to be OC before he took over as Iowa's offensive coordinator and again I mean I don't know how much we can even really look into this team um given the fact that it is quite a bit of turnover compared to last season they are a group of five team and Iowa should maybe not run away with this one but they should win it I don't know if you guys have anything to add there yeah you know go ahead ahead Russ no go ahead uh Troy is replacing a lot of guys uh I the quarterback situation their presume starter is a guy who has a name that could also like double as a crime and or a social problem Goose Crowder you shouldn't be crowding geese as far as I'm concerned um you know he's he's going to step into a situation where you know TR Troy likes to or at the very least Troy used to like to uh you know sling the ball around a little bit they do have some uh real talent to replace on the offensive line which you look at iow was defensive line and it looks like this unit from the Trojans is not going to be the type that really forces a lot out of that Iowa defensive front so they can uh rotate a little bit more liberally uh without any fear of any sort of mismatches or or downgrade uh in terms of the matchups so I do think that we're going to see a a pretty uh you know effective day for Iowa's defensive line and when Iowa can start to do what it wants on defense and really control the tempo the pace um you know keep Troy from doing the things that they want to do the best and Phil Parker knows what those are already I guarantee you guys I I think this is going to be a pretty easy test for Iowa just because I don't think they're going to need to score more than 10 12 13 14 points for the win and you know at this point they'll have had their tuneup against Illinois State they will have played a tougher Iowa State Defense than what Troy's going to put on the field so it'll be a little bit of a relief there too so yeah I I I think this is a favorable matchup for Iowa and and honestly a pretty good one for a week three before you head into that big 10 you know it really gives you an opportunity to get a few of the things right that uh you know assuming that they're going to see more than a few mistakes in that Iowa State game just based on what we saw this past Saturday this is your time to implement those changes uh you know do some really really valuable film work and uh and bring that level of play up against a lower uh level uh competitor now that being said uh you know like you said before Troy is not Illinois State Troy is not D3 the you know this is a team with with a lot of guys that uh you know still know what winning football is like so uh Iowa better strap their pads on tight for this just like any other that's that's not just coach speak that's not just you know avoid the Bolton board material that uh coaches are are normally going to say you know I guarantee you Kirk at his press conference the Tuesday prior to this game is going to sound like the Trojans are capable of winning this one by 30 uh a lot of coaches act like that but yeah I don't think it's a sure thing especially if uh some of that turbulence in the offensive execution hasn't really started to uh fix itself but by by and large I think this is another real substantial Advantage for Iowa in the matchup Ross do you agree there absolutely I do yep I think there are a lot of advantages for Iowa and from a Personnel standpoint in this game which should come into play uh you know funish fact about Parker he does have some experience in the Big 10 he replaced Daryl Hazel at Purdue in 2016 as an interim head coach there and proceeded to go 0 and six in the boiler makers remaining six games um just a lot of what's that is that good 0 and six is that what you want not ideal I think um Parker and Troy just just a lot of turnover on this team a lot of new faces especially on defense uh this feels like a game you know I think for Iowa's offense this may be a good opportunity for them to maybe get a few things right heading into the Big 10 season um work on a few things and yeah I this does feel like a game where the defense can you know have a lot of success against uh Troy although the offensive line is one of the strengths of the Trojan team so you know it could be a nice opportunity for the dline to uh get some work in and and see what they can do but overall it does feel like the Trojans are pretty overmatched here and uh there should be a chance for Iowa to get a win before the Big 10 uh season starts in full alrighty so three and0 is what we're taking into uh conference play y or nay presumably yeah I I'd put them at about two and a half 2.6 wins at this point okay yeah I I'll go yay as well with with trepidation about the Iowa State game but I'm still a yay overall okay now we head on to Minnesota this will it'll be in Minneapolis um of course the Gophers stole one in Iowa City last year which is I put in parenthesis still [ __ ] um the Gophers went six and seven last season they are picked finished 12 in the Big 10 that's according to the cleveland.com poll uh the Gophers have a new quarterback after Athan ciak Manis is transferred to Rutter and beaten Gavin whims out for the starting position for the Scarlet Knights not something that I predicted going into the season but uh the Gophers are going to be a bit of a new look team as well I believe I saw Darius Taylor went down with a bit of an injury today um nothing made and then Daniel Jackson who led them in receiving last year same thing again they should be back from what I've been able to tell um so this is a this is a team that uh I think Iowa is really feing for some some uh Redemption I you know it would not surprise me in the slightest if if Kirk went into Minneapolis and you know I will beat the [ __ ] out of him to to put it plainly um I I I don't see a scenar where well I you can obviously see a scenario last with with what happened last year but hawkey uh I I really do think they enter this one this this game with a Vengeance and and handle the Gophers in in Minneapolis go ahead Adam yeah the uh that quarterback uh drama that was going on there is uh is a little bit spicy and and it's a little bit interesting that uh Fleck has by and large been able to skate above it because cmis apparently after the season Fleck met with this QB room said uh uh by the way I'm not committing to any of you to start and I'm going to go get a QB in the portal and they got this kid from New Hampshire uh who apparently what did he do lead FCS in h passing yards last year so that being said there's a little bit of a difference between playing football in New England and playing it in the Big 10 and playing it again against the Phil Parker defense too so uh you know they they've got a lot of turnover or excuse me they've got a lot of um you know ground to make up at QB I know their wide receiver situation is a pretty um green as well you know kind of like the Hawkeyes so it's gonna be tough for the Gophers to throw the ball on Iowa and if they're not able to run the ball as well I think Phil Parker should certainly expect a heavy dose of the Run game in this one so that's really going to be the key matchup to me is whether or not Iowa can keep the Gophers from getting those three yards four yards five yards per carry uh because when Iowa doesn't do that uh you know there there was a game at uh kinnick not too long ago I I can't remember if it was two or three years ago where basically Jack Campbell had to win that game for Iowa because Mo uh is it pronounced Ibraham I it's pronounced but I think it's Ibraham yeah either way like he was what 240 250 yards in that game and and it's a little unusual to see Iowa struggle like that keeping a run game down so we know that Fleck knows a few things about moving the ball on the hawy we also know that Kirk fence has uh very little um you know regard for PJ Fleck does not really try to you know keep things close with him uh does not have any uh you know barrier against um rubbing his nose in it a little bit you Kirk plays favorites a few times with his conference Rivals and uh you know the uh um how many years ago it was that he even like burned all his timeouts at the end of the game you know just to send a message uh I I think Kirk absolutely loves the Rivalry aspect of uh Iowa Minnesota they they love the pig and yeah absolutely they're burning up about how that last game ended and I mean really just to take such an incredible touchdown off the board um yeah uh some some Sour tastes in not only the Hawkeye Mouse but the hawk fans Mouse I think this is going to be the chippi game of the season that Iowa plays uh might not even be close uh for that reason I think it's going to be one of the most entertaining games too uh but I'm very very curious to see how Minnesota essentially revamps this lineup uh with a brand new QB with a like all right are we doing this and U are we going to be a run first team are we going to be do we think that we've got the personel to be a pass first team that's going to be fascinating to see we'll at the very least have three weeks of um you know games from the Gophers to see what their identity is uh morphing into uh but yeah I I I think everybody in both locker rooms has this one circled on their calendars Ross do you agree 100% this is a it's like a pivot point of the season game I think for yeah both programs to an extent you know if this is a game that if they win especially for Iowa it can you know help them towards a a much better season if they lose you know those playoff aspirations out the window uh and you're looking at another eight and 4ish season potentially maybe a lot of you know questions there I think for Minnesota they've got some tough games coming after this one we got Min Michigan and USC I believe uh so they need a win here to kind of you know head into those games with with a spring in their step and it's for the pig you know they Minesota Michigan or Michigan Minnesota wants to keep Floyd Iowa wants Floyd back uh last year's game very contentious uh I think you're right Adam in terms of the chippiness factor um this is going to be way up there maybe only the Nebraska game you know off the top of my head could enter those sweep stakes and Iowa State of course where you're gonna add something there Adam well one other thing that I'm just going to point out about Max brosmer the um New Hampshire QB that they brought in uh he's a little bit mistake prone and that is enough to get Phil Parker salivating I'm just going to read off what uh PFF has U for his weaknesses uh in 2023 brasmer recorded nine turnover worthy plays in the tended 19 yard range third most in the FCS he also tends to make mistakes when forced to throw off platform his accuracy declines when his feet are not set in the pocket he was also a below average rushing threat at the FCS level so he's unlikely to improve in that when competing in the Big 10 guys what that tells me is pin your ears back and drop this guy right like that is that's blood in the water that's Chum for a defense like Iowa a defensive coordinator like Phil Parker I think they are really really going to get after that offensive Back Field uh in a way that we don't normally see them or with a frequency that we don't normally see from the Hawkeyes I you know I might be wrong like this might be some like Galaxy brain or there might be some Galaxy brain play by Parker to like not Blitz at all and really you know mess up what Minnesota's expecting uh but but by and large you know when you've got a guy like this that whole Scouting Report sounds a whole lot like Iowa's QBs from the last 15 years um you know CJ bethard accepted and we know what gets Iowa's QBs you know historically off um off program and and this I you know Iowa defense Iowa front seven in particular Sebastian Castro I think he's gonna live in the back field or behind the line of scrimmage in this