Thursday, May 20, 2010

Phil Steele Releases Pre Season All American Teams

For those of you who don't recognize Phil Steele, the guy is the guru of college football.  He is usually fairly accurate as to his preseason predictions and what he says carries a lot of weight, particularly at this time of the year.  Steele's release of his pre season All Big XII and All-American teams is getting quite a bit of buzz around the college football landscape because of the various inclusions and omissions and, in light of the horrible weather cancelling Iowa's baseball game against Purdue, I would like to throw in a couple notes on his list.  Obviously Phil Steele is far more accurate than everyone (you too ESPN) including myself but the man is not infallible (see him predicting Illinois as the number 3 team in the Big Ten last season).  So here are my thoughts on Phil's preseason All American teams.

All-America team preview

- My biggest complaint, of this entire list, is the inclusion of Ohio State wide receiver DeVier Posey.  This one perplexes me quite a bit because Posey wasn't even top five in his conference last season.  Indiana, Iowa, Penn State, and Michigan State all have at least one receiver returning who was a bigger asset to their team than Posey was to the Buckeyes last year.  The guy has skills, and maybe this has something to do with the touchdown pass he threw against NewMexico State last season, but I just don't see him having a big enough impact on this team to be an All-American.  The Buckeyes like to run the ball and they have the offensive line to grind it out.  Posey isn't an undefendable superfreak which means corners will jam him, he will get stuck in traffic, and he still hasn't figured out how to become an elite wide receiver.  He has potential, but right now I think this is a huuuuuuge  stretch for him, especially when the rest of the Buckeye receiving corps is losing a number of veterans.  Tandon Doss, Marvin McNutt, DJK, Mark Dell, these are just some of the receivers who will likely put up bigger number and be bigger factors for their team in the Big Ten than Posey.

- Sticking with the Buckeyes on the list, I think I would switch Terrel Pryor and Justin  Boren.  Boren is a physical freak who will be a sure fire NFL prospect.  Stefan Wisniewski of Penn State is a great lineman but I would swap him and Boren because of how dominant Boren figures to be along a dangerous Buckeye line.  Pryor as a first team AA player will certainly draw some controversy, but I can see where this is coming from.  Pryor looksready for a breakout year and there just aren't many returning quarterbacks who look like they will be capable of getting the statistics and the wins they would need to earn the 1st team AA spot.  That being said, Case Keenum and Houston look poised to put up all kinds of nasty numbers and I think he will be the better quarterback.  Also, how Cameron Heyward got supplanted by Robert Quinn as a first team DE I will never understand.

- I would swap Evan Royster and La'Michael James.  James was by far the bigger X-factor for his team last year and with Oregon losing Jeremiah Masoli James should figure to have an even bigger role this season.  Royster certainly deserves to be on this list but it isn't like he is setting the world on fire.  His feet are painfully slow and he seems to lack an identity as a runner.  The fact that he has been so succesful in spite of those things is certainly impressive, but it doesn't mean he is the better player.

- Mark Barron?  Robert Sands?  Really?  Maybe it is just my homerism or my love of safeties who play like center fielder-shark hybrids but Tyler Sash should be swapped with one of those guys.

- Kyle Rudolph = OVERRATED.  The guy is a solid player but he might as well be playing offensive tackle in new Notre Dame coach Chip Kelly's system.  DJ Williams and Lance Kendricks could both claim the no.1 spot instead of Rudolph but given what Wisconsin has traditionally done with the position and Kendricks' raw talent I think he will be in the top spot by the end of the year.

- I don't know much about everyone's punter but I am uneasy about putting Ryan Donahue that high up.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Pre Season Top 25 Vol. 1

So here are my preseason top 25 teams for the 2010 season.  This will be updated around late July or but I think that the current list is fairly well set outside of the 20-25 spots.

1. Ohio State: Call me Big Ten biased, but if the Buckeyes take care of business on the road against Iowa and Wisconsin, they win the conference, and likely finish with no more than one loss. Now, this is not an unflawed Ohio State squad. The offensive line still needs to turn a corner and some skill position players need to step up and assert themselves more to make this attack more than mediocre. I think the Buckeyes defense is great aside from safety, which is not a huge weakness but could potentially limit the blitzing schemes Ohio State uses. However, in comparison to everyone else, the Buckeyes are, at least on paper, the best.


