BTN Bus Tour: Iowa

[joshvanklomp]

The Big Ten Network has their main analysts drive around before the season to different schools for their training camps. Monday was Iowa's turn.

There are about 10 videos here: https://www.youtube.com/user/bigtennetwork/videos

Summary:
-QB up in the air (not afraid to play both)
-Sr RB who ran for 1k; plus transfer James Butler from Nevada
-New OC, head coach's son
-Biggest strength is in both trenches
-Experienced LBs
-Replacing talented pieces in secondary

 

[cali2wyo]

This is kinda interesting...

Summary:
-QB up in the air (not afraid to play both)
(Opposite for us, we're solid at QB)
-Sr RB who ran for 1k; plus transfer James Butler from Nevada
(Opposite for us, RB is a big question mark regarding who will emerge)
-New OC, head coach's son
(We have a new DC)
-Biggest strength is in both trenches
(Not our biggest weakness, but losing Appleby and possibly having to start a true freshman at Center isn't ideal)
-Experienced LBs
(We lost Wacha and May)
-Replacing talented pieces in secondary
(We return our entire 2-deep)

It may just come down to which team has the better coach and can develop the potential weak areas on each team better (or exploit the other team's weaknesses)

 

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

This is kinda interesting...

Summary:
-QB up in the air (not afraid to play both)
(Opposite for us, we're solid at QB)
-Sr RB who ran for 1k; plus transfer James Butler from Nevada
(Opposite for us, RB is a big question mark regarding who will emerge)
-New OC, head coach's son
(We have a new DC)
-Biggest strength is in both trenches
(Not our biggest weakness, but losing Appleby and possibly having to start a true freshman at Center isn't ideal)
-Experienced LBs
(We lost Wacha and May)
-Replacing talented pieces in secondary
(We return our entire 2-deep)

It may just come down to which team has the better coach and can develop the potential weak areas on each team better (or exploit the other team's weaknesses)

I would feel confident putting Bohl up against anyone in the country in this specific area. I haven't put on the B&G Glasses yet this summer and won't claim a for sure win. Haven't put the feelers out yet. But I do think this is a very winnable game and a game for Allen to put the rest of College Football on notice. HE HAS ARRIVED!

 

[Asmodeanreborn]

Let's be realistic, though. Iowa has one hell of an advantage when it comes to overall talent level. While it's great to see that our walk-on program is improving, Iowa gets heavily recruited 5 star guys like Epenesa signing on. Sure, they're no Alabama, Ohio State, or Stanford, but the talent gap between them and us is still pretty significant.

We have to find diamonds in the rough and develop them while Iowa gets gems that have already been somewhat polished. So even though we have them beat in having a few stars in certain positions that shine brighter, from a depth perspective, we're hopelessly overwhelmed.

This post is not there to be a Debbie downer - we can beat them. I'm just saying that if we lose, it's not necessarily because Bohl was outcoached. He has the disadvantage of having muskets rather than rifles to fight with.

 

[WestWYOPoke]

I'm confused by the excessive amount of love some people are giving Iowa. They are at BEST, the #5 team in the Big Ten. And while, yes, they certainly recruit bigger-star athletes out of high school, that is only a small portion of the battle. There is coaching, scheme, player development, heart, luck, etc. that helps determine who wins a game each week. Now if this was a Ohio State, Penn State or Wisconsin, I would understand some of it. But this is a 2nd tier Big Ten team, someone that we SHOULD be able give a run for their money.

The one thing I will agree with is that Iowa does have a very strong O-Line. I don't know if I would say they are certainly the best in their conference, but they are close if not.

The best thing going for Wyoming: Iowa's weakest group is their defensive backfield, that bodes well for Allen & Co.

 

[Asmodeanreborn]

I'm confused by the excessive amount of love some people are giving Iowa.

Is it excessive to say they have a lot of advantages over us? We lost every major contributor on offense save our quarterback, and while Allen is a star, somebody has to actually catch the ball as well. Iowa may have lost key players as well, but even if they're overrated, they still beat Michigan and completely stomped Nebraska 40-10 late last season.