game yeah there's a ton of opportunity unless brosmer takes some gigantic leap under Fleck and I don't think Fleck is much of a QB Whisperer unless he takes a real leap in terms of his um um composure I think he's gonna have a really really tough time and I was going to focus hard on disrupting what they're trying to do I hope Castro doesn't live in the backfield Adam because he's gonna get a lot of offsides penalties if he tries to do that so it'd be a bad idea you know I I think the dline pressure is a big big key in this game you know you mentioned the running game there's no mo mo Ibrahim there anymore I I don't think they've got some talented running backs but I don't think the running game is as scary without Mo there leading it uh so I do think Iowa was GNA have some more success bottling them up so then it's a question of you know getting pressure uh on that quarterback and you know forcing some mistakes and that is something Phil Parker has 25 years of experience now doing on a consistent BAS basis at Iowa so well Ross talking about the running back group Darius Taylor he only played in six games last year but he took 138 carries for 799 yards and five touchdowns so other than probably Quinn Shan junkins trayon Henderson at Ohio State he might be in the running for being the best running back in the Big 10 so and then Daniel Jackson I I mean other than him I I don't know what the rest of the Minnesota receiving group looks like he led the team in receptions with 59 which sounds like a completely freaking foreign concept to us right um with 831 receiving yards and eight touchdowns so Minnesota's not lacking weapons guys I mean I I'm not I'm not bullish on this this quarterback from New Hampshire by any means that might be their weak link but they're not they're not lacking weapons the their problem is they really don't have a whole lot behind Jackson at receiver um you know only three catch or excuse me um three receivers had even a hundred receiving yards last year which again sounds a lot like Iowa and Jackson's the only one back so you know they've got Warm Bodies they they've got opportunities for guys to step up and you know make some plays and and maybe we see somebody really you know um emerge out of the woodwork there but by and large in terms of experience especially against Big 10 competition I I think that passing game has to grow up real quick for the Gophers it's going to be a long day all right yeah I mean I think the potential is there for this to be a similar game to the Iowa Minnesota game last year in terms of a very defensive slugfest unless the Iowa passing game has really made some strides by that point in the season and you know if Kade or Brendan whoever is starting at that point if they're able to show a lot more uh accuracy in the passing Department you know then I think there could be some opportunities for Iowa uh to make some make some things happen and through the air and open things up a bit but if the passing game is still you know struggling uh this could just be a lot of just two Rams budding into each other you know for 60 Minutes basically uh and coming down to a defensive or special teams play um and we'll see if the officials decide to let it stand this year if it comes down to that hopefully not that it doesn't come down to that that is with all of those things in mind mind given what happened last year given the history of Kirk really not being a fan of PJ I I'm picking the go first here it might be a slugfest but I but I think the hawkey pull it out he said yeah I do too I I you're picking the Gophers or the Hawkeyes there the Hawkeyes okay I think you said Gophers first but all right did like whoa oh sorry guys picking the hawkey picking the hawkey got it yeah I I I'd say Iowa probably low teens you know maybe 10 12 14 points there about but I I think Iowa does match up pretty well in this game yeah I'm 7030 for Iowa with this one maybe like a 1613 kind of finish 1610 something something like that it'll probably be close one way or another it wouldn't surprise me if they crack 20 points crazy I know I'm going to need to see a little bit of something before that on a limb like that but uh okay we're all we're all seeing the Hawkeyes 4-0 heading into Columbus and preseason number two Ohio State who went 11- two last year have been called the most talented Ohio State team that Urban Meyer has seen picked first in the Big 10 cleveland.com pole oh gosh you guys you know in looking at this like they're they're loaded right they don't have Marin Harris but they've got a mabuka they don't have CJ Stroud it's it's will Howard and some stuff that I've heard um throughout you know the media nothing like behind the scenes or anything is that will Howard hasn't exactly locked down the starting job there it sounds like it's actually a competition I mean I didn't watch a ton of Howard at at Kansas State but he's not this big super not super athlete but but great athlete and potential NFL first round draft pick like a CJ strad was he's not CJ strad I mean Ohio State went into the portal and got rid of mcord because they thought they could do better and then they bring in will Howard and I think they were really hoping for cam Ward out of the portal and they didn't get Cam Ward cam Ward went to Miami and now he's a Heisman hopeful and coming all the way up from um from FCS oh gosh uh Incarnate Word before he was at Washington State and now with with the canes obviously not exactly pertinent to to Ohio State here but um they don't have that CJ stres quarterback that can potentially pick apart Iowa's defense and that might be the only glimmer of hope that I think the hawkey have in this one because I just really going into the shoe and and upsetting the the Buckey this is the one that I think everybody is counting as a loss right off the bat at the beginning of the season and and I'd be hard pressed to find a way where Iowa heads to Ohio State and and beats what's probably going to be the number one two or three team in the country at that point in time yeah be one of the most shocking I think upset wins of the Kirk ference era even though like Iowa's you know if they're 4 and0 they're going to go into this game ranked maybe in that 15ish range uh for this game but like you said Elliot this is a very loaded Ohio State team um there were a lot of surprises I think uh from people around the Big 10 and maybe even Ohio State fans about how many of those guys opted to return this year uh instead of entering the NFL draft and you know whether how much of that was unfinished business how much of that was nil how much of that was you know a lot of factors the end result is this is a stacked roster with the you know exception of quarterback that does not look stacked you know you they're going from CJ strad to somebody else probably will Howard but you know we'll see if he's you know the man at quarterback by the time Iowa uh visits in early October um but there's you know just so much talent at every other position I think uh that it's going to be you're hard pressed like you said to find a way for Iowa to win this game it requires you know a a heroic effort from the defense uh a lot of turnovers I think from the OHA State offense and and the Iowa offense to show something it has not shown in the last couple Seasons which is the ability to number one move the ball don't uh three an out and punt or turn the ball over against an elite defense we have not seen that from them for quite a while at this point uh so they need to you know hold on to the ball move the ball and score points you know you're not going to beat I don't think you're not going to beat Ohio State in a 1210 slobber knocker like that would be the preferred way for Iowa to win this game I don't know how that happens uh short of some apocalyptic weather that makes it impossible to score points or something so yeah there are a lot of factors that have to go Iowa's way uh I don't see it but you guys uh chime in here before you share here Adam I will say I would be surprised if it's not will Howard there is some chatter I think Aon Nolan is the one who transferred in from from Alabama The Freshman um but I would be pretty surprised if it's not will Howard and like I mentioned AA egbuka Jeremiah Smith is supposed to be this unreal recruit to five-star receiver that uh is probably next up behind egbuka so they lost Marvin Harrison Jr who was like an alltime type of prospect but then they just reload because they're Ohio State so it's it's not like it's not like they're going to be lacking in really any department and I mean like if Iowa somehow got will Howard out of the transfer portal this year we would be talking about him as being the potential savior so let's keep that in context yeah and uh you can also throw Devin Brown in the mix uh you know he had sort of been the uh the uh backup plan for mord last year and I know that they're still pretty high on him and they're happy that he came back this year so you know they have depth in that QB room they just sort of have to figure out who their best option is but really in terms of the threats that Iowa's facing in this for me I think it starts with Ohio State's defensive line uh JT uh Tui moow and Jack Sawyer in particular I mean those guys are absolute beasts and you know if this is really a step up year for the likes of Mason Richmond um you know Jennings dunker Conor really the entire um front five this is going to be where they have to show it and uh Tim Lester in particular I think we're gonna see him try to get the ball out of either Kate or Sullivan's hands as quickly as possible so you know more probably more RPO stuff probably more uh quick hits or you know outside zone speed um you know stretch uh type runs too maybe some jet sweeps too but ultimately what you're trying to do is slow that defense down because they are so so fast and violent and so yeah you know does Iowa win a 12 to 10 slobber knocker probably not is that probably their only chance though I would say so so I I think they have a very very tough matchup here not only for the sheer u talent level that Ohio state has that everybody knows about and that you guys have talked about but Ohio State strengths in particular and Iowa's weaknesses in particular at least the ones that we we know about at this point here in mid August that makes it even tougher for the Hawkeyes so yeah this is going to be an extraordinary challenge especially if Ohio state has figured out which guy in their QB room is the guy the other thing I'm looking at Ohio State schedule here week one akan week two Western Michigan week three Marshall week four Michigan state they're probably going to be favored by 30 plus points in all of those games so they've got a Ki they've got a ciwalk up to Iowa but in week six I think it's week six yeah they're at Oregon so Trap game we will start a dialogue here on well they they at the very least they don't have that lingering uh bitterness from 55 to 24 because they they they got it back from the Hawkeyes on the last trip to the shoes so uh at the very least there there's not going to be that extra like oom for Revenge uh so yeah Trap game confirmed you got it so uh I I take it we're all seeing the Hawkeyes uh taking their first loss of the season to to the Bucks in in Columbus I I I would say there's about a five % chance Iowa wins this game on the bright side I will be heading out to Columbus for this game and I'll get to see Jimmy Sullivan play in person for the first time Iowa 2025 QB commit um very excited for that that's the plan um come October October 5th I think it was yes October 5th so the fourth is when I'll see Jimmy play there in Indiana and I'm really excited about that that'll that'll be my first time watching him play like I said so never got to watch uh never got to watch James rear play because he was all the way down in Florida so the first