The Hawkeyes are in full swing and football finally feels like it's around the corner. It's an exciting time with preseason honors, loaded discussions and much more. Added bonus that it's also HOT TAKE season. It's one of the most entertaining parts about college sports.
David Eickholt
IOWA CITY, Iowa--The Hawkeyes are in full swing and football finally feels like it's around the corner. It's an exciting time with preseason honors, loaded discussions and much more. Added bonus that it's also HOT TAKE season. It's one of the most entertaining parts about college sports.
It's an exciting week for Iowa fans with football media day on Friday and an open practice on Saturday morning. The first look of the new Hawkeye offense and how they'll stack up against a loaded Iowa defense.
"Every offense has its different styles and whatever, but really to me success in offense still gets down to execution," Ferentz said during Big Ten Media Days when asked about his offense. "The guys up front have to block, and the receivers have to block, and then somebody's got to do a good job of getting the ball where it's supposed to, and the passing game is the same thing. People have got to get open. They've got to make tough catches, and the quarterback has got to be able to deliver into all sorts of protection."
"Offensively, certainly a little bit more veteran than we have been, and that's good news for us, especially up front. I think we have the potential to be a good offensive football team, but we still have steps to take, not unlike any season probably."
There's plenty of insight, analysis and more to come.. but let's switch things up a little bit.
Over the past couple of days, HawkeyeInsider.com asked its VIP members for their bold predictions ahead of Iowa's 2024 season. Here are some of the top-voted and most common predictions, with extended analysis and thoughts for each prediction.
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"Iowa wins or loses a close one to Ohio st. They don't have an elite qb like they've had in the past. I just don't see a blow out."- HaroldWormser
Woah boy-- here we go. I'm a believer in the Buckeyes this year. I think it's the year that they finally get it done. There are still questions about how elite the quarterback play will be, but they are loaded at every position across the board. The Hawkeyes were embarrassed the last time they went to Columbus as they suffered a 54-10 defeat.
There's no question that Iowa's offense will have to find a way to move the ball against the loaded group. The Hawkeyes will have a bye week to prepare for Ohio State. It's also worth noting that Ohio State could get caught looking ahead to Oregon-- who they will play the following week.
If the Hawkeyes go 10-2 this season, the way they play against Ohio State could put them in the College Football Playoff or keep them out. Iowa will have to be competitive if they want to be among the top-12 teams at the end of the season.
It's a tall task to beat this year's Ohio State team, but crazier things have happened.
BOLD METER: 8.5/10
"Iowa, OSU, Oregon, Michigan, and PSU finish in a 5-way regular season tie atop the B1G standings at 8-1. Only 4 of the 5 make the CFP with last year's national champ watching Iowa, OSU, UO, and PSU carry the Big Ten banner."-GlenEllynHawk
There's not too much analysis I can provide here and I'm not even sure the five-way regular season tie is possible with these teams. But hey-- I'm all for chaos and for putting pressure on the committee. The real test will be when the committee is debating between a 10-2 Big Ten team and a 9-3 SEC team with losses to Ole Miss, Alabama and Georgia. No matter how many teams are in the College Football Playoff-- nobody is ever really going to be satisfied with the way things unfold. Welcome to College Football in 2024.
BOLD METER: 11/10. Love it, but likely not happening.
"Brevin Doll gets at least one TD reception lined up as a WR"-FantasticMrHawks
Great take, but not sure how bold it is. The true freshman is a running back, but there is ample opportunity at wide receiver for anyone that can step up. Doll's athleticism combined with Tim Lester's offense would be a nice combination. This wouldn't be a long-term plan for Doll, but this makes a lot of sense for immediate playing time and to add a different wrinkle to Iowa's offense than we have seen the past couple of seasons. I'll buy stock into this. If he plays this season, I think he can get one.
BOLD METER: 5/10
"Iowa scores 50+ in 1 non conference game and 1 Big Ten game."-Jacob_Freeman
YES! This is the radical optimism that everybody loves seeing before games have kicked off. This hasn't happened since 2005 when Iowa scored 50+ against Ball State and Minnesota. The Hawkeyes did put up 50 or more points in 2017 (Ohio State and Nebraska). This is a very bold take considering it's a totally new offense that could take some getting used to before points are put up at a high rate.
One of the biggest things that I'll be looking for is Lester's play calling strategy. Throughout his early press conferences, he mentioned that he wants to be adaptable, aggressive and take care of the football. In the last few years, Iowa hasn't been aggressive throwing the ball downfield and teams adjusted because of that.
The Hawkeyes very likely won't put up 50 against Iowa State. It's best opportunity is against Troy in week three after having a couple weeks of getting in-game reps with the new offense. I respect how bold this prediction is, but this would be a long shot. Let's start with 30+ and I think Iowa will be set up for success if it can do that in a few games this season.