I like our chances over Oregon a lot more, especially since we also have the advantage of home field in that one, and our home field is a very solid advantage.

Once again, I'm not saying we don't have a chance, but I'm saying that if my brain picks over my heart in this one, Iowa deserves to be the favorite.

 

[J-Rod]

I don't know much about their team, but that 5-star DE they landed this past winter (A.J. Epensea) was unfreakingbelievable when I saw him play. They'll certainly have the overall talent edge, but still doesn't change the fact that Ferentz's teams always play to the level of their opponent. Wyoming will be in a position to win this one in the 4th.

 

[djm19]

I'm confused by the excessive amount of love some people are giving Iowa. They are at BEST, the #5 team in the Big Ten. And while, yes, they certainly recruit bigger-star athletes out of high school, that is only a small portion of the battle. There is coaching, scheme, player development, heart, luck, etc. that helps determine who wins a game each week. Now if this was a Ohio State, Penn State or Wisconsin, I would understand some of it. But this is a 2nd tier Big Ten team, someone that we SHOULD be able give a run for their money.

The one thing I will agree with is that Iowa does have a very strong O-Line. I don't know if I would say they are certainly the best in their conference, but they are close if not.

The best thing going for Wyoming: Iowa's weakest group is their defensive backfield, that bodes well for Allen & Co.

Careful, you will be coined a hater...

To think Iowa doesn't have an advantage over us is crazy. Can the Pokes pull off an upset, sure. I am just looking at numbers, and we are 1-4 to end the season, we lost multiple key guys and are on the road vs a solid program.

 

[carbonpoke]

Iowa also has Slipknot, so we are screwed.

 

[stymeman]

I'm just glad this is the 1st game for Iowa, as they will not be as sharp as they might with a couple games under their belt, they don't scare me at all, and if we can "test" Nebraska year in and year out like we do, Iowa is basically the same test as well, one day we'll get a team like this, maybe this is that one year, sure hope so an to be able to see it in person, ooooooh

 

[WestWYOPoke]

I'm confused by the excessive amount of love some people are giving Iowa. They are at BEST, the #5 team in the Big Ten. And while, yes, they certainly recruit bigger-star athletes out of high school, that is only a small portion of the battle. There is coaching, scheme, player development, heart, luck, etc. that helps determine who wins a game each week. Now if this was a Ohio State, Penn State or Wisconsin, I would understand some of it. But this is a 2nd tier Big Ten team, someone that we SHOULD be able give a run for their money.

The one thing I will agree with is that Iowa does have a very strong O-Line. I don't know if I would say they are certainly the best in their conference, but they are close if not.

The best thing going for Wyoming: Iowa's weakest group is their defensive backfield, that bodes well for Allen & Co.

Careful, you will be coined a hater...

To think Iowa doesn't have an advantage over us is crazy. Can the Pokes pull off an upset, sure. I am just looking at numbers, and we are 1-4 to end the season, we lost multiple key guys and are on the road vs a solid program.

I'm certainly not saying that they don't have an advantage nor that they shouldn't be the favorite. If I'm betting with my head and not my heart, then I pick Iowa as well.

What I AM saying is that I think some people are giving Iowa too much credit, they are a slightly above average Big Ten team, Ohio State they are not.

(I mean above average as far as the Big Ten is concerned, not all of CFB.)

 

[seattlecowboy]

I'm confused by the excessive amount of love some people are giving Iowa. They are at BEST, the #5 team in the Big Ten. And while, yes, they certainly recruit bigger-star athletes out of high school, that is only a small portion of the battle. There is coaching, scheme, player development, heart, luck, etc. that helps determine who wins a game each week. Now if this was a Ohio State, Penn State or Wisconsin, I would understand some of it. But this is a 2nd tier Big Ten team, someone that we SHOULD be able give a run for their money.

The one thing I will agree with is that Iowa does have a very strong O-Line. I don't know if I would say they are certainly the best in their conference, but they are close if not.

The best thing going for Wyoming: Iowa's weakest group is their defensive backfield, that bodes well for Allen & Co.