time I saw him throw was was this last week so anyway that's beside the point recruiting analysts getting all giddy over here sorry on to week six Iowa plays uh the first time they're playing a former Pack 12 team in the Big 10 Washington travels to kenck they're coming off a 13- one year last season where they went to the National Championship with Michael penx who uh I'm sure is happy to not be returning to kenck stadium and instead being in Atlanta after what happened a few years ago with Indiana but Washington they've got an entire essentially entire new team under Jed fish who I believe is a good coach but and somehow they're picked 10th to fin excuse me pick to finish 10th in the Big 10 in this cleveland.com pole with a whole new roster a whole new staff I don't know how the hell they make that happen but I is Will Rogers their quarterback the transfer from Mississippi state is that who it is yeah okay so he's a pretty pretty solid quarterback I he's not a guy that's going to go to the NFL right he's not going to be a first round well he might go but he's not going to be a first round pick right good college quarterback who's going to be remembered at both Mississippi State and Washington for what he did what he was able to accomplish but when you're starting a program essentially from scratch you're trying to meld things together you're trying to coales this team and make something like some sort of consistent product to go into kinnick stadium and do that against the Hawkeyes who are going to have an elite defense once again in 2024 Will Rogers might be a good quarterback we've seen good quarterbacks come into kinnick stadium and and suddenly not be good quarterbacks right I I just don't see a scenario where this team who is completely put together from scratch and traveling all the way to a different time zone Middle America one of these flyover states they probably refer to as coming from Seattle and putting together a a winning football game and again in their first year in the conference I I really think it's Iowa's gonna try to Smashmouth football him to death in this one and and show him what Big 10 football is yeah I agree with with that I think you know this is you know Iowa's first game against one of those former Pack 12 teams uh in kennick um likely you know we mentioned you know the Ohio State game probably coming off a loss in that one so you know licking some wounds from that one trying to uh regroup and rebound from that and you know it is very difficult to know what to expect from Washington this year because it is a very different team than the one that uh to correct uh my note that Elliot mentioned that they were 13 and one they actually went 14 in one last year lost to uh um Michigan in the national champ chionship game so won a lot of games had a great season all the dudes that did that are gone they're either in the NFL now or they uh transferred to other programs obviously Washington was very active in the transfer portal themselves and brought in a lot of guys you know you highlighted Rogers at quarterback they've you know backfilled a lot of other positions too so I think the talent level is going to be higher than you know a team that had that much uh you know guys leave would other would be in the past but you know the question of how well they gel how well that Talent uh adapts to playing Big 10 opponents etc those are all very open questions for me and yeah I I see Iowa um you know like Ellie said really trying to make this a very physical game uh really try to beat them up on the line of scrimmage establish a running game and uh try and punch punish the huskys that way Adam how do you uh see this one going well I'm especially interested in how they mesh a QB like Will Rogers who is not a defense stretcher by any means but he's very effective throwing in that uh you know intermediate to short range you know 20 yards and in so uh Iowa's uh defensive secondary the linebackers they are going to have some work to do because Rogers can complete passes pretty well I think he was at like 70% at Mississippi State you know he's got some Mobility a little bit too uh but I think the uh Washington offensive line in particular will have had to do some growing up or they're going to be in a little bit of trouble they uh they brought in a kid from San Diego State Drew as a party who is a legit NFL prospect but you know by and large that was another area where they got hit pretty hard by uh departures after uh last season's sort of Miracle run so in term of what we saw on the field from the huskys last year that's not going to resemble what is on the field against the Hawkeyes but you know we know that jedf fish knows how to coach an offense really well uh and then the key really is going to be how well this Iowa sustain drives because that Washington defense especially with What They're bringing back um you know last year they weren't that great at getting uh opposing uh offenses off the field it just didn't matter because you know penck would just show up and you know toss 30- yard Dart s to a dunesday all day so um you know we will see if you know once Washington's back you know into the range of The Mortals on offense if they're able to get key stops and you know if Iowa and uh that offensive situation which I think by the middle of the year we'll have a pretty good idea in in terms of you know how well has this offense jelled you know because the uh uh you know whatever the opposite of a honeymoon period is uh that's pretty much over by uh the middle of the season so uh it you know it's really proving time at that point for the Hawkeyes and this is another situation where uh you know the Washington Talent level on defense is not gamebreaking it's not a you know clean up their own mistakes type of thing so Iowa does have an opportunity here is the offense good enough to turn that into points and keep this uh you know really keep ahead of the Huskies and of course as always are they turning these guys over Rogers is accurate enough and smart enough and experienced enough that you're not probably not going to see a bunch of dumb mistakes you're probably not going to see like a four interception game out of the ball Hawks uh you know Phil Parker would like that uh you know everybody would like that I don't think that's the formula for winning this game I I think it's going to come down to sustaining drives on offense uh making sure that when Washington does move the ball it's for three points and not seven and then again uh special teams um you know Grady gross the the kicker for the Huskies uh you know he he's got a little bit of talent and uh I you know that is going to cause some or or at the very least it's not the sort of weak point um so can you keep the huskys out of field goal range can you keep them punting uh you know that's really going to be the key and I think this again and you know we're not trying to be a broken record here but I think this is going to be one of the lower scoring games of the season and if Iowa gets it to 20 that might be enough Rogers uh by these stats looks like he was part of essentially if not exactly an air rate offense there at Mississippi State um completed 1,31 passes over four years but also uh those years with uh are they the Bulldogs is that Mississippi State mascot y the Bulldogs uh through 28 interceptions so seven interceptions a year maybe not four picks in a game but wouldn't shock me if he threw one or two against these Hawkeyes probably gonna I mean with the ability to pass the ball and complete 70% of his passes over his career probably going to be one of these games where they're able to move the ball between the 20s but then you know not a whole lot after that so Iowa's defense probably gonna I I would it would not surprise me based on what you said about the offensive line paired with all these things of of them jelling that that IA just kind of Beats the hell out of them through this game um so that that's what I'd say I think they they move to to five- one after this one yeah I would I would agree I I think the reasonable expectation at this point of the season is five- one four- two at worst agreed the other thing I forgot to mention in looking at the actual schedule on Iowa's website is that the game before Ohio State uh well they don't have one it's a bye and we know how Kirk tends to struggle off by weeks so not just things aren't really adding up for that one now on to uh the if if I'll I'll just inject one thing here I think the bye is going to help Iowa just because this is year one of the Tim Lester era that's true so yeah I I think they'll be able to work improve instruct whereas in years past I don't really think they had that capability I I think bi-weeks were more helpful for rest and that's just about it so it'll be interesting to see if that bi-week struggle continues with a more um proactive offensive um Vision so that's all you heard it here first folks Adam says that Tim Lester is going to install an Ohio State beating game plan during the by week that is verbatim exactly what I said exactly on to Michigan State here who went 4-8 last season of course gave the Hawkeyes some troubles last year that was the one where Cade magnam went down was that in the first quarter or the second quarter I think it was the first first yeah first or early in the second he didn't he didn't play mini snaps I know that right okay now uh they're taking over with a new head coach from Oregon State Jonathan Smith moving over who I think is a good coach but taking over a program that lost a ton of talent I think they had something crazy number of players under the portal like 40 or 50 something insane I I think it led FBS well if it let FBS probably the country um of course again they went four and eight last season Iowa beat him thanks to uh coer Deen late touchdown uh return in in the punt game 2016 or excuse me 26-6 they are picked to finish 16th in the 18 team Big 10 this season the only thing that I will say concerns me about this because a lot of that what I just said about Washington translates to the Spartans whole new team lots of New pieces but they've got a new quarterback too from Oregon State who I believe was a four star for us in Aiden Charles who is a classic dual threat quarterback a really I mean you look at he hasn't he hasn't competed yet he didn't play for Oregon State last year because of dju but looking at what he was able to do at the high school level this is a legit dual threat quarterback that could give problems to a program like Iowa more so down the road than I think in in this first year as Michigan State's starting quarterback but again we are a few weeks into the season here so he may have started to uh settle in so to speak depending on how uh well depending on how good Michigan State's weapons are one but two how good the offensive line is in as well yeah and you know especially if you just look back at the Citrus Bowl last year um Nico IAM malava that is basically the blueprint for how a um dual threat QB can attack this Iowa defense so uh we know that at the very least Smith is going to have an idea of how to use CHS but you know this is a guy who is going to have basically a half season uh as a starter uh assuming that he wins that job and I think that he will um you know smart accurate passer he can move we've seen that type of quarterback give Iowa difficulty that being said I don't trust uh the skill position players for the Spartans just yet uh they did get a couple uh guys in the transfer portal on the offensive line if they're able to gel and and again we're we're talking about um what is this the seventh game of the season you know they will have had that opportunity to to really start to gel as a front five so it doesn't look like a just pin your ears back and and obliterate these guys you know they think they're smart enough to know how to get Iowa's