BCS Bowl

So in the last week there has been a lot of talk about what bowl Iowa will end up in. Most of the speculation points to either the Fiesta or the Capital One. I did a little bit of research to see what the actual procedure for BCS bowl selections is. Here is what I came up with. There are the following ties to bowls:

Big Ten Champ: Rose
Pac 10 Champ: Rose
SEC Champ: Sugar
Big 12 Champ: Fiesta

The rule goes that if one of your automatic qualifiers goes to the National Championship game, that bowl will be allowed to select a team from the qualifiers. If two different bowls lose their automatic qualifiers then the team that loses the #1 team gets first choice.

So if Texas beats Nebraska in the Big 12 title game, the National Championship game would probably be Texas vs the SEC champion. In that scenario, the Sugar Bowl would get the first pick since the SEC champion would be the #1 team, I think that they would choose the loser of the SEC Championship game. Then the Fiesta bowl would get the next selection and I think that Iowa would be their #1 choice. In this scenario, Boise State would probably be the opponent of the Hawks.

If Nebraska beats Texas, they would be the Big 12 champion and go to the Fiesta Bowl. If that is the case, the selections go this way for the bowls filling their slots: Orange, Fiesta, Sugar. In this scenario it would then be up to the Orange bowl to select between Iowa and Penn State and I think they choose Penn State. Iowa would then go to the Capital One bowl, which is not the worst thing that could happen.

Bottom line, cheer for the Longhorns as a win by them gives Iowa the best chance to make the Fiesta Bowl.

Minnesota Predictions Recap

Score prediction:
Iowa - 37 12
Minnesota - 13 0

Predictions:
Iowa's defense causes three TO's, 2 fumbles and 1 INT 3 (2 fumbles, 1 INT)
Iowa's defense has 5 sacks, Clayborn collecting 2 of them 5 - Clayborn - 1
Vandenberg completes 70% of his passes for 250+ 45.8% 117 yards
DJK has 5 catches for 125+ 7 catches 63 yards
McNutt has 3 for 90+ 1 catch for 28 yards
Moeaki has four catches and a TD 0
Hawks get a big gain out of a screen pass No, but would have been nice with the blitzes
Iowa gets a big kick return and starts in MN territory Touchback
Robinson rushes for over 100 yards 74 yards (all in first half)
Minnesota commits 7 or more penalties 4
MN backup QB Grey has a big run Long of 8
Weinke gets snaps in mop up duty Nope

Started out good with the predictions, but then trailed off

Hawks in the NFL

Babineaux, Jonathan Atlanta Falcons -DT- 26 tackles 4 sacks
Baker, Jason Carolina Panthers - P - 45.3 average
Betts, Ladell Washington Redskins - RB - 52 carries 205 yards 2 TD 17 Rec 179 yards
Clark, Dallas Indianapolis Colts - TE - 64 Rec 768 yards 3 TD
Cole, Colin Seattle Seahawks -DT - 26 tackles
Considine, Sean Jacksonville Jaguars - S - 20 tackles
DeVries, Jared Detroit Lions - DT - 29 tackles 2 sacks
Fletcher, Bradley St. Louis Rams - DB - 23 tackles
Gallery, Robert Oakland Raiders - OL - Starting guard, missed some time with injury
Godfrey, Charles Carolina Panthers - DB - 21 tackles 1 forced fumble
Goff, Mike Kansas City Chiefs - OL - Starting guard
Greene, Shonn New York Jets - RB - 44 att 217 yards 2 TD
Greenway, Chad Minnesota Vikings - LB - 61 tackles 1 FF 2 Int
Hodge, Abdul Cincinnati Bengals - LB - 10 tackles 1 FF
Iwebema, Kenny Arizona Cardinals - DE - 6 tackles 1 sack
Kaeding, Nate San Diego Chargers - K - 20/23 FG 29/30 PAT
Kampman, Aaron Green Bay Packers - LB - 42 tackles 3.5 sacks 1 FF
Myers, Brandon Oakland Raiders - TE - 2 rec 7 yards 4 tackles 1 FF
Olsen, Seth Denver Broncos - OL - Listed as #2
Roth, Matt Miami Dolphins - DE - 4 tackles (Released on 11/24)
Sanders, Bob Indianapolis Colts - 3 tackles 1 Int (Only played in two games because of injury)
Steinbach, Eric Cleveland Browns - OL - Starting guard
Wiegmann, Casey Denver Broncos - OL - Starting Center
Yanda, Marshal Baltimore Ravens - OL - listed as #2, missed some time with injury
Young, Albert Minnesota Vikings - RB - No stats on the season listed #3 on the depth chart

Minnesota Pre-Game

The battle for the brass pig. A series that in recent history has been dominated by Iowa, winning 7 of the last 8.