Careful, you will be coined a hater...

To think Iowa doesn't have an advantage over us is crazy. Can the Pokes pull off an upset, sure. I am just looking at numbers, and we are 1-4 to end the season, we lost multiple key guys and are on the road vs a solid program.

I'm certainly not saying that they don't have an advantage nor that they shouldn't be the favorite. If I'm betting with my head and not my heart, then I pick Iowa as well.

What I AM saying is that I think some people are giving Iowa too much credit, they are a slightly above average Big Ten team, Ohio State they are not.

(I mean above average as far as the Big Ten is concerned, not all of CFB.)

Well just two years ago Iowa was in the big ten championship game undefeated at 12-0 before being beat at the last second by Michigan St. And Ferentz has had other teams come close to being undefeated as well there.

Their offensive line won the best offensive line award in the country last year and they return everyone on the offensive line. Their front 7 on defense is loaded. So we don't know that they are "only" the 4th or 5th best team in the Big Ten.

Not sure if Wyoming can win this game or not but playing at Kinnick Stadium is never easy and if Wyoming pulls off the upset then I think we can win every other game on the schedule. This will be the toughest game of the year in my opinion. Tougher than Oregon or Boise.

 

[JimmyDimes]

This is kinda interesting...

Summary:
-QB up in the air (not afraid to play both)
(Opposite for us, we're solid at QB)
-Sr RB who ran for 1k; plus transfer James Butler from Nevada
(Opposite for us, RB is a big question mark regarding who will emerge)
-New OC, head coach's son
(We have a new DC)
-Biggest strength is in both trenches
(Not our biggest weakness, but losing Appleby and possibly having to start a true freshman at Center isn't ideal)
-Experienced LBs
(We lost Wacha and May)
-Replacing talented pieces in secondary
(We return our entire 2-deep)

It may just come down to which team has the better coach and can develop the potential weak areas on each team better (or exploit the other team's weaknesses)

A true freshman will not be starting at center....that is Gavin Rush's spot. Bohl has looked at a couple guys for depth....but not sure that will happen this year. He did mention Cox, Scott, Holt and possibly Jackson as freshman who might not redshirt this year.

When it comes to this year, I'm not sure looking at last year is fair. Not only do we return the most starters in the MWC....we will have more depth, size, and experience. And a new and improved DC.

The Iowa game will be a challenge. But don't think for a second the challenge will be one sided.

Go Pokes!!

 

[WYCowboy]

I'm confused by the excessive amount of love some people are giving Iowa. They are at BEST, the #5 team in the Big Ten. And while, yes, they certainly recruit bigger-star athletes out of high school, that is only a small portion of the battle. There is coaching, scheme, player development, heart, luck, etc. that helps determine who wins a game each week. Now if this was a Ohio State, Penn State or Wisconsin, I would understand some of it. But this is a 2nd tier Big Ten team, someone that we SHOULD be able give a run for their money.

The one thing I will agree with is that Iowa does have a very strong O-Line. I don't know if I would say they are certainly the best in their conference, but they are close if not.

The best thing going for Wyoming: Iowa's weakest group is their defensive backfield, that bodes well for Allen & Co.

Careful, you will be coined a hater...

To think Iowa doesn't have an advantage over us is crazy. Can the Pokes pull off an upset, sure. I am just looking at numbers, and we are 1-4 to end the season, we lost multiple key guys and are on the road vs a solid program.

On paper, I agree - but let's see how it plays out on the field. We heard the same thing time & time again last year against Boise St. About the only advantage they have at this time is home field advantage.

 

[laxwyo]

Any team started a new QB for the 1st game can be susceptible.


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[pokefanchaz7]

Any team can be beat but they are favored for a reason


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[stymeman]

Any team can be beat but they are favored for a reason


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Big 10 vs Mountain West, 9.5 outta 10 times the Big 10 would be favored no matter what, plus their recruits are quite a bit bigger, overall, but being game 1 does bring the advantage down somewhat

 

[cidsports]

Iowa is coming off a 2nd place Big Ten West finish behind Wisconsin, after a 12-0 regular season finish in 2015.