defense maybe not back on its heels but to get them looking before moving right right like reacting instead of acting and that is going to cause some problems for the Phil Parker defense just because you know we've seen what happens uh when when somebody can move and can also pass and when the scheme really tailor itself to them and the fact that childes came with Smith from Oregon State tells me that there is that already that standing Report with them so that matchup is kind of what gives me a little bit of pause here even though you know you look at Michigan State across the board and you know talent-wise they're not a top of the big even a top half of the Big 10 uh Team one thing that I will mention though that Michigan State Defense got wrecked last year often not against Iowa but but against a lot of good uh offenses uh you know if you were able to move the ball with any regularity you know which Iowa wasn't but but the the offens is that did moved it like early and often against uh against spy so that is going to be an early work in progress and Iowa really needs to look at this as an opportunity to get some touchdowns on the board to to really get these guys understanding what the offense is supposed to be uh really get that execution uh and that timing up to where you know a Tim Lester offense in particular needs to be successful so so I think this is going to be one of the higher scoring games on the schedule this year just because I think both teams are going to be capable of scoring on each other I do think by and large though Iowa has advantages in the right places and I'm more optimistic for Iowa to win this game than not uh you guys agree I do yeah I I feel like overall this is a pretty good time for Iowa to be playing uh Smith um and Charles at Michigan State and their you know progression like in a year two years you know they could have something pretty good uh going on there in in East Lancing I think Smith's a good coach uh Charles is a very you know very talented quarterback prospect if that uh manifests as a good quarterback period uh then they'll be in pretty good shape um you know depending on the schedule and everything but you know for them to make some noise but I don't quite think they'll be there this year especially halfway through the season I think there's going to be growing pains uh I think that Iowa defense uh is going to have some opportunities to make things very challenging for them uh Adam wanted to add something there yeah all all I'll add is uh sparty's got a by week going into this game so uh you know if if you put any stock into that U you know that especially for a first year head coach like John John Smith use your words Adam that might be something that helps them you know get their plan right you know Identify some weaknesses some strengths um you know gets them closer to that rebuilding process but you know by and large again I I think Iowa's got the advantages where they need them to win this game but it will be uh I would say probably one of the the top three highest scoring games to the season you heard it here F heard it here first folks really going out on the limb yeah I mean the bye is a good point this is also in a very difficult stretch of gamees say for Michigan State like they've got Ohio State and Oregon at Oregon prior to Iowa and they're at Michigan after Iowa so very you know Iowa is the the middle middle of that sandwich um you know we'll see how they're feeling after those you know Ohio State and Oregon games they might need a bye just to recover uh from those that's that's one of those that you look back and sayi want to know what the like the total score is between these four games for Michigan State because it's not gonna be pretty yeah there there goes the the point differential like those columns they're like right so Hawkeyes are let's see here four six and one at this point four us yes yay nay yeah I'm feeling pretty good about that all right six and one and now things get a little more interesting taking on Northwestern this one is at home after the Hawkeyes played the wild cats in Wrigley last year and of course that one was ugly as hell 10 to7 Hawkeyes win um Northwestern picked 14th in the Big 10 in that cleveland.com preseason pull and they finished the season eight and5 last year of course Iowa took Brandon and Jacob Gil from the wild cats via the transfer portal this year neither of them really expected to contribute if they stuck in Chicago or Evanston rather um this uh this year had they stayed but probably going to be contributors one way or another this season unless we see an astronomical Improvement by Cade in these next few weeks but that is uh it's it's here and there speaking out of both of them but you know I this is an interesting one with David brwn being back for his second year with the wild cats because year one I remember going on this preview podcast last year and saying they might not win a game I said Hammer the under and what did they do they must have listened and used it as a big board material CA W they uh they were not bad last year they weren't good enough to beat Iowa but they were not bad um and they go and win eight games now what I would say about Northwestern going into this season is you know what do you what do you do what did you mention the opposite of a honeymoon phase I kind of have a feeling that might what that might be what we see with the wild cats this year first year with David braa he's doing everything it's kind of like a a panic where you do everything at your highest level because you're just so like it was he was thrown into a position right so I have to do everything right we we we do the best of our abilities and now he's entering year two maybe he relaxes a little bit maybe the team you know that that sense of urgency isn't quite there as it was in in year one and and maybe they see that second year setback but then again Northwestern kind of seems to be this team that finds a way to beat Iowa when they're having pretty good Seasons so I I would imagine this is another you know 1714 1411 some weird freaking score like that because that's what Iowa does but some crazy thing like that unless maybe you know maybe Brandon Sullivan is the full-time starter and he says okay and then they rip him apart it's one of these 55 to four games that that rarely gets posted but um yeah I mean I see it going either way it's it's it's I I'm really intrigued by Northwestern going into this season it felt to me like a lot of things broke northwestern's way during the season last year like you look at some of the stats from last year and they make you go like they had more yards of offense in 2022 when they went one and 11 than in 2023 when they won a lot more games they won uh they wenton seven and five I believe during the regular season so you know it just says that the offense was you know Iowa fans know what this is like you know the offense does just enough and you things break your way uh and it works um and then the turnovers too was another factor that was very beneficial for them they lost one fumble last year uh I am going to go out on a limb and a very strong Limb and say that's not going to happen again this year they will lose more than one fumble um they threw only eight interceptions all year I mean that isn't as variable as fumble recovery but still pretty low so you know they they did not turn the ball over last year which is a credit to them but it's hard to do that two years in a row I think um so I I am thinking there's going to be some regression there from the wild cats and yeah like you mentioned Elliot in terms of that you know the anti- honeymoon period as it were like a lot of things went right for Brawn in Northwestern last year and I do think he is a good coach based on what he showed last year but I think there's going to be a lot of adversity to deal with this year and um going to be difficult more difficult for them in terms of what that means for this game the Iowa Northwestern game man you I agree with you again where you know who knows with this game because we've seen you know good Iowa Northwestern teams we've seen bad ones play good and bad and and the end result is never exactly what you expect I think from the teams coming into the game like it's it can be very strange often so I'm definitely leaning an Iowa win especially since it's in kinnick um but there's always a 10 to 15 at least percent chance of some Northwestern devil magic uh hitting and you don't want to be on the wrong end of that Adam how how are you how concerned are you about Northwestern devil magic in this game you know as well as I do that I am perennial concerned with Northwestern devil magic because it's real and it has cost Iowa several games over the last uh 20 years in particular um and you know what really stands out to me is that Northwestern has got to figure out what its offensive line situation is because they uh it was an even bigger mess going into this season than it was last year and again you look at Iowa you look at what the front seven you look at Sebastian Castro like Iowa knows how to disrupt and really make life difficult for bad offensive lines and when that's the case it means life is difficult for the quarterback in Northwestern you know they they got a Mike right from um I almost said M State Mississippi State uh another Bulldog another from the uh cowbell fields of Starkville uh but you know they've this is still another like rebuilding year for that offense they they still need to figure out uh what it is they're doing and you know especially with more um turnover on the offensive line it does not look like like the the the the track record doesn't indicate how they're going to be successful moving the ball scoring touchdowns uh they're probably going to be depending on Iowa mistakes which is a a crucial part of the Northwestern devil magic over the years so I think if Iowa plays a discipline game here uh they have again the advantages in the right places especially on defense to keep some distance between themselves and the wild cats but if this game stays close anything can happen and and we've seen Northwestern turn that anything into improbable wins especially in KCK uh U over and over again uh so I I think really what the wild cats are going to try to do is uh get away with an illegal hands to the face Maybe injure a quarterback in the um End Zone uh score a touchdown that way and never look back shout out to Ricky stany uh but yeah I I I think Iowa should should win but but just like the Iowa State series should has very little bearing in Iowa North Western over the years the good news is this year there will not be we think a sinkhole that cannot be filled uh during the game the other love love you Wrigley the other thing I'll say uh Mike Wright this is the third School of his college football career he's started at Vanderbilt he was a fourstar quarterback for us and went to Vanderbilt for some reason academics must must be important when you go to Vanderbilt and then well maybe not at Mississippi State but then at uh Northwestern but I I don't I wouldn't say he's had a stellar college football career by any means and I don't know that he played against well being at Vanderbilt he probably played against Some solid defenses and Mississippi State for that matter but probably nothing like Iowa all all I'm going to say is let's not cast dispersions against Mississippi State which is widely regarded as the Harvard of Northeast Mississippi everybody thinks that so Iowa anyway so so Iowa wins this one are we I mean is this one with that wild cats steal how how are we feeling guys no I I do feel pretty good about Iowa in this game you know I I I have lingering concern because of the Northwestern of it all but from a matchup standpoint it does feel there just a lot of things that cut in Iowa's favor so I am uh a pretty strong Iowa