BOLD METER: 9.5/10
"Max Llewellyn has 5+ sacks this season."- MountainDew1
This is another prediction that I can get behind. Llewellyn has showcased flashes of being a really dependable edge rusher. The rotational defensive end played in all 14 games last season and finished with 2.5 sacks. There will be more opportunity this season for him to get some valuable reps. He'll be competing with guys like Brian Allen Jr. Deontae Craig and Ethan Hurkett for that spot.
The biggest thing for Llewellyn is that he's entering this season with more confidence than he has ever had throughout the course of his football career. He also has chemistry with guys who will be stepping up-- like defensive tackle Aaron Graves.
"I feel like Kelvin Bell trusts me. At least more than he did last year — to the point where I'm kind of able to do my thing."
"Especially in the pass game, there's been times where we would just like communicate almost telepathically," Graves said this summer. "I'll just look at him, nod and he'll know what I'm doing and then he'll cover me. Or I know what he's doing and I'll cover him to keep our lane integrity."
BOLD METER: 4.5/10
Reliable prediction because I'm a believer in Llewellyn's ability to step up.
"11-2 with a loss to Ohio St and in Big Ten Title. Miss playoffs."- Natefitz
This one might ruffle some feathers, but if Iowa goes 11-2 with two blowout losses against the two best teams on its schedule-- they will miss the playoffs. It's all hypothetical, but it's worth noting that if Iowa starts out 7-1 (with loss to Ohio State)-- there will be a lot of blowback among national pundits surrounding Iowa's schedule.
The Hawkeyes will have to find a way to be competitive with Ohio State if they want to make the playoffs. The only other way they get in is if Iowa finishes 11-1. The reality with the landscape of college football is that the Hawkeyes might be better off missing the Big Ten Title game if they want a realistic chance to make the playoff.
The committee will look more fondly upon a 10-2 Iowa team that played competitive football with Ohio State rather than an 11-2 Hawkeye team that got blown out twice. It's a strange, but realistic scenario. This year's committee will set the precedent for how things will be moving forward. It'll be entertaining to watch how it all unfolds.
BOLD METER: 9.2/10
I have a hard time buying 11-1 in the regular season. It's always hard to win every game that you're favored in.
"Iowa finishes regular season as top 3 scoring prevention defense nationally, and in the middle third scoring offense nationally."- jakalina
I'm all-in on Iowa's defense, which shouldn't come as a surprise. The Hawkeyes return eight of their 11 starters, including arguably the nation's best linebacker group with Jay Higgins, Sebastian Castro and Nick Jackson. The real test will be for Tim Lester's offense.
Iowa has always been about ball control and controlling the clock. They've struggled with that during the past couple of years. If Iowa achieves what is listed above, they will likely make the college football playoff. Kirk Ferentz's team will be favored in 11 of their 12 games this season. One of the big things that we'll need to keep an eye on is how Iowa adjusts to game tempo within the new offense.
The Hawkeyes are going to be a bit faster on offense, but new schemes can throw off teams in the early going. Will Iowa be able to pile on points against lesser teams early in the season? Or will they be consistent (good or bad) throughout the entirety of the season? That's the biggest question. On paper, I'm a believer in what Iowa's offense could be. After the past few years-- it's see it to believe it.
BOLD METER: 7.9/10
"150 yards RPG & 225 yards PPG, top 10 scoring defense, +10 turnover margin!"-Budly
The Hawkeyes only forced 15 takeaways last year and were ranked 111th in turnover margin last season. As great as Iowa's defense was, it was overshadowed due to the offensive issues and inability to get as many turnovers as the previous season.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm buying all the stock in Iowa's defense. For the offense, I'm curious what the passing/rushing splits will be because that'll dictate what the numbers could potentially be. I like the idea of a Packers-style offense with this group. The offensive line and quarterback will dictate how successful they can be this year.
BOLD METER: 8.3/10
Like the idea, but the turnover margin is such a dramatic turnaround. I trust Phil Parker, but will Iowa be able to take care of the ball?
"11-1 or 10-2 depends on offense production leaning towards 11-1 with 1000 yard rusher and one 800 to 1000 yard WR not a TE. BIG Ten championship vs Oregon"-UnionCarter
I don't dismiss that Iowa could have 1,000 yard rusher because they have the talent to be able to do that. The Hawkeye offensive line will have to finally put it all together in order for it to happen, but it's entirely possible.
This is a really bold take considering Iowa hasn't had a wide receiver go over 800 yards since Marvin Mcnu*tt put up 1,315 in 2011. That's also the last time that Iowa has had an all-Big Ten wide receiver. This would dramatically help with wide receiver recruiting.
BOLD METER: 9.4/10.