The Hawkeyes should have a good team in 2017. Over past 15 seasons, Kirk Ferentz has been #3 in NFL draft picks from the Big Ten. Not bad for a developmental program.

Iowa will likely play 10 true freshman this season though not necessarily in Season Opener.

Recruiting has gone well in 2017. Iowa has 99 starts in OL and all but one starter returns in front 7 on defense.

Iowa, like Wyoming, will have a new punter, maybe a true freshman out of WI. Yours is out of Chicago, I read.

Iowa's best Big Ten units are the OL and LBs, considered by some best in Big Ten. The WRs are young though #1 WR from 2015 is back from foot injury.

Iowa will have two returning 1000 yard rushers and had two last year. James Butler transferred from Nevada. Akrum Wadley is top playmaker and led offense against Michigan.

Iowa is favored by 13. Ferentz is 14-2 in home openers. Iowa last lost to NIU in 2013, as they were coming off Orange Bowl season.

Josh Allen is best QB, since Ben
Roethlisberger in 2003 to play in Big Ten opener and be a top flight prospect coming into a Season Opener.

The game should be a good one. Iowa respects the former Nebraska player, now head coach who leads your program. He did good work at North Dakota State.

Iowa's new OL coach was ND State's OC last year. Our new OC is former OL coach and was run game coordinator past 2 seasons. Former TE coach with Bill Bellicek and Ferentz's oldest son who played C/OG at Iowa before stop in NFL.

Iowa should have a good defense. Iowa has good CBs. DC has been with Ferentz, since start and coaches DBs. One CB was big in win vs. Michigan, his first start.

Some one is playing 'In Heaven There is No Beer' after this one.


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[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

Iowa is coming off a 2nd place Big Ten West finish behind Wisconsin, after a 12-0 regular season finish in 2015.

The Hawkeyes should have a good team in 2017. Over past 15 seasons, Kirk Ferentz has been #3 in NFL draft picks from the Big Ten. Not bad for a developmental program.

Iowa will likely play 10 true freshman this season though not necessarily in Season Opener.

Recruiting has gone well in 2017. Iowa has 99 starts in OL and all but one starter returns in front 7 on defense.

Iowa, like Wyoming, will have a new punter, maybe a true freshman out of WI. Yours is out of Chicago, I read.

Iowa's best Big Ten units are the OL and LBs, considered by some best in Big Ten. The WRs are young though #1 WR from 2015 is back from foot injury.

Iowa will have two returning 1000 yard rushers and had two last year. James Butler transferred from Nevada. Akrum Wadley is top playmaker and led offense against Michigan.

Iowa is favored by 13. Ferentz is 14-2 in home openers. Iowa last lost to NIU in 2013, as they were coming off Orange Bowl season.

Josh Allen is best QB, since Ben
Roethlisberger in 2003 to play in Big Ten opener and be a top flight prospect coming into a Season Opener.

The game should be a good one. Iowa respects the former Nebraska player, now head coach who leads your program. He did good work at North Dakota State.

Iowa's new OL coach was ND State's OC last year. Our new OC is former OL coach and was run game coordinator past 2 seasons. Former TE coach with Bill Bellicek and Ferentz's oldest son who played C/OG at Iowa before stop in NFL.

Iowa should have a good defense. Iowa has good CBs. DC has been with Ferentz, since start and coaches DBs. One CB was big in win vs. Michigan, his first start.

Some one is playing 'In Heaven There is No Beer' after this one.


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At the end of the day, Wyoming has the most talented player on the field. If he leads his team and plays within himself and makes the plays he can, Wyoming will win. If Josh Allen from the 4th Quarter against SDSU (the first time) shows up Wyoming will be good. If the Josh Allen from the last drive against BYU shows up it could be a long day.

 

[KnightHawk21]

I would argue that Akrum Wadley possesses just as much talent as Allen, albeit at a different/less important position. Josey Jewell is also in that discussion.

But when it comes down to it, football is the ultimate team game, so what one player can do really doesn't tell the whole story.