W here yeah I I I think Iowa again matches up well in the right spot so I think Iowa is more likely than not to win this game but also the the I'll just point out that uh you know we're we're talking about eight games in and there's been a lot of the like Iowa slightly favored sort of situations so like if you guys have ever seen the kenpom uh thing like like we're we're really stacking like 70% win percentage 70 65 60 70 and and so I I think Iowa is going to be favored in a ton of these games especially like basically I think they'll be favored in pretty much every game except Ohio State at this point certainly uh but does that translate into uh seven and one or is it or you know does it start to slide into like well you know they lose one of them so I I would wager at this point that their record is closer to 6-2 than seven- one but I also don't think that this is the second loss I it it it just doesn't look like Northwestern knows what it wants to do on offense and then can do it better than what Iowa's defense can stop them from doing so yeah I think this is a win but again we're we're we're getting into the point where like it's it's like saying yeah I think won't roll a one on this guy and then we're more than six rolls into it like something might have happened at this point I mean I I this is this is the Minnesota game right last year and like for different well for this specific reason obviously it was crazy like the the outcome how it happened was weird but that's the Minnesota game where Iowa was favored more often than not they win that game and then they find a way to lose it like it's just one of those those weird ones and and Northwestern and I mean maybe Minnesota again it could be one of those right yeah I mean I'm kind of Witham where like my game by game prediction probably has it at seven and one but I feel a little bit like six and two might be more likely but if I'm picking those two losses you know obviously one is Ohio State the second loss I would feel I'm more I don't know confidence the right word but thinking it's more likely to come from like Iowa state or Minnesota um or maybe Washington or Michigan State if things get a little hanky um then I am this Northwestern game that's kind of where I'm at overall yeah all right so on to November yes onto November for us here on our season preview podcast here on hotcast and while we have you I'm going to remind you that we still got that 70% off deal going on and it's a ton of great recruiting and football team Focus content that only our premium subscribers get you can do that today with code Hawk camp at signup or you can find one of those autofill links on any of our twitters on our website and any of the free articles and uh yeah we we want you over there we want you to join us on our board on our premium content we'd love to have you don't miss this because this deal only comes around so often it's kind of crazy so let's move on to like uh Ross said move on to November and Wisconsin and this is the part of the schedule that would probably make me more nervous about a loss than any of those aformentioned probably Iowa State Minnesota and Northwestern because Wisconsin though I was not a fan of them being ranked in the top 25 last year I think he start to see that Vision going into this season they were seven and six in Luke fickle first year who is a really good football coach though trying to install the air raid isn't something that I would do in the Big 10 he's trying with Phil Longo there they are ranked 15th in the AP pole and 17th in the coaches pole preseason seventh in the Big 10 which has them behind Iowa in the Big 10 but uh ahead of Iowa in the uh polls in the top 25 polls which is interesting of course Hawkeyes went to Camp Randall last season with Deacon Hill and John B budm Revenge game and won 15 to six over the Badgers this one I think year two and three is where we start to figure out if that air raid is gonna be something that works in the Big 10 for the Badgers I think Luke fickle is a good coach I don't think Tyler van djk is the solution for them in that air raid he's another guy that is a decent enough quarterback at the college level I don't think he's he's going to be even an NFL draft pick I mean he couldn't be successful at at Miami which you know not that a lot of quarterbacks have been successful at Miami in the last 15 10 15 years but um I'm I'm not a I think this is who was their quarterback last year that they brought in uh morai Mor tan Mory I mean similar in my mind's eye this is in a scenario where I think Iowa is nervous about the air raid but Wisconsin on the other hand they're good football program they got talent they got the guys I keep hearing about Xavier Lucas who Iowa wanted really bad last year and he ended up picking the Badgers I keep hearing about him from uh from from Camp up there in in I guess it's uh in Platville for camp for them but they've they've got the talent and I really do think this one comes down to scheme because I don't think Phil Parker is going to be losing any sleep over the air raid no I don't think so especially because morai at the very least had that element of Mobility out of the pocket and you you look at Van dijk's production uh you know if he's able to move out of the pocket with any regularity he never showed at m at Miami ever so uh with Iowa basically able to know that he is onedimensional not necessarily the Wisconsin offense but but certainly their QB is onedimensional that takes some responsibilities off the board for guys like Sebastian Castro for Jay Higgins Nick Jackson Etc so it's not necessarily going to be easier to defend the Badgers but you know I you look at van djk and and Elliot like you said he was never really the guy at Miami I I think you'd have to go back to Teddy Bridgewater to answer your question in terms of guys that really made it work down there oh no wait he was Louisville anyway he he inami he right this is wanted him yeah yeah so you you'll have to go back certainly further than that uh but you know by and large uh the Also let's let's also shout out brand new offensive line coach AJ blazic uh some of our older Iowa fans are going to remember that name uh he was the center at Iowa I think he was Kirk ference's first center and he had been a Joo transfer in uh to Iowa City back then in 99 or 2000 or so uh fun little uh sidebar anecdote about blazic but uh when I was a uh my first year at Iowa I was down at the Fieldhouse uh playing pickup ball and bunch of the uh football players came in and blazic was one of them and and they were just shooting around they were just having fun and at one point about halfway through the little game that we were playing blazic like where's the oxygen where's the o like he was kidding but like in the like gas offensive lineman kind of way like he actually probably did need it uh but it's been cool to see him really rise up through the coaching ranks I I wonder if there's some sort of scenario where he ends up in Iowa City maybe not even playing for or excuse me coaching for fence necessarily but um you know the fact that he's made his way to Madison as offensive line coach this year um you know I I really like Jack Nelson I really like Riley mman at those tackle spots that's going to be a real challenge for this Iowa uh defensive front so I think there's gonna have to be a little bit of creativity on defense to uh you know maybe scheme some ways to get to Van djk at uh at QV uh I think they're going to have to really disguise coverages because there's a real chance that uh the secondary is going to be have to be uh you know covering for three four five seconds and and that's sort of the point where you can't just say well yay coverage sack um you know you got to get past those bookends first so this to me does pose a challenge for the Hawkeyes you know again as they're built you know is this the Deontay Craig game you know is this the Ethan herit game uh this is an opportunity for them to really prove themselves against NFL caliber Talent uh even though they lost um Nolan Ruchi to Penn State they're still f a tackle so um and you know we saw what ia did against this offense last year though we we saw them give you know it turned into six points for the Badgers I I don't think Iowa was holding them to six this year too but I don't really think that anything about this air raid I don't really think anything about uh van djk who like through 12 uh through 12 interceptions last year that was a career high for him I think you can force him in mistakes I think you can force him into bad reads and even if he's you know even if the tackles are keeping him upright uh more often than I think most uh offenses that Iowa faces this year are going to be able to do so it's going to be a different blueprint to win this game especially for that Hawkeye defense uh but there isn't really gamebreaking Talent on the Badgers offense so I think it's a again it's a different sort of idea but I think it's still going to be doable but this is going to be a very very competitive game and uh I think it's G to stay close for 60 minutes yeah I'm in agreement with you there Adam although I do wonder if you know sometimes you hear people talk about or coaches talk about well maybe analysts more than coaches but kind of like his scheduled loss and when you look at the schedule for Wisconsin here this this is in a tough spot for them they play six straight games uh between by weeks Iowa is the sixth of those uh they have four uh four of those six are on the road and this game comes right after a home game against Penn State so does feel like there's a lot of factors schedule-wise not working in their favor uh for this game which could be to Iowa's benefit uh so interested to see how that plays out if it has a factor but you know you know Elliott brought up the M Minnesota game a few a little bit ago in our discussion and last year's Minnesota game and this is the game on this schedule that kind of most feels like it could go that way uh this year in terms of just you know two just deer butting heads against each other and just not much happening a lot of Defense some real struggles on offense dear I I'm running out of animals here all right like Bulls I guess this is playing we're playing for a bull in this one right I guess we're yeah there you go I mean deer son I don't know you know what let's just move on no this is not zoology with uh the Hawkeye Beacon guys um yeah I'm not as all that concerned about the air raid with Wisconsin until you know evidence proves otherwise van djk little airor prone doesn't seem like a huge upgrade on Tanner morai um but you know Iowa's offense defense too is obviously not in a position where we can uh not even have a ton of confidence have a little confidence in it right now we're still I think searching for that to see it on the field so it does feel like this comes down to defense as it often does in Iowa and Wisconsin games Iowa should have a great defense uh Wisconsin's defense doesn't look too shabby itself and you know they match up against an Iowa offense that may not be able to you know exploit weaknesses very well so this really comes down to one of those just you know really hard-hitting game I think it's been the norm in this series comes down to some big plays on defense uh maybe a a broken play on offense a special teams play like this one comes down to just the little things in my opinion um like that one lean Williams Crazy whatever like 70 yard run right yeah he he breaks out for 70 yard run uh in that game last year out of the blue yeah I I think something like that is the deciding factor again this year you know I want to Al Leen Iowa in terms of a picking a winner here because it is at kenck uh and I think the Iowa defense is the strongest unit in this game so that you know gives me a little confidence there but overall this is a game that