When Iowa has the ball-
Once again this week James Vandenberg will get the start under center for the Hawks, a week after looking superb against a tough Ohio State defense. Imagine how good his stats would have been had he not had circa 2006 Iowa wide receivers with a case of the drops. For a redshirt freshman he showed some serious poise and will look to take advantage of a poor Gopher defense. Minnesota is dead last in the Big Ten in sacks and Iowa's offensive line should be able to keep Vandy upright and create a good pocket for him to throw in. Minnesota's defense is 8th in the Big Ten in overall defense, but look for them to bring several blitzes to make James make quick decisions with the ball. Robinson should find the yards will come easier this week than last and he looked very good for missing two weeks with an ankle injury. Statistical oddity: Minnesota has a grand total of 6 punt returns all year.

When Minnesota has the ball-
To start the season any defense playing Minnesota had to worry about Eric Decker. Now that his season and career is over they have had to rely on other players and their offense hasn't been near as good. They will play a more traditional pro-style offense, which bodes well for Iowa's defense. Their quarterback, Weber, reminds me of Christiansen, doesn't throw many interceptions, but also doesn't throw for many yards or have a good completion percentage. Look for them to bring in their backup QB, Grey, as a running threat.

What will happen-
Powered by the right arm of Vandenberg, the Hawks will jump out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and the defense will begin to suffocate the Gopher offense. Look for Iowa to have to throw quick passes and screens to loosen up the Minnesota defense that will be bringing pressure. On the defensive side, Iowa will be able to get pressure on the Gophers, who have given up a Big Ten worst 34 sacks this season.

Score prediction:
Iowa - 37
Minnesota - 13

Predictions:
Iowa's defense causes three TO's, 2 fumbles and 1 INT
Iowa's defense has 5 sacks, Clayborn collecting 2 of them
Vandenberg completes 70% of his passes for 250+
DJK has 5 catches for 125+
McNutt has 3 for 90+
Moeaki has four catches and a TD
Hawks get a big gain out of a screen pass
Iowa gets a big kick return and starts in MN territory
Robinson rushes for over 100 yards
Minnesota commits 7 or more penalties
MN backup QB Grey has a big run
Weinke gets snaps in mop up duty

Iowa vs Northwestern Preview

Will the magical season that Iowa is having continue against Northwestern? If so, Iowa will have to snap the Wildcats two game winning streak at Kinnick Stadium.

When Iowa has the ball-
Northwestern's defense is a very talented and fundamentally sound unit. That being said, they have been bit by the injury bug in their secondary and haven't had the same starters for several weeks. They have a talented DE in Cory Wooten, but he has been contained this season compared to last season. His season doesn't get any easier this week going against the skilled tackles of Iowa. Look for Northwestern to play the same sort of defense as Indiana and load the box, forcing Iowa to pass to win. On paper, Iowa has superior talent to Northwestern, however, Northwestern feeds off of the emotion of their head coach. The way that Iowa has come out of the gate the last several weeks that could pose some problems in the area of momentum. Northwestern's secondary isn't very good and as previously mentioned, they are banged up. Look for Iowa to have the same sort of offense they did last week, run the ball and then go to a play action passing attack.

When Northwestern has the ball-
Northwestern is yet another spread offense team that Iowa will play this season. They have a very talented QB in Kafka, however he left last week's game against Penn State early with a hamstring injury. Part of his effectiveness is his ability to move in and outside of the pocket. When Northwestern gets into the red zone, they rely a lot of their quarterback as their running backs aren't the most skilled. If Kafka can't go, it is a huge advantage for the Hawks. You probably will see some nickel and dime defense out of Iowa this week as the Wildcats will deploy 4 and 5 wide sets quite often.