2. Boise State: How good are the Broncos? They return pretty much every starter except stud corner back Kyle Wilson from a team that was undefeated last year. But who did they play worth mentioning? Yeah they beat Oregon at home, but the Ducks were hardly a juggernaut, especially compared to the big boys who came out of the SEC and Big XII last year. How good Virginia Tech will be is debatable, but beating them in Landover on the opening Thursday night should grab enough votes to maybe break into the National Championship game if the Broncos go undefeated. The problem with that is that the Broncos better hope the Hokies, and the ACC, perform better than they did last year or else there will still be that “Yeah but…..” attached to the Broncos record.

3. Florida: What?!?!?!?! He didn’t pick the Crimson Tide? No, I didn’t. Sorry but recruiting athletes and talking about how Nick Saban is a genius doesn’t really make up for how many holes this defense has. You will not win a National Title, let alone an SEC championship, without strong, experienced, defense. Florida needs to find an offense with a punch but I think new QB Brantly will actually be a breath of fresh air. The kid is a pocket passer who can scramble if he has to, which should work great for Urban Meyer who lacked the explosiveness last year he needed to make up for Tim Tebow’s inability to become an elite level passer. The Gators are flawed but enough guys come back to move through a rebuilding SEC.

4. Southern California: Monte Kiffin might be the greatest thing that ever happens on this defense. With this kind of talent, and his son’s ability to coach quarterbacks, the Trojans are a rebuilt offensive line away from a National Title run. Oregon will be a test, but it is one that the Trojans will face at home and nobody else on the schedule looks ready to beat USC. There have been questions about the talent level on the Trojans, but this team with the level of coaching this staff brings, which, despite the mocking from the SEC, is extremely good, is going to be a monster again.

5. Alabama: Look, experience matters. Alabama is going to be restocking the shelves with a lot of guys who just don’t have the experience to do what last year’s phenomenal squad did. Nick Saban is a great coach but he is a notoriously conservative coach who focuses on time of possession. Having an experienced defense is a big part of making that strategy successful and that just isn’t something Alabama has right now. Also, what is really overhyped about this team is the returning starters on offense. Mark Ingram is good, but he wasn’t even statistically the best player at his position last year, despite the fact that few running backs had great years. Greg McElroy was decent, but he wasn’t a major threat unless teams had to sell out to stop the run, and most of the teams listed in the top ten will be able to do that. The Tide will probably be in a BCS bowl game, but they will likely be in there with two losses.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Happy Hour: The Return of the Previews and Expansion speculation

DAILY SPECIAL: Since finals week began there have been a few big happenings along the preview circuit.  CFN has started releasing their team by team previews, so far Big Ten teams Indiana and Northwestern have been previewed as well as nearby Big XII team Kansas.  These are usually worth the read so if you hav the time to flip through the links that preview the offense and defense I would recoomend it.

The Rivalry Esq continues it's team by team conference preview with a week solely devoted to the Hawkeyes.  It's a good write up and there will be new posts every morning so you should be reading them.

BHGP is breaking down the Hawkeyes position by position and started with the Manzi at quarterback.

Corn Nation discusses Iowa and the role the Hawkeyes will play if the Huskers join the Big Ten.  Not a bad read if you want Big Red's perspective on the Black and Gold.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

No Beer Today

No Beer Today,
No Beer Today,
'Cause There's No Beer On Sunday
No Beer Today
No Beer Today
You'll Have To Come Back On Monday


Finals are over and Monday marks the first weekday of summer break. Sunday I will be out watching the Iowa baseball team.  If you haven't heard, the Hawks are two games behind the league leader and could sweep Ohio State (a very good baseball team) with a win on Sunday.