right now you know if you told me Wiscon con ended up winning it I would not be shocked by that outcome for sure I lean the way of I lean the way of Iowa because of the air raid to tell you the truth I mean they essentially refused to run the ball with brillan Allen last year and when they did Cooper dein or Sebastian Castro blew it the hell up yeah the uh I I think ultimately it's just gonna come down to can Iowa's offensive line neutralize The Playmakers that Wisconsin has up front this John Pas kid that they got from William and Mary uh he was an absolute machine in FCS last year and yeah it is different in the Big 10 than it is at FCS but uh you know this is going to be the big challenge for Mason Richmond or Jennings dunker or whoever like they they can probably move the Pas around and you know try to find some uh bad matchups But ultimately you know it it does seem that if if there is a weak spot on Iowa's offensive line you know I'm not trying to call anybody out in particular here but historically it's it's been uh especially in the last few years it's been on those edges so can Iowa keep its quarterbacks upright in this game because if so um you know Wisconsin's pass defense is not what it used to be and I'm not sure that they take that step back up this year so if you keep your quarterback upright I think I was really got a chance here but again this is one of those like 55 60% sort of things so I think Iowa should be slightly favored but this is going to be a really tough game and it's I think it's going to come down to you know a play here a play there ball bouncing a certain way so this is I think to me as close of a 5050 game as there is on I have schedule eight and one begrudgingly but yes yeah sure how many of these games before we move on to UCLA which that's going to be a tough one we could see a Wisconsin a Northwest Western and Iowa State being a loss Michigan State I I think is yeah I it's it's it's lower than those but I it's it's a plausible loss at this because of Aiden childes yeah yeah and and because of what we saw you know malava due to Iowa last year right like that there's there's your roof of concept right there but I I think Iowa should win that game there's just too much I mean the the players around child aren't the players that were around iamal AO right yeah so and IAL AO I think was a top five Prospect in his class for us whereas childes is a just a run-of-the-mill fourstar you know Iowa gets some all okay so eight- one heading into uh UCLA on a Friday night in California at 8 pm central time that is a lot of things that gives me pause they're also not a team they are a team with a new head coach and DeShaun Foster who had a disastrous debut at Big 10 media days they are picked to uh finish 15th in the Big 10 went eight and five last year I think I already said that but they did not have the roster turnover like a Michigan State like a uh like a Washington they I do believe they bring a lot of those players back that were impactful last season and as much as DeShawn Foster struggled at Big 10 media days I think he has a chance to be a pretty good coach he was a really good running back in the league um for for the Panthers however long ago that was and what like what are all these factors it's on a Friday it's a short week it's a short week it's in California where Kirk and the Hawkeyes have routinely struggled and it's a team that they're not really familiar with which could go one way or another this is where I start to feel more so iffy than maybe I did about the other ones I I might put Wisconsin and UCLA UCLA in kind of the similar phase but then again Wisconsin again I I lean back on the air raid so I may be even less confident in this UCLA game than I am in the others because they are going out west it is uh it is a short week and then they've got a bye week the following week before they go to Maryland but this this would be the one I'm I'm G to be pretty nervous about going into for for Iowa uh yeah um I'm in the same boat you know we've mentioned you know could Iowa be a trap game from Ohio State well you know I don't know about that but could this be a trap game for Iowa I would say 100% you know all those factors Elliott cited not good Iowa on the road on the west coast hasn't been a great time out there Iowa on a Friday night on a short week don't love that uh Iowa against an opponent they have zero familiarity with um you know they got no no film to look at well I mean they'll have nine games of film of the season to look at but you know they they have don't have that experience playing them knowing what to expect from uh the Bruins on the field and you know drawing on that um obviously that cuts both ways uh they don't have any familiarity playing Iowa so um that that's beneficial for the Hawkeyes but definitely a lot of red flags for this game and uh this is before Iowa's by week so you know I kind of mentioned that scheduled loss last week with Wisconsin in terms of you know playing a ton of games and you know then getting a bye Iowa was kind of in that boat for this game you know they've got a several games in a row then this the biwe after this uh Road game Friday night um uh Eric you know they've got a new coach Eric banam is the offensive coordinator there wildly wildly overqualified to be a college offensive coordinator I mean he was winning Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs uh last year was he still was he still there last year he was with the commanders oh okay well a couple years before that he was doing it so uh extremely good offensive coordinator albeit obviously there's no Patrick M h s on this UCLA roster so you know that uh that will help Iowa but you know there's a a lot of question marks for me in this one Adam are you feeling make Elliot and I feel better about this game please I'm not sure I can do that and the enemies well here's the thing the enemy is a a big part of that and when we talked to Tim Lester at media day uh one of his comparisons that he or you know he was talking about pace and tempo of offense line and you can do Pace you can do Tempo even when you're huddling and a big part of that and and he cited uh the Kansas City Chiefs and he said you know they huddle then they get to the line they run their motion and they go and like the Huddle is just for you to basically catch your breath and he compared it to Oregon and and and you know trying to keep up with that like super high powerered super high octane offense and of course benemy knows how to do that and so he's walking into a situation where he's returning four offensive linemen from last year he's got uh TJ Harden he's got Keenan Jones uh running the ball and you know they they've got really talented receivers there too so this I think is going to be the toughest test of the Season at that point maybe you know obviously aside from Ohio State which is you know sort of The Babe roof of this entire schedule but beyond the Buckeyes I think this is going to be the toughest test for uh Iowa's defense just because they're going up against a guy who again wildly overqualified to be a big 10 offensive coordinator uh clearly there's some um like a good relationship with the DeShaun Foster there um Elliott when we were at Big 10 media days and he was like well it's in Los Angeles I genuinely thought he was just doing a bit like I I think I laughed I was like this guy is funny and then like nothing it's like oh no so like I was working on something else so it had my like peripheral attention I was like I remember looking at you and being like and then going back to what I was doing and it just blew up on Twitter I didn't even think about it possibly blowing up I just thought he was having a hard time and we were doing our work but yeah I I definitely remember uh definitely remember that yeah it it was weird it was weird but yeah this is this is going to be a a difficult matchup a fastpaced matchup even if they're huddling because again I assume that there's going to be a lot of aspects that they bring from that uh Chief's attack even though you know they're obviously not bringing Pat Mahomes with them that would be illegal that would be instant you know the NCAA would have to step in at that point for a lot of reasons you'd have you'd have to give him the death penalty at that point I don't think there's any question yeah just just BL cheating uh but you know they they they brought in a ton of guys from the transfer portal into the secondary you know do those guys mesh well enough that Iowa or that they're going to give Iowa some problems by mid November plausible it it's absolutely plausible at that point so uh you know this is going to be I think if anything the fact that this is a Friday game and not a Saturday game so you've got that short work week to to deal with it I think it might play into Iowa's favor just because because of uh how much familiarity the Hawkeyes have with their coaches with you know you know I was whole system has been in place for longer than UCLA's they you know play Friday games every year they're they're used to doing this with Nebraska so this this is not going to be a as much of a departure from the norm for them as it usually is for you know most programs and certainly for you know programs that are still you know jelling and and getting these situations together so yeah I I think it plays a little bit into io's hands but this again is another one of those like as close to 5050 as possible uh for me and if the Bruins enter this game favored won't be that much of a surprise to me so yeah this this is going to be pretty difficult Elliot there are a couple ways I could talk myself into the Iowa winning this game first thing UCLA is also on a short week they travel to Nebraska on November 2nd and then they come back and play at home I think they're they have I have a schedule right in front of me oh well my schedule is wrong then sorry okay um they travel to Nebraska play at Lincoln November 2nd and then they come home and play Iowa there uh in in h Pasadena they do have a bye prior to Nebraska so that advant that's kind of an advantage their way they get to sleep at their own beds all that prior to that they play Ruckers but this might be at a situation where UCLA I mean their attendence for their games was not good last year I don't know if you guys remember that um the the videos of the the stadium virtually empty so this might be a situation where Iowa just goes and you know Iowa fans might make La second home for the Hawkeyes that week and they get a go on a vacation I remember we were talking about our plan for the season and Adam said all fight the bullet I'll go I imagine some fans are feeling the same way of like I got to go to Los Angeles in November let's do it let's make a trip out of it not only Los Angeles they to go to the Rose Bowl yeah exactly so and a lot cheaper than going to I mean it's not the real Rose Bowl but it's a lot cheaper to go to a UCLA UCLA game there than the real Rose Bowl right not only that they play they play LSU in their noncon that's a loss they play Oregon they play Penn State those are three more or less guaranteed losses for UCLA back to back to back yes all three of those games yeah LS yeah exactly there's no bye-week in there it's back back it's three straight weeks of probable losses the other thing is there's been stories about Eric the enemy rubbing some people the wrong way and if he really feels like he's overqualified in this role and Des Fosters in his first year as head coach maybe some tension there so I could talk myself into an Iowa win here would it shock me if they lost I'm I this might be where I pick Iowa's second loss here of the Season you know I think that's what I'm gonna do yeah and for me asking me this now in August versus asking me this in October I I could have a very different answer y you know if the factors you just mentioned