What Might Have Been ...

Things started out pretty well in Iowa City last Saturday.  The Hawkeyes quickly established a 14 point lead and I got excited for what I expected to be a "statement win".  I was hoping for a shellacking along the lines of 56-6 ... something to keep the IOWA name on the tip of the pollsters' tongues.  It is what we should have done with Northern Iowa but I will cut the hawks some slack as it was the first game of the season and the Panthers are big fish in the little pond that is the Football Championship Subdivision.

Returning to the topic of the most recent slim-margin victory ... it appears that the Hawkeyes picked up some bad habits from the Nittany lions.  Like an impressionable youth that spends a week of summer vacation at grandma's farm where they spy their cool, older cousin smoking behind the shotgun shack ... the Hawkeyes appear to have gleaned the disgusting habit of coasting in the second half.  [NOTE: for the preceding allegory to hold true I must add the following ... each fall the younger cousin de-pants his relative, making the latter's shortcomings painfully obvious to a national television audience.]

Speaking of nationally televised games ... the Hawkeyes have a chance to right the above-noted wrong when they face-off against Michigan on Saturday.  I am having trouble getting a handle on the Wolverines this year.  At times I feel that they are on the upswing [the Appalachian State days well behind them] but then they barely squeak by the Hoosiers?  Perhaps Indiana is the real deal this year?  Too many variables to consider ... 8pm [EST] on ABC the equation will be solved.

If it is raining in your neighborhood, you can kill the hours before the IOWA game by watching Wisconsin [3:30 EST / ABC].  Yeah that's right ... America's dairyland has another football team.  For those of you who were looking forward to the MNF showdown between Favre and the Pack it is time to pull your heads out of the pro football clouds.  Bielema, Bucky and the rest of the Badgers are putting together quite a season.  The undefeated nature of their current tear will be at risk this weekend when Wisconsin travels to Columbus for a battle with Brutus.  We are getting into the meat of the Big10 season here people.  Things are bound to get interesting.

 

Indiana has been on the accelerated track and is already two games [versus the Wolverines and Buckeyes ... both losses] into conference play.  This week offers a break from Big10 opponents.  The boys in crimson and cream are road tripping to Charlottesville with the hope of stealing a win from the 1-3 Cavaliers.  Not to look too far ahead but ... on the last day of October the Hoosiers begin the G-CC tour, with consecutive games against IOWA, Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue [in that order].  Good stuff!

 

Poor coach Hope ... it appears that Tiller did not lower the bar enough for you.  The victory-challenged Boilermakers [1-4] are coming off a loss to Northwestern and preparing to face Minnesota in the new Gopher-Palace.  On the plus side ... neither IOWA nor Penn State are on the schedule.

Your comments please ... Any thoughts on the corporate sponsorship/naming of the stadium?  Is this a crime or a rather a positive opportunity considering the financial hardships currently facing academic institutions?

After winning at Illinois last weekend, Penn State returns to Beaver Stadium for its last non-conference game of the regular season.  The fact that the Lions are playing Eastern Illinois [coupled with the defeat by IOWA] yields a broadcast bumped all the way to ESPN Classic.  Both teams enter the contest with 4-1 records but I am going out on a limb and will suggest that Penn State wins this one ... based solely on a comparison of team logos.

It is interesting to note that the starting QB for the away team will be none other than former Hawkeye Jake Christensen.  For additional details ... check out the Collegian story.