Friday, August 20, 2004
Big 10 Football
Tigerhawk suggested I blog on the ESPN Big 10 College Football preview. I took a quick look and saw their characteristic prediction for champion is Michigan. Way to stick your neck out, boys. As they say, no one gets fired for hiring IBM! (Herbstreit's hedge that the Minnesota Goofers might take the title seems like a high beta bet, and is only possible if they've substantially upgraded a medicore defense).
The Iowa Hawkeyes would have a been a gutsy call, true, but this is a partisan site and there's no career risk associated with missing a call, so let me declare it now: Iowa will win the Big Ten championship for the second time in three years.
The team may actually look like the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes, who tied for the Big Ten title and went on to win the national championship game against Miami. Steller defense, good running game, good kicking game, and an average to below average passing game.
Going into the season, the Hawkeye defense looks stronger than any fielded since the 1981 Rose Bowl team that featured Andre Tippett, Mark Bortz, Pat Dean, Tracy Crocker, Mel Cole, and a host of other household names (if you happen to live in Iowa City). This year's unit will be lead by the brutal inside linebacker two of Grant Steen and Abdul Hodge, sack machine Matt Roth, and experience in the defensive line and secondary.
The offense will be more of a question mark with an untested QB taking over (no matter who wins the job), but look for running back Jermelle Lewis to explode in his senior season and rush for 1,200 yards.
Of course they play the games on the field, so as John Kerry is so fond of saying, "Bring it on!"
The Iowa Hawkeyes would have a been a gutsy call, true, but this is a partisan site and there's no career risk associated with missing a call, so let me declare it now: Iowa will win the Big Ten championship for the second time in three years.
The team may actually look like the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes, who tied for the Big Ten title and went on to win the national championship game against Miami. Steller defense, good running game, good kicking game, and an average to below average passing game.
Going into the season, the Hawkeye defense looks stronger than any fielded since the 1981 Rose Bowl team that featured Andre Tippett, Mark Bortz, Pat Dean, Tracy Crocker, Mel Cole, and a host of other household names (if you happen to live in Iowa City). This year's unit will be lead by the brutal inside linebacker two of Grant Steen and Abdul Hodge, sack machine Matt Roth, and experience in the defensive line and secondary.
The offense will be more of a question mark with an untested QB taking over (no matter who wins the job), but look for running back Jermelle Lewis to explode in his senior season and rush for 1,200 yards.
Of course they play the games on the field, so as John Kerry is so fond of saying, "Bring it on!"
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