Elliot like if UCLA season if the wheels are kind of getting pretty wobbly after they have some bad losses there's some you know tension in the coaching staff Etc uh and you know by that point you know we're going to have a good sense of this Iowa offense under Tim Lester uh the passing game the quarterbacks you know hopefully I think by November MC deera or um Sullivan somebody's looking better like I could definitely talk myself into you know Iowa looking a lot better having a lot better opportunity in this game than right now where you know these factors about the short week uh West Coast etc etc so you know I feel like it's a better Lo or a more likely loss for Iowa right now I definitely think that b if the season plays out a certain way I could feel very differently about this game in two months are we taking this as a loss I I this is going to at this point in time again all things considered this could be a loss and I I think this is where I'm going to count I with second loss yeah I think at the very least I don't think I was getting past this one at nine and one uh so you know whether it happens here or not I I think they're just not quite consistent enough or or there there really isn't a reason to expect them be consistent enough to uh be nine and one which I think at this point in the season would get them you know knocking on the door of the playoff um so you know fingers crossed on that front but I I think 8-2 at this point in the year is probably the best to expect from them because yeah this is like I said before as close to a 50-50 game in my eyes as they have on the entire schedule whether it's UCLA or Northwestern or Wisconsin just to reiterate that point yeah all right agreed they are eight- two heading into this game at Maryland on November 23rd they've got a by we the week of the 16th uh the weekend of the 16th so two by weeks in a season that's that's probably going to be beneficial for them going from West Coast to East Coast as well you get that week sleep in your own bed then you go out there to uh to Maryland and play in College Park I've heard some folks talking positively about Maryland I mean to me this is a program that is continually a okay with going eight and five seven- six they lose their starter and Talia taga aloa I'm not a believer in the turs I I think this is this could possibly be another one of those games where Iowa travels out east and wins what was it a few years ago when they beat Maryland at Maryland they beat the hell out of them I think six turnovers in that game for the Iowa yeah that was that was like 50 to 10 and yeah that was absurd right I mean I'm not saying that I see that as happening but I it's a possibility yeah I think so and I I think losing Tonga byoa is uh a really really tough blow I I if anything somehow I think he was underappreciated in College Park because he's the best QB they've had since probably their ACC days and um yeah you know I not a huge believer in Mike Loxley uh at this point just because you know we we've seen some real stinker clunker years out of him too because he hired Brian ference as an analyst well there there is that as well um so to that end though I I think it's going to be really interesting how they use Brian because the key unit to me for the TPS is their offensive line ton of transfer portal guys not a ton of depth behind them so if that starting five is healthy stays healthy all the way through there's a chance that they gel into something that could you know keep sustaining that attack keep that offense going because they've got the skill position guys they still if those injuries start to you know pile up and again we're talking about the end of the year we're we're talking about November and uh you know which sorts of teams have injuries that really hamper their Seasons By You Know mid November all of them right you you got to roll double sixes to have a fully healthy offensive line uh by the 11th game of the season of the regular season so it's it's going to be really interesting to see what sort of shape the terpens are in uh at this point in the year where their you know injuries are and you know to that extent same goes for Iowa right like uh at the very least I think Iowa pretty much all of the um you know key positions that except for maybe defensive line I think they've got enough enough depth use your words uh to combat you know a loss or like an injury loss here or there I'm not quite sure that Maryland has that across the board yet too but it I think it really is going to come down to or or at the very least we will know by the start of November I think we'll have a much better sense of how well Iowa does or doesn't match up against these guys but as it stands on paper right now uh it it's going to be really interesting to see the the Maryland defense is still pretty nasty you know they they like to make big plays they like to attack uh and so it's going to be another challenge to keep Iowa's quarterbacks upright uh in this game uh but you know ultimately it's really going to come down to you know is that offensive line healthy is Billy Edwards that guy at quarterback we you know he's a question mark until he's not and uh and so we'll see we'll see I I think again Iowa probably wins this I think it's it's you know more in Iowa's favor than say UCLA is but we now know that Maryland and Loxley know how to string some wins together and again it's going to be in Maryland so this is going to be a challenge guys I think yeah I think this game for Iowa is going to come down to protecting the ball first and foremost uh Maryland's defense uh was pretty good very good really at the takeaway game last year they had 17 interceptions uh when they had multiple takeaways in a game they went 5-0 last year 11-2 uh since 2020 with that stat so when they forc turnovers they have been very successful um when they are not able to force turnovers definitely much less success so this is a an important game for Cade they're all important games for Kade to take care of the ball uh but this one especially and you know but it that defense also bringing in a lot of new faces a lot of turnover from last year Adam already mentioned you know turnover at the quarterback position uh you know tua's little brother was the best quarterback they've had since I don't know Boomer asias maybe um you can make he good he was really good him silly a few times but he was good didn't even know boom Boomer ascion went to Maryland so you learn something new every day he did didn't he Adam yeah I'm 90% sure I also don't have him in front of me to confirm but yeah that sounds right think so we're gonna go with it uh either way there's a lot of turnover we're doing it live uh there's a lot of turnover on the Maryland team uh Iowa is you know we'll see where where things are at at this point in the season in terms of health in terms of the progress that certain units have made looking at you quarterbacks and offensive line but uh this does feel like a game where you know Phil Parker this is this is the Phil Parker special to me like he's going to have them uh geared up for this game to I think really shut down what Maryland's going to want to do on offense and then it's a matter of you know how many turnovers can they force again Elliott mentioned the game out in uh n DC couple years ago Iowa forced a slew of turnovers six I believe um like you said and then then the offense you know take care of the ball and this is another game where the the running game the offensive line if they can kind of impose their will uh it feels like a a really good opportunity for Iowa to get a pretty solid win here um Elliot what you got looking at Maryland's schedule okay I'm going from top to bottom because this is really interesting back half loaded first game Yukon then it's Michigan State then at Virginia then Villanova then at Indiana then Northwestern I would not be flabbergasted if Maryland started the season six and0 I would also not be flabbergasted if they would their latter half of the season they went 0 and six because then they've got USC they're at Minnesota they're at Oregon they've got Ruckers who has a real possibility of going like eight and four seven and five even nine and three maybe depending on their schedule and then they've got Iowa and then they're at Penn State it would not Shock me if they go six and0 and then 0 and six and be one of these anomalies of the college football season so I'm taking the Hawks I think they're into at this point uh me as well and also I would like to confirm Boomer did in fact go to Maryland so we are not spreading fake news on the hotcast they a turtle named boomer all righty so moving into this final game of the season of course the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday Nebraska who was five- seven last season looked like they were going to be bold Bound for the first time in a hot second then lost a bunch of games at the end of the year very turnover prone uh they are picked to finish eighth in the Big 10 um in that cleveland.com poll they are receiving votes somehow um 16 in the AP and two in the coaches which is it's because they're Nebraska that's the only reason literally the only reason um of course Iowa won 13 to1 last year in a slugfest shout outs to Marshall meter now the one thing that I will say give gives me pause in this one is Dylan rayola who was I believe he was the number one recruit in the country I need to verify that with us I know he was a five-star quarterback previously committed to Georgia flips to Nebraska and posts this poem that was definitely written by AI which was just odd and he is more he is definitely gonna be their starting quarterback I've heard everything about him being legit and you would much rather face this guy in week four than in your last week of the season week 14 or whatever it is because he will have had a bunch of time to be the starting quarterback for the Corn Huskers of course last season Iowa faced one of these five-star quarterbacks and Nico IAM malava who was just a freshman and that was my talking point in our podcast our preview podcast with uh Ryan Sylvia from V report where I said oh Iowa was going to win they're facing a freshman quarterback it's yeah so I was very wrong and I will not make that that mistake again now Dylan rayola isn't excuse me surrounded by the same Talent as Nico was last year at Tennessee but he is legit and he probably will be for a few years at Nebraska I like Matt rule second year under Matt rule is usually where they start to figure things out at least that's what his track record is so this one definitely gives me pause as well of course Nebraska went into kinck a few years ago and beat him in that uh was it TR Palmer is that the receiver who went nuts in that game yeah and uh they they can thank the concussion that um Cooper deine having that one and and TJ Hall's relative inexperience and you know Hall's a lot better now so uh at the very least that uh that weak spot at the very least uh that particular type of one not quite there this year so there's that right but Dylan the marola travel to Iowa City for this game that's the thing that gives me pause of anything and Matt rule being in in Year too uh yeah I am in the same boat as you Elliot um year two for Matt rule does tend to be where he makes the jump this is year two for him at Nebraska and you know rayola if he is anything like the hype suggests will be the best quarterback Nebraska has had in I don't want to date myself but let's say a long time um so that makes the Huskers and we've seen you know some questionable Husker teams in recent years have given Iowa some absolute dog fights in that black Friday game like there has not been an easy one for the Hawkeyes for several years now aside from the game two years ago in kinck the bounces have clearly gone Iowa's way you know sh to Ethan herit and Marshall meter