2009 Prediction Thread Part 1: Non-Conf.

[kuhlman41]

The pieces are all in place to have a good offense this season, and we have a proven OC to put it all together. We will score touchdowns against Iowa this year.

I would venture to guess you will score a touchdown or two this year, but I just don't know if your defense can hold anyone under 30 pts.
I also don't think that by the 2nd game of year your offense will be clicking the way it should be with a new system in place. I'll guess we'll see though.
It still amazes me that ISU fans hammer Iowa fans when we pick our team to win 9 or 10 games coming off 6 win season, yet 1/2 the ISU fans pick your guys to win 6 or 7 games coming off winning 5 games in 2 years. I guess new coaches have really got you guys excited, just like two years ago. I think every ISU friend of mine I talked to when Chizik was hired gauranteed he was the man to turn it around.

 

[WalkingCY]

The Clones are not going to lose to a little 11 team at home next year. 1-6 in the Bowls....overrated conference....all the time.

Heck yes the away game at Kent St. is going to be a tougher game for ISU.... New coach and on the road for the first time with him.....(we just haven't been successful on the road as of yet....could be wrong this year.)..thus why you are seeing many pick this way.

 

[Gitwitit]

The Clones are not going to lose to a little 11 team at home next year. 1-6 in the Bowls....overrated conference....all the time.

Heck yes the away game at Kent St. is going to be a tougher game for ISU.... New coach and on the road for the first time with him.....(we just haven't been successful on the road as of yet....could be wrong this year.)..thus why you are seeing many pick this way.

Because Ohio St losing to Texas in the final seconds of the game is a bad loss...or PSU losing at USC (best team in the country many thought) is a bad loss....or Michigan St hanging right with Georgia who was ranked #1 to start the year is a bad loss...or Northwestern losing at the end of the game to Missouri is a bad loss.....Minnesota losing to Kansas was the only bad loss and Minnesota was playing terrible at the end of the year (3-4 straight losses with a 55-0 beating by Iowa).

But I guess ISU is good by association since they played in the same conference as Texas and Oklahoma even though they didn't play either of them.

 

[kuhlman41]

You called it GitWitIt. Most Cyclone fans do think they are a better team than they really are, simply by association with the Big 12.

 

[TarHeelHawk]

Because Ohio St losing to Texas in the final seconds of the game is a bad loss...or PSU losing at USC (best team in the country many thought) is a bad loss....or Michigan St hanging right with Georgia who was ranked #1 to start the year is a bad loss...or Northwestern losing at the end of the game to Missouri is a bad loss.....Minnesota losing to Kansas was the only bad loss and Minnesota was playing terrible at the end of the year (3-4 straight losses with a 55-0 beating by Iowa).

But I guess ISU is good by association since they played in the same conference as Texas and Oklahoma even though they didn't play either of them.

You forgot Wisconsin getting their heads handed to them.

 

[HILLCYD]

You called it GitWitIt. Most Hawkeye fans do think they are a better team than they really are, simply by association with the Big 11.

 

[Gitwitit]

You forgot Wisconsin getting their heads handed to them.

That's right...that was a bad loss! I hate Wisconsin!

 

[cyhiphopp]

My problem with last year Iowa game is that every Hawk fan I talk to seems to believe that they dominated ISU the whole game. ISU outgained Iowa in yardage. Any form of red zone production out of McFarlands offense and we can win that game. That is not domination.
ISU has every right to believe that, despite new coaching, a win in Ames is more than possible.

 

[TarHeelHawk]

My problem with last year Iowa game is that every Hawk fan I talk to seems to believe that they dominated ISU the whole game. ISU outgained Iowa in yardage. Any form of red zone production out of McFarlands offense and we can win that game. That is not domination.
ISU has every right to believe that, despite new coaching, a win in Ames is more than possible.

Interesting...when I used that argument after the 2005 game, all I got was "23-3" and "6 of 8!." As someone else has all ready said in this thread, that game was close until halfway through the 4th quarter. But I digress.

That was a weird game to watch (last years). ISU fan will say that if it wasn't for the sloppy field that their offense would have done better, while Hawk fan will say that the same field is the only reason Shonn didn't run for 200 yards.

It was Stanzi's first start, and he looked bad. It was Arnauds (and of lot of ISU players) first true road game, and that showed as well. ISU's coaching staff melted under the pressure in the 3rd quarter, and Iowa took advantage in the 4th.