Monday we will have the usual Iowa sports wrap-up including a nod to former KRUI sports director Jordan Loperena.  Later this week we will have my preseason top 25, some early team previews,  and a preview of next weekends baseball matchup against Purdue (it's a big one).  In the mean time relax, enjoy the weekend, and Go Hawks.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

FINALS

The bar is closed for finals week.  We will be back in a week when finals are over with more Iowa sports coverage.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Happy Hour: Lists Lists and More Lists

It's the silly season in college football. When so called experts release projections and we all point out how Notre Dame is hopelessly over rated again. I can't really say that I am innocent in all of this or that I don't get some kick out of it. It is what it is, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

DAILY SPECIAL: The Daily Gopher released it's Big Ten power rankings earlier this week, you will notice we tend to disagree on where Minnesota will finish. Adam Rittenberg and ESPN released their monster spring post on the Big Ten, the number of videos and links is somewhat staggering. You should really read all of the individual previews but here is the Iowa one in case you are lazy. The Rivalry Esq. and CFN (here and here) have both released their bowl projections, somehow CFN has Michigan in the Holiday Bowl despite the fact that the only way that happens is if Michigan joins the Big XII. Expansion insider info? You be the judge. Sports Illustrated lists their spring top 25. Mine will be posted sometime later this week. Finally we round out the lists with ESPN's spring top 25 video:



DRAFTS: Montel Marion has been indefinitely suspended from the Hawkeye wrestling team after and OWI. He was driving the wrong way down Washington after drinking a few. As BHGP points out, Tom Brands is a notorious disciplinarian and if Marion thought the arrest was bad, what Brands does to him will probably be far more painful.

Brent Metcalf will face Darion Caldwell (the bastard who did back flips after beating Metcalf in 2009) on the deck of the USS Intrepid (a decommissioned aircraft carrier in NYC). No word yet as to whether Metcalf plans to strangle, bludgeon, or disembowel Caldwell, or if he will just throw him off the side of the ship. My bet is on all of the above.

SHOTS: March to March brings in a nice Big Ten basketball preview for those who have given up on football this season. For some reason they don't mention Iowa as a dark horse candidate.......

Speaking of the basketball team, Darius Stokes, son of former Hawkeye center Greg Stokes and older brother to Linn Marr women's basketball standout Kiah Stokes (please come to Iowa Kiah), has pledged to walk on to the basketball team.

The Iowa baseball team defeated Coe College 16-6 in the corridor classic.  I still maintain that the fact that our biggest in-state baseball rivalry is with Coe is a sad reflection on the state of baseball in Iowa.

The Press Citizen uses a slightly misleading headline in this article about the Orange Bowl costs.  The fact that the UI came out $54,954 ahead should surprise nobody who has ever been on a trip with Iowa athletics.

Finally, the Iowa women's tennis team has received an invite to the NCAA tournament.

The First Rankings

In addition to this being an Iowa Hawkeyes blog, there will also be plenty of discussion of the bigger picture in college sports.  Today, I want to put together an early look at the Big Ten conference, including a preliminary ranking of each team.  As with all lists on this site, there is a marginally related youtube clip to go along with each item, so if you don't agree you can just watch those and have your brain melted before you can respond. 

I almost expect this girl to post a video bitching about how obvious this no. 1 pick is, but I bet she is too busy bludgeoning a baby seal somewhere to take the time to do it.

1. Ohio State: Yeah the Buckeyes are loaded, but they are not unbeatable.  They are going to have to avoid slip ups at Iowa or Wisconsin to ensure that they have the tie breaker for the Big Ten's automatic bowl bid, otherwise either team could pass them with a few breaks.


You see what I did there?  Bird is the word......Hawkeyes at no. 2?  Fuck you.

2. Iowa: I just don't see the Badgers beating Iowa in Kinnick which means the Hawkeyes will have to either lose more than two games or the Badgers will only lose once this season.  The Hawks have the most favorable conference slate of the top three teams, facing the best conference teams at home.


I would say this season will drive Wisconsin fans to drink, but what doesn't drive Wisconsin fans to drink?


3. Wisconsin: If there is one team in conference that has the best shot at beating Ohio State in a game, it's Wisconsin.  The Badgers are extremely experienced and I  think their defense is going to be a little better than people expect.  However, as I mentioned before, I don't see them beating Iowa.  Which means that unless the Hawkeyes or Buckeyes go into a free fall, Badger fans might want to just start booking tickets for the Capital One Bowl.


Fun drinking game, watch this and drink every time you see someone who plays football for Michigan State.