last year uh shouts to um Keith Duncan uh destroyed uh Nebraska shouts to Miguel uh rinos yep yep um and yeah so this is definitely just you know you met we talked about earlier um long time ago in this pod now uh the the chippi games on the schedule this is going to be up there Iowa Nebraska it's become you know Nebraska didn't want it to be a rivalry uh when they joined the Big 10 and they made this game Sorry it is uh you hate us they um Iowa fans don't like you I know that much and the player it's mutual on the on the uh on the the players on the field uh I don't know if it is as much on the coaching staff uh especially with Scott Frost gone I I don't know that Kirk fence has a great deal of animosity towards rule at this point um but this is just going to be 60 Minutes of just brutality in my opinion and I'm concerned for Iowa's chances because there's some real weapons on that Nebraska team uh starting with rayola first and foremost Adam what do you make of this one yeah you know uh rayola is obviously the sort of centerpiece here but also he's just one guy and this is going to be at the end of the season so if if he's dinged up at all you know does Nebraska have that Talent behind him sort of the way that you know they were depending on chubba pie uh and and his merry gang of guys who wouldn't start at pretty much any other big 10 School uh at QB last year so um you know it's it's always a question mark until a game like this comes you know the day after Thanksgiving you know everything I said about um injuries uh in the uh UCLA or Maryland game you know also applies here of course what this one's going to come down to is how diverse can North or Northwestern how diverse can Nebraska make their offense because if they're putting this all on Dylan uh then that means that their run game isn't clicking and we know that they've got uh a lot of guys that they trust both on the offensive line and then in the backfield too Gabe Irvin is probably the highest profile of them but you know rier Johnson uh Dante Dowell you know those sorts of guys they've got the dudes back there and they've got some dudes at wide receiver too so uh how healthy is Iowa going to be coming into this does that secondary you know still have the bodies and the juice to uh you know really put some clamps down because ultimately what has gotten Iowa into trouble in these uh games against Nebraska is not turnovers it it it's not you know um easy scores for Huskers it's been sustained drives and for as much as Iowa you know Prides itself on the defense on the ballhawks on getting opposing offenses off the field it seems more often than not at this point that by the end of the season Nebraska's like all right here's a 70 yard Drive here's 75 here's it right like they're able to start to you know move the ball both through the air and on the ground against the Hawkeyes and and some of that is you know the uh talent that they're able to recruit to Nebraska which somehow I I don't know how with their recent lack of winning success uh and uh you know the fact that you know these kids were not alive when Scott Frost was or you know to say nothing of Tommy Frasier uh were there at QB uh somehow they they still have this weird mental um source over high school kids and High School coaches that they're able to bring in four stars pretty much across the board and uh you know it hasn't really translated into winds quite yet this especially with Matt rule being in year two you know it it it sort of feels like I I don't want to say funds over necessarily because Nebraska has to prove it first right they have to prove it and there's been so many augusts where you're like this is the year Huskers are back they're they're great at winning August national championships and August Big 10 championships division championships what have you they have to actually go and prove it and they I I think they've got the dudes to to be competitive their schedule's tough guys uh and so how healthy are they G to be coming into this game how healthy is Iowa going to be coming into this game can Phil Parker actually put some clamps down uh on the Husker offenses especally before the fourth quarter you know um which is usually when Iowa's been making these comebacks when they do beat the Huskers often uh so you know this is again I I agree with you guys gonna be a chippy game uh it's going to be a physical talented game I think it's going to be a single possession game either way and you know you talk about these 50-50 games depending on how you know healthy R is how his development has gone it wouldn't surprise me if the Way the season progresses that Nebraska would be favored coming into this but also again said it before they have to start proving it and they have to stop making the really dumb mistakes that have plagued them for year after year after year after year and would it surprise me if this turns into another sort of like brain dead Nebraska year no because that's really been the norm for them going back to God knows hell long like maybe like going back to the balini years and even then they were losing games in Dumb ways it just didn't happen as often uh so yeah this is gonna be a real Challenge and a real real Challenge and you know we we said before you know they they've got to have their pad strapped on tight you know if if things are breaking well for Nebraska for again the first time in over a decade it would not Shock me if the Huskers are favored even by like a touchdown at this point in the season because it's end of the year and and all of that uh you know freshman uh Jitters for rail would be gone out the window by now but that's a best case scenario and there's so much variability in how the Huskers are going to do that you know we'll we'll see how that actually translates onto the field so correct myself quickly here uh Dylan Rola was the number two Prospect in the 24 class he was behind Jeremiah Smith and I also said Aon Nolan was the quarterback trans transer from Alabama's Julian sayian so correct myself on both of those fronts the other thing is Nebraska's schedule is very much backloaded I mean it kind of similar to what I was saying about Maryland they could start off probably going to be five and two maybe four and three six and one maybe but um they've got a fairly easy start of their schedule UTEP Colorado's going to suck I the hype I hate it I just want him to lose every game I'm going to be rooting against them every game then they got un Andi go cats we'll see if they upset him I doubt it um Illinois Purdue ruter Indiana and then it would not surprise me if they lose four out of their last five because they're at Ohio State they've got UCLA at home then they're at USC then they've got Wisconsin at home and then they're at Iowa so the end of their schedule is brutal yeah I'm taking uh um Iowa for for a loss here so taking Nebraska to win it and that's not entirely because you know I'm terrified of Nebraska or you know definitely think they're going to win the game but for me I'm looking at it like I think nine and3 is the most likely record for Iowa at the end of the regular season at this point and uh got to find those three losses somewhere right now I think just as we've gone through all the factors so far in all the games you know I I think this could definitely end up being that third loss um it's that one of those things though that you know once we see more about the season Once we see more about this Nebraska team you know like Adam said they got to prove it on the field they got to actually go out win the games they're supposed to uh play like the team that they look like they can be on paper uh Iowa you know again what does this offense actually look like in in a real game does it look like in a real game in October in November like what what sort of progress is there for the Tim leester offense uh over the course of this season that is going to have a huge impact on how these games play out and you know if we do this exercise halfway through the season and we're picking you know how the the final six games go could have some very different I think projections from what we have now but that's where I'm at is you know I I don't feel great about picking Nebraska to win this game I never feel great about picking Nebraska to win I'm not going to lie uh but nine and three is is where I'm at so that's that's my rationale yeah it wouldn't surprise me if Iowa loses this game either uh I I you know in and this is really the sort of is this the difference between nine and three and 10 and two there's an outside shot that I was shot at a college football playoff birth is on the line here and you know that Nebraska would love to play spoiler for the mighty mighty Hawkeyes that are across the Missouri River and uh you know just just say a sentence like that to somebody from Nebraska 25 years ago and and see just like how angry that makes them but it's the it's the reality now and uh and you know that Iowa is going to be up for this one but you know things like motivation things like Stakes uh they only matter so much when it really justes does come down to execution on the field and you know Nebraska in particular has a bunch of dudes in that front seven on the defensive front uh big dudes fast dudes at linebacker so it's going to be an extra challenge for that Iowa offensive line and you know what does the Iowa offensive line look like at the end of the season right like like are they at full strength uh how much have they really mastered uh the finer points of the Tim Lester offense Again by the end of the season because you know we we talk about uh you know seeing raay versus you know in week four versus at the end of the year kind of the same thing goes for Iowa and Tim leester right the offense should be ostensibly should be better by the end of the year than it should be at the start of the Big 10 season so there's you know concurrent uh improvements over the year one would think one would hope for both of them and so who has been improving faster I me honestly you kind of gotta think that the festar QB is that guy so uh it it'll be really interesting to see uh but I think Ross all things being equal by the end of the year kind of think it is going to be a loss so yeah nine and three wouldn't surprise me either man that's tough um it's predicting the future and that's what future C are four nothing else okay uh you know I I'll be I'll be bullish on the Hawks I'll take a win here um of course we shall see I'm picking 10- two Adam and Ross nine and3 at the end of the season of course we shall see how things shake out um we could talk playoff possibility but we have gone so long on this schedule preview so we are going to wrap it up here we appreciate you tuning in this episode of hogcast and listening here with us till the very end previewing the Iowa 2024 season and their schedule again do not forget 70% off right now for your entire first year take advantage of that take advantage of us while we're running this deal it's hot camp at iowa. rivals.com at sign up you can find one of those autofill link on links excuse me on on any of our twitters on the website anywhere you you want to sign up again that is Hawk Camp all capital letters get signed up today do not miss this deal if you're watching on YouTube make sure you hit that subscribe make sure you hit that like and drop a comment let us know what you're thinking predicting Iowa's record Are We Wrong are we way off are they gonna go 12 and0 and somehow beat the buck guys in Columbus Columbus let us know down there in the comments if you're listening on Apple podcast Spotify hit that subscribe button so you don't miss an episode drop a rate and review it helps us out and it does of course make us very happy once again folks I am Elliot cluff at Elliot cluff on Twitter joined by Adam jacobe and Ross binder and for now we will see you next time