Jon Miller Predictions
- Thread starter timappelgate
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I can understand Jon's reasoning. Iowa could easily be favored to win every game, but odds are they lose 2-3 over the course of the year. If you have five 60-40 chances you could see yourself winning them all when you take it one game at a time.
I think their win over GT is being really overrated, and that's setting them up for a fall. They matched up well and had so much time to prepare.
I think their win over GT is being really overrated, and that's setting them up for a fall. They matched up well and had so much time to prepare.
What is funny is all the post about how Iowa was lucky they didn't lose 3 or 4 more games last year. What about 2008 when they lost all 4 games by a combined 12 points, was that luck? In all honesty Iowa is 22 points away from having back to back perfect regular seasons so why is it really that crazy to think they could go 12-0 this year? Luck tends to balance itself out, so couldn't the breaks Iowa got in 09 have been the recipient of the breaks they didn't get in 08? Also did anyone really think they would start 9-0 last year?
In all seriousness, I seem to remember most Hawk fans thinking they would start 10-0, and that the Ohio State game was the only toss-up. The reason Miller's prediction of 12-0 is odd (at least to me) is that this time last year he was hesitant, but not dismissive, that Iowa was a BCS Bowl-caliber team, yet now he's throwing caution to the wind and having them in the national championship discussion. I guess I can't really fault him, as more sports writers are putting Iowa down as the "sexy pick" for National Championship Darkhorse, but one would think he would want to err on the side of caution with a "safe" prediction of at least another 10 win season. I think a "safe" prediction is more warranted, as his site will generate more traffic as he begins his new show on the Big 10 Network and the last thing Hawk fans need is to take a credibility hit on the national stage as these predictions feel more "tavernhawk" rather than a thoughtful, but Iowa-leaning, analysis.
Well…at least this thread disproves the old adage that our fan base is just as infatuated with what goes on at Iowa as we are with our own team. 
The only thing right about this prediction is that he captured OU's loss to ISU.:wideeyed:
Yep, I think you are on to something here. I think GT was the best matchup the hawks could have hoped for in a BCS game. GT won a lot of games last year by being in a soft conference and running their option offense very well. That sort of attack is hard to prepare for in the regular season when you just have a week to get ready and a team built to stop the pro style and spread offenses that are so common today.
Iowa has a run stopping D and a pretty good coaching staff. Given a month to prepare for a one dimensional running attack, there was never a question in my mind that they were going to win that game. I don't think it was an impressive win at all by BCS standards.
They did get some lucky breaks, but they also had a ton of injuries last season, especially on the offensive side of the ball. With Hampton, back and a healthy OL their offense could be much improved this season.
I don't think Iowa will go 12-0, but I could see 10-2 or even 11-1.
Really, because the #'s seem otherwise, Iowa was 34th in rushing D, 4th in passing D and 3rd in passing efficiency D. I realize Iowa may not have faced as many teams that throw the ball, but it isn't as far off a you think. They had 383 passes against them while and the most passes against a team that finished in the top 30 was 449 passes and in fact Iowa only faced 78 more runs then passes and over 13 games last year, so that is 6 more runs a game then passes.
Thats suprising, I had previously thought that the last pass actually thrown in a B10 game was sometime in the mid '80s. Nonetheless, it's still boring as hell to watch.
I will watch a pro style offense anyday over spread teams that like to throw the ball all over the field. I hate watching the shotgun formation where the QB either hands the ball off to the RB or keeps it. To me that is boring as hell to watch.
So what you're saying is you'd rather watch a "high flying" offense score 3 points per game less than a methodical ball control offense? I think that's what I'm gathering here.
Any way you slice it, you won't find many Iowa fans who disagree that Iowa's offense was average at best last year. What so many Iowa fans are excited about is Jewel Hampton coming back. You can trot out the company line of "Well he just had garbage minutes after Greene did his damage in '08" all you want. The fact of the matter is his ability exceeds that of both Wegher and Robinson.
As far as his knee, nobody knows how he will handle it, a lot of players are different when it comes to when they trust it again. Medical science is insane this day in age. From what I saw on the Iowa Preview Special on the BTN the other night, he looked rather comfortable cutting on it.
Coming back around to Jon's prediction, I think it is a little bold. Personally I am guessing a 9-3/10-2 type campaign for Iowa this year. Ricky seemed to be fairly high on how the OL is coming together in camp, and going against one of the top DL's in the country every day in practice definitely won't hurt their progress at all. Breaking in new LB's will be a challenge, but again, having a top flight DL playing in front of you taking up double teams will only make their breaking-in process go that much smoother.
At the end of the day, we are fans. We drink the kool-aid like there won't be any left tomorrow. I don't think it's insane to hope for a two game improvement for either team.
For the most part, it's done to prevent defensive personnel changes. IE: If a 2nd and mid-range play turns into a 3rd and long, it prevents the defense from going to a nickel package as there is little time to substitute.
Agreed though, it is annoying to watch.
I don't really know much about the B10 to be honest. I don't think I've sat down and actually watched a B10 game in years. Just something about the league that I find very bland, not really sure why, just a personal preference.