4. Michigan State: The Spartans got into some trouble with Johnny Law last season but it should not overshadow the talent that is on this team.  This Spartans team has the best linebackers in the Big Ten, a solid defensive line, and a secondary that will be just good enough to not be a liability. If the Spartans can find a ground game to go with Kirk Cousin's arm, I think they have a shot at moving into the top three, especially considering they don't face the Buckeyes and get the Badgers at home.


Much like real Northwestern fans, these cats listen to Smash Mouth and consider themselves superior to you.

5. Northwestern: The Wildcats lose quarterback Mike Kafka but I think Dan Persa will be just fine.  More troublesome is the loss of pass rusher Corey Wooten, who was the only guy on the defensive line who seemed capable of getting into an opposing teams backfield.  That combined with a secondary that is going to be a little green next year could mean that the Northwestern D takes a bit of a step back.  If the Wildcats can't turn Arby Fields into a decent RB they are going to fall down these rankings really fast.


Just once I want to see Joe Paterno get off the bus and do this dance.

6. Penn State: Yeah, the QB situation is that bad.  Even Penn State's much regarded freshman QB still needs some work, and that is not good for the Nittany Lions who need a dynamic signal caller to fill for Clark.  The offensive line still hasn't shown it can form a cohesive unit and the talent at the tackle position is questionable.  The defense should be fine, but it won't be the superstar unit it was last year and it will cost the Lions some games.  Combine that with a road schedule that includes trips to Alabama, Iowa, and Ohio State, and this is a Lions team that could be lucky to be 8-4.


Indiana has spent the last ten years as the team tied to the back bumper of the Big Ten and forgotten.  Not anymore.

7. Indiana: The Hoosiers had the Big Ten's best passing attack statistically last year and have multiple play makers on offense who can make it even better this year.  If Darius Willis can step his game up at RB this offense could be one of the best in the Big Ten.  Then there's the defense.  The unit isn't completely horrible, with some solid guys filling in for the big name starters who left last year, but there just isn't enough talent on D to expect the Hoosiers to finish much better than 7-5.


This is about how drunk you will have to be to enjoy watching Michigan football next year.  The asshole hat is not necessary though, if you are watching the Wolverines it is kind of implied.

8. Michigan: Remember the comments about how bad Indiana's defense will be?  Michigan's will be worse.  The Wolverines are going to have to blitz like hell to generate any sort of pressure but they already lack so much in coverage anyway that it really doesn't matter what they try to do to defend the pass.  You and ten guys could get a hundred yards rushing on the Maize and Blue defense despite a couple of solid linebackers.  The rest of the Michigan defense is really that bad.  The offense will be good enough to let them try and outscore some of their lesser opponents, but the Wolverines are going to get worn down easily by teams who run the ball decently.


This video is likely the most enjoyable thing that will happen for Purdue fans this season

9. Purdue: This is the second year in a row that the Boilermakers suffer huge personnel losses.  Yeah, last year's team was in a lot of games and they did upset Ohio State.  What gets lost from all that is the fact that they had a QB, Joey Elliot, who had been in the system for four years and was ready groomed to step in and play.  They had play makers who were ready to go on defense and a running back who was ready to break out.  They lost all of that this year to graduation and injury.  Robert Marve is not Joey Elliot, his learning curve  is far steeper and it is going to be a much rougher ride with all the losses on a defense that was mediocre at best. 


Thus ended the Ron Zook era at Illinois.
 
10. Illinois: This one was a tough call, since Minnesota is arguably the more talented team.  However I think Illinois, with the starters it returns, will have somewhat better defense and I think the Illini will likely beat Minnesota in Champaign.  The Illini's new quarterback Nathan Scheelhase might actually be better than whoever starts for Penn State but the offensive line, and the fact that Ron Zook has a habit of pouring gasoline on his teams progress and lighting a match, will keep them out of a bowl game.  The schedule is just good enough to keep  them out of the Big Ten cellar but another bowl-less season ends the hilarious run that was the Ron Zook era at Illinois.
 
With Tim Brewster on the ouster the Gopher faithful are going to have to find someone else to blame for why their football team consistently sucks.  Why not blame Canada?