What will happen-
Northwestern will start of strong and more than likely score on their first possession. The Iowa defense will begin to impose their will on a young offensive line. Iowa fans will again become impatient with the Hawkeye offense in the first half as O'Keefe will be setting things up for the second half. In the end the Iowa team will prove to be too physical on both sides of the line for Northwestern and eventually wear them down.

Score Prediction:
Iowa 31
Northwestern 20

Predictions:
Stanzi will throw for 250+ yards
Rick will throw 3 TD's and 1 INT
Wegher will go for 80+ yards and a score
DJK will have a big game with 100+ yards and a touch
Stross will have the other TD and 3 catches
Moeaki will once again be bottled up with 2 catches for 25 yards
Reisner will catch a TD
The defense allows less than 80 yards rushing
Iowa forces 4 TO's
Kafka doesn't finish the game
The defensive line gets three sacks and a fumble recovery
Sash, Prater, and Lowe get INT's
Iowa finishes with 375 yards of total offense

Iowa vs Northwestern a few stats

Iowa's nine opponents this season have a winning percentage of .586
Northwestern's nine opponents have a winning percentage of .375
Northwestern has only made three road trips this season and they are 1-2 on the road
NW and Iowa are tied in scoring offenses at 25.7 points per game
NW Qb Kafka leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game at 243.9
NW WR Zeke Markshausen leads the Big Ten in receptions with 67
Pat Angerer is 3rd in the conference in tackles, Jeremiah Hunter is 7th
Tyler Sash leads the league in interceptions with 6
Adrian Clayborn is 2nd in the league with 6.5 sacks
Iowa has outscored their opponents 148-54 in the second half this season including 100-38 in the 4th quarter alone
Iowa's last three opponents have rushed for 87, 85, and 79 yards respectively
DJK is up to 12th in career receiving yards, a mere 660 yards from being the all-time leader
Tyler Sash is up to #6 in career INT's with 11

Indiana Game Recap

So since it was Halloween the Hawkeyes took Trick or Treat to the extreme by tricking everyone in Kinnick for three quarters only to give them a treat in the fourth quarter.

For a team that was 8-0 and coming off of two tough road victories, you hoped that they would come out with a little bit more emotion than they did. They came out flat a took a punch in the mouth from Indiana as the Hoosiers marched down the field and made it 7-0. On the drive, Iowa was gouged in the run game by Indiana spreading the field and taking advantage of Iowa's linebacker's being out of the box. Outside of that drive I can't recall any running plays that Indiana ran the rest of the game that had much success. The rest of the first half the Iowa defense really played lights out, they gave up 14 more points, but Indiana also had short fields on both of the touchdowns. Iowa's offense in the first half could be summed up in one word, pathetic. Take away the one deep ball to DJK that the Indiana corner just missed knocking down. On the Touchdown run by Wegher, Eubanks pulled out and led up the hole getting a key block on an Indiana defender. One of several key blocks that he had in what I would call his best game as a Hawkeye. The defense came up with a huge play in the third quarter as Indiana was knocking on the door to add to their 14 point lead, off of a ricochet Tyler Sash picked off the pass and took it the house. The third quarter would be something that Stanzi would like to forget as he threw 4 int's in the quarter alone. In the game Stanzi had 5 picks and in re-watching the game you have to think that the wind had something to do with a couple of them. He made a couple of good throws and ended up having a career high yardage wise. It took awhile for the Hawks to get going, but the poured it on with 28 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to end up looking like they actually won convincingly. A lot of fans have called out O'Keefe's play calling, but if the two deep ball int's hadn't hung in the air so long and were caught for TD's, the score would look a lot worse than it did.
In their first 9 games of the season, Iowa has trailed in 8 of them. This season is starting to have a strange Ohio State 2002 fell to it, all Iowa does is win games by any means necessary.

Predictions recap

Score Prediction:
Iowa 42 42
Indiana 13 24

Predictions:
Stanzi will throw for 300+ yards 337
Keenan Davis and DJK will have 4+ catches Davis-0 DJK-3
Moeaki will have a TD 0
The defense will cause 5 turnovers, 3 INT, 2 fumbles 3 INT
Brandon Wegher goes for 125+ rushing 118
Iowa finishes with 5 sacks, Clayborn with 2 1
Iowa scores on its first possession of the game No

Not a bad week of predictions.