 

[benjay]

I would venture to guess you will score a touchdown or two this year, but I just don't know if your defense can hold anyone under 30 pts.

I don't either, in fact I have no reason to believe we'll be better on defense than last year except to hope that the new DC makes all the difference.

 

[benjay]

Interesting...when I used that argument after the 2005 game, all I got was "23-3" and "6 of 8!." As someone else has all ready said in this thread, that game was close until halfway through the 4th quarter. But I digress.

That was a weird game to watch (last years). ISU fan will say that if it wasn't for the sloppy field that their offense would have done better, while Hawk fan will say that the same field is the only reason Shonn didn't run for 200 yards.

It was Stanzi's first start, and he looked bad. It was Arnauds (and of lot of ISU players) first true road game, and that showed as well. ISU's coaching staff melted under the pressure in the 3rd quarter, and Iowa took advantage in the 4th.

Iowa was a much better team last year. At the time I was upset, but in hindsight, our guys did well in a tough road game - just didn't capitalize on red zone opportunities.

edit: And really that was the story all year with McFarland's offense - red zone production was so awful.

 

[TarHeelHawk]

Iowa was a much better team last year. At the time I was upset, but in hindsight, our guys did well in a tough road game - just didn't capitalize on red zone opportunities.

edit: And really that was the story all year with McFarland's offense - red zone production was so awful.

Iowa was a much better team at the end of the year, not that day. I'm pretty sure that I wasn't the only Hawk fan who got nervous when Kirk sent Jake in. In close games like that, the outcome usually comes down to 1/2 a dozen plays or so. Make those plays, you win - don't, you lose.

 

[Al_4_State]

To respond to the numerous Hawk claims that our offense won't score much against them this year because we haven't the past two years, and we have a new offense:

A) Two years ago, our offense was just plain anemic.

B) Last year, they rolled up yards (in the complete muck, no less), and failed to execute in the red zone. That offense improved over the season, alot.

C) Iowa's defense loses alot more than ISU's offense

D) ISU will NOT be running a dramatically different offensive system. Herman plays to the strengths of his players, and has gotten overnight results. He does this by not throwing a whole new system at them, and instead adapting his system to the talent on his team. Expect a lot of new wrinkles, but its not like these guys are going to be learning a foreign language.


As far as the claim that predicting victory over Iowa and defeat to Kent St is ridiculous? This shows a lack of awareness in regards to ISU football, but I wouldn't expect that level of awareness from someone who didn't follow us. We're always competitive against Iowa anymore, the home team was won 5 straight in the Cy-Hawk series, and ISU is god awful on the road.

 

[Gitwitit]

To respond to the numerous Hawk claims that our offense won't score much against them this year because we haven't the past two years, and we have a new offense:

A) Two years ago, our offense was just plain anemic.

B) Last year, they rolled up yards (in the complete muck, no less), and failed to execute in the red zone. That offense improved over the season, alot.

C) Iowa's defense loses alot more than ISU's offense

D) ISU will NOT be running a dramatically different offensive system. Herman plays to the strengths of his players, and has gotten overnight results. He does this by not throwing a whole new system at them, and instead adapting his system to the talent on his team. Expect a lot of new wrinkles, but its not like these guys are going to be learning a foreign language.


As far as the claim that predicting victory over Iowa and defeat to Kent St is ridiculous? This shows a lack of awareness in regards to ISU football, but I wouldn't expect that level of awareness from someone who didn't follow us. We're always competitive against Iowa anymore, the home team was won 5 straight in the Cy-Hawk series, and ISU is god awful on the road.

In regard to C; Iowa returns 8 starters on defense from a team that ranked second in pts allowed. At the three positions they must fill, they are filling with experienced and talented guys. Iowa could very well have the best defense that ISU faces this year. I would expect a lot of the same as last year; Arnaud will dink and dunk them up and down the field and get into fg range a few times, but ISU will not score a lot of pts because Iowa just seems to take that away from teams.

It's more a matter of Iowa's offense putting up pts as they will have to work out kinks early in the season. Can ISU's defense step up and stop Iowa; that will be the difference.

 

[TarHeelHawk]

In regard to C; Iowa returns 8 starters on defense from a team that ranked second in pts allowed. At the three positions they must fill, they are filling with experienced and talented guys. Iowa could very well have the best defense that ISU faces this year. I would expect a lot of the same as last year; Arnaud will dink and dunk them up and down the field and get into fg range a few times, but ISU will not score a lot of pts because Iowa just seems to take that away from teams.