11. Minnesota: this was a tough call, but in the end the Gophers schedule is just that rough.  South Dakota is the only guaranteed win on the entire schedule, and all of the winnable Big Ten games are on the road.  The offense has no real stars and the defense losses almost everybody off a unit that was above average at best.  The Gophers are under their third offensive coordinator in as many years and still haven't found anyone to run the ball consistently.  They aren't the least talented team, but they are the worst coached and there is not enough talent on either side of the ball to compensate for that.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Happy Hour: New Recruits and the Scariest Thing You Will See On The Road In Iowa



DAILY SPECIAL: Iowa picked up a third commit to the 2011 recruiting class.  Austin Blythe, an offensive lineman from Williamsburg Iowa, has widely been considered the top prospect in the state.  He is a dual sport athlete, wrestling at heavyweight (though he will not wrestle in college) in addition to football, and had offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Wisconsin, and Stanford.  He is most likely an offensive guard but who knows, judging offensive lineman coming out of high school is like me trying to predict what the weather will be like in February.  I should mention now I won't mention stars a lot on here, recruiting stars are about as helpful at determining how successful a kid will be as the color of his car.  Stars belong on flags and in the sky, not on football players (unless you play for the Cowboys).


DRAFTS: It's spring which means the I-Club tours are in full force.  Kirk Ferentz's remarks at the Cedar Rapids Rotary Club were published in the Gazette by the illustrious Marc Morehouse.  The remarks themselves were not too eye opening.  Ferentz still isn't big on kids leaving High School early, James Vandenberg improved alot last year the usual.  Also, Ferentz divulged that Tom Brands and Norm Parker will be traveling together for their annual I-Club visits.  We think the picture provides an accurate depiction of what this looks like.


SHOTS: 

- Ricky Stanzi is cutting down on his interceptions (thank God)
- Phil Johnson's gym, which was originally founded in his garage, has helped numerous UI athletes
- Charles Boozer says he will transfer from Iowa State to treat an "anger issue".  In his defense, if I got stuck playing for the Cyclones, I would be pretty angry too.
-The folks over at Black Shoe Diaries enjoy seeing Penn State students get tazed at Phillies games (yes there is video).
- The Rivalry Esq says that preseason expectations have been the enemy of Wisconsin.  They have been spending a week going through each Big Ten team and I would recommend reading back if you haven't been following (if nothing else at least read this epic post by Black Heart Gold Pants' Hawkeye State on Minnesota).



Monday, May 3, 2010

The First Case of The Mondays



MEN'S GOLF: The men's golf team finished second at the Big Ten tournament this past weekend.  The Hawks finished three strokes behind first place Illinois in what was their best finish since 1992.  Barrett Kelpin shot a 284 which was good enough for third place individually.  Brad George tied for 13th place with a 293 and Chris Brant tied for 16th with a 294.  The men's golf team has had an up and down year but this was a great showing for them.  I was a little disappointed in Vince India, he was the man for this team last year but he placed fourth on the team (tied for 22nd overall) with a 296 and never really looked like he was capable of having a sub-70 stroke round.  The strong finish ensures the team will beheaded to the regional NCAA tourney and perhaps beyond if they manage to get hot.

SOFTBALL: The Hawks dropped a pair of contests to Ohio State, losing 4-3 on Sunday and 6-5 today after nine innings.  Yeah Ohio State was no. 19 nationally but considering how hot this team was early in Big Ten play it is really surprising Iowa has fallen this far.  I know getting runs has been a problem, but now it seems as if minor inconsistencies in the pitching are getting exposed.  The Hawks have two winnable series on the road against Illinois and Minnesota before coming back to host an extremely talented Michigan squad.

BASEBALL: Iowa split a double header with Minnesota at Duane Banks field on Sunday, winning the first contest 11-4 and losing the second 12-2.  Iowa dropped the rubber match today 6-1, moving to 18-24 on the season.  Frankly, it isn't very surprising.  Iowa baseball has a couple of decent players and then a bunch of so-so college players.  They try hard sure, but the defense and hitting just aren't there and the bullpen is certainly suspect.  In short, they are the Kansas City Royals of college baseball.  Up next is the Corridor Classic which, since UNI and Iowa State no long have baseball programs, is against Coe College.........Yeah.

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