It's more a matter of Iowa's offense putting up pts as they will have to work out kinks early in the season. Can ISU's defense step up and stop Iowa; that will be the difference.

You could almost say that Al_4_State "shows a lack of awareness in regards to Iowa football, but I wouldn't expect that level of awareness from someone who didn't follow us."

Then again, there was no way that Iowa would ever replace Roth and Babineaux, and then there was no way that Iowa would ever replace Iwebema and Mattison, and there is no way that Iowa will ever be able to replace King and Kroul.

 

[Al_4_State]

You could almost say that Al_4_State "shows a lack of awareness in regards to Iowa football, but I wouldn't expect that level of awareness from someone who didn't follow us."

Then again, there was no way that Iowa would ever replace Roth and Babineaux, and then there was no way that Iowa would ever replace Iwebema and Mattison, and there is no way that Iowa will ever be able to replace King and Kroul.

Yup. I'll freely admit to that. I'm a CYCLONE fan, who goes on the CYCLONE board, to talk with other CYCLONE fans. I don't have so much free time that I have time to waste on rivals teams boards talking **** in February... Isn't there an Iowa message board? If so, you guys are either:

A) obsessed with us to the point where you feel you have to post here all the time, or

B) lacking a life.

 

[Al_4_State]

In regard to C; Iowa returns 8 starters on defense from a team that ranked second in pts allowed. At the three positions they must fill, they are filling with experienced and talented guys. Iowa could very well have the best defense that ISU faces this year. I would expect a lot of the same as last year; Arnaud will dink and dunk them up and down the field and get into fg range a few times, but ISU will not score a lot of pts because Iowa just seems to take that away from teams.

It's more a matter of Iowa's offense putting up pts as they will have to work out kinks early in the season. Can ISU's defense step up and stop Iowa; that will be the difference.

For the record, ISU returns 10 starters on offense. Not a staggering difference numbers wise, but it is a difference. You also lose your best players. We return our best players. The guys coming up underneath might be good, but they won't be jelled yet, as a unit that early. I see it as a slight advantage for the good guys.

 

[cyhiphopp]

You could almost say that Al_4_State "shows a lack of awareness in regards to Iowa football, but I wouldn't expect that level of awareness from someone who didn't follow us."

Then again, there was no way that Iowa would ever replace Roth and Babineaux, and then there was no way that Iowa would ever replace Iwebema and Mattison, and there is no way that Iowa will ever be able to replace King and Kroul.

There may be some on this site who say that there is no way Iowa will ever be able to replace King and Kroul, but I think the majority are just baffled that Iowa fans think that they will be replaced so easily. It is very possible that Iowa has replacements that will play well this year, but I also think that some Iowa fans discount the significance of the loss of two of your best defensive players. I do not think that the Iowa defense will be as good as they were last year by the time they play ISU this year. I am also not sure that Hampton has the ability to carry the offense the way a Doak Walker award winner could.
I also admit that I wish ISU's offensive line was as consistently good as Iowa's. That is one facet of Iowa football that is impressive.
ISU has a very good chance of winning the game in Ames. Period.

 

[cyhiphopp]

You could almost say that Al_4_State "shows a lack of awareness in regards to Iowa football, but I wouldn't expect that level of awareness from someone who didn't follow us."

Then again, there was no way that Iowa would ever replace Roth and Babineaux, and then there was no way that Iowa would ever replace Iwebema and Mattison, and there is no way that Iowa will ever be able to replace King and Kroul.

Al_4_State was not calling you stupid with this statement. He was actually making a sarcastic comment about ISU not doing well on the road.
Is it possible that Iowa fans may know less about ISU than ISU fans? I sure as heck don't think that I know more about Iowa football than you do, and would never claim to.

 

[TarHeelHawk]

Al_4_State was not calling you stupid with this statement. He was actually making a sarcastic comment about ISU not doing well on the road.
Is it possible that Iowa fans may know less about ISU than ISU fans? I sure as heck don't think that I know more about Iowa football than you do, and would never claim to.

Which is the point I was trying to make earlier (not directed at you)

Another thing I don't understand is the mindset that everything will be cool if ISU beats Iowa, but loses at Kent St. I know ISU hasn't won a roadie in a while, but if they can't beat Kent St (who loses the 2 guys who gave the Clones fit) after beating Iowa, I would be seriously pissed off as a fan. Road game or not, thats a game that should be in win column without a discussion. Your boys should beat Kent St., regardless of how the Iowa game turns out.