Tag: 2022 Iowa football schedule

Mountain West Wire predicts comfortable win for the Iowa Hawkeyes over Nevada

Mountain West Wire likes the Iowa Hawkeyes to beat Nevada handily in week three of the college football season.

This could be a long day at the office for the Wolfpack. It seems everybody has the Iowa Hawkeyes handily defeating the Nevada Wolfpack to finish out their out-of-conference schedule. All of us at Hawkeyes Wire have Iowa winning by blowout proportions, and in Matthew Kenerley’s recent opponent breakdown for Mountain West Wire, he has the Hawkeyes taking down Nevada with ease 24-9.

It doesn’t seem likely that the Wolf Pack will be overrun by an Iowa team that’s more than happy to sit and wait for breaks to come their way, but it also doesn’t seem clear that they’ll have enough answers on offense to get the best of what looks like, on paper, one of college football’s best defenses. – Kenerley, Mountain West Wire.

A bulk of the preview does focus on the defensive strength the Hawkeyes possess, both linebacker Jack Campbell and cornerback Riley Moss featured as key players. Kenerley acknowledges the level Iowa played at last year, seventh in the country by allowing just 4.72 yards per play, ninth in points per drive allowed, and fourth in available yards percentage allowed, and points out the big pieces they bring back.

Behind them, Campbell and Seth Benson (105 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two sacks) will patrol the middle with help from Jestin Jacobs.

In the secondary, Moss is the veteran leader but the unit isn’t without experience otherwise. Strong safety Kaevon Merriweather (42 tackles, four passes defended) made seven stars last year while cornerback Jermari Harris (34 tackles, four INTs) made six. – Kenerley, Mountain West Wire.

On the offensive side of the ball, it’s pretty much the standard preview. Iowa’s offense disappointed last year on all accounts. Spencer Petras needs to step it up a notch at the quarterback position, Iowa needs to figure out how to replace Tyler Goodson’s rushing production, and the line needs a bounce-back year in 2022. Kenerley makes a comparison of Iowa to Mountain West contender San Diego State, a team who also struggled on the offensive side of the ball but were more than able to make it up with their defense.

Overall, 24-9 is a pretty simple victory for the Hawkeyes. The Wolfpack are kind of a mess, losing pretty much their entire offense in the span of one offseason. From coaching to personnel, this is an almost entirely new Nevada offense. They are facing one of the best defenses in the country, and will struggle to score points.

That matches with our predictions. Nobody is projecting the Wolfpack to score over two touchdowns. There is a difference of faith in the Iowa offense for this season, though. All three of the Hawkeyes Wire crew predict the Hawkeyes to score over 31 points, making it even more of a lopsided win.

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Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Connor Colby flexing his versatility

Iowa offensive lineman Connor Colby has been working at both guard and tackle, showcasing his versatility for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa offensive lineman Connor Colby has been showcasing his versatility, working at both offensive guard and tackle during the Hawkeyes’ 2022 training camp.

It’s already been important and figures to remain that way, too. Unfortunately, the Hawkeyes lost guard Justin Britt for the season, and while these aren’t season-ending injuries and don’t seem particularly serious listening to the Iowa coaching staff, both Mason Richman and Nick DeJong sat out during the Hawkeyes’ open scrimmage at the Kids’ Day at Kinnick.

After a season in which Colby started each of Iowa’s final 11 games at right guard, the ideal destination is probably to keep the 6-foot-6, 308 pound offensive lineman right there on the inside. Still, his versatility is something the Hawkeye coaching staff has to love.

Listening to Colby at Iowa Media Day, he’s fine so long as he’s got a spot on the field.

“I mean it’s been fun, anything I can do to be out there and play football. It’s a change up every now and then, keeps me on my toes,” Colby said.

Ultimately, Colby is keeping any inherent differences between guard and tackle pretty simplistic.

“You have to be ready no matter what, because no matter what there’s going to be a good guy across from you and you have to be ready to handle them,” Colby said.

In terms of bright futures in Iowa City, Colby’s would have to be right toward the top of the list. As a true freshman, Colby garnered All-America status from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the Maxwell Football Club.

Thanks to his standout true frosh campaign, Colby has been picking up recognition before this 2022 season boots off. Phil Steele named Colby a preseason second-team All-Big Ten selection, while Athlon Sports handed out preseason third-team All-Big Ten status to the sophomore.

With plenty expected of Colby, he’s just happy to be fully settled into what Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett and the Hawkeyes are asking of him.

“This year I have a better understanding of what’s going. I need to keep improving my fundamentals in order to make a big difference from this year to last year,” Colby said.

The Hawkeyes head into 2022 as one of the favorites in the Big Ten West. As the defending West division champion, there’s a laundry list of games that could fit the billing as one of the Hawkeyes’ most important.

Colby isn’t ready to iron down which one he’s looking forward to the most.

“I am excited for all of them, but I think the first time back in Kinnick Stadium will be fun. Coming out of the tunnel again, experiencing the atmosphere of all the fans. And they are all sold out this year, which is a testament to our loyal fan support,” Colby said.

As Iowa looks to get more out of its offense in 2022, one of the reasons for optimism is the man from Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Colby epitomizes a lot of the Hawkeyes’ hopes along their offensive line.

Similar to several of his teammates, the hope is his inexperience from last season morphs into seasoned play in 2022.

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Iowa Football: Hawkeyes’ Week 1 opponent ranked No. 2 in FCS top 25

While it is Week 1 and the Iowa Hawkeyes will be locked in, South Dakota State is no slouch coming to Kinnick as the No. 2 team in FCS.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are welcoming in the South Dakota State Jackrabbits during Week 1 of the 2022 college football season on September 3 and will have anything but a pushover victory.

The Jackrabbits will be entering Kinnick Stadium as the No. 2 in the country in the FCS top 25. They are coming off of an extremely successful 2021 campaign which saw them end the season 11-4 and a trip to the FCS playoff semifinals.

The Jackrabbits still have one of the FCS’ best backfields, led by RB Isaiah Davis, and two tremendous wideouts in the Janke twins. Now, they’re healthier at QB. This team has a great chance to get back to the FCS championship game. – Hunt, CBS Sports

One extremely interesting, and slightly stomach churning, piece of information regarding Iowa and South Dakota State lies in Colorado of all places. Last year the Hawkeyes and Jackrabbits shared one common opponent, the Colorado State Rams.

The Jackrabbits went on the road and really sort of dismantled Colorado State on their home turf by a score of 42-23. The Jackrabbits passed for 224 yards and ran for 242 yards for 466 total yards of offense on their way to a dominant victory.

Iowa hosted Colorado State last season and went into halftime with a deficit of 14-7 before prevailing 24-14. The Hawkeyes had 278 total combined yards on offense.

Now, the Hawkeyes defense is in a different stratosphere than Colorado State and should thwart much of the success that South Dakota State saw against the Rams. That said, this won’t be any sort of walk in the park to open up the season.

Iowa knows that South Dakota State wants to come in and make a resounding statement against not only an FBS team, but a Power 5 team from the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes need to be ready to fire on all cylinders come September 3 and not let this thing stay close for very long to avoid giving the Jackrabbits even more pep in their step.

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Sporting News sends the Iowa Hawkeyes bowling against N.C. State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Sporting News put out a preseason bowl projection and has the Iowa Hawkeyes going bowling with the North Carolina State Wolfpack.

It’s early and the season hasn’t even kicked off yet, but we do have postseason bowl predictions already underway! It is never too early to start wondering how much time will be needed to be blocked off over Christmas break to watch or travel south for a winter vacation in order to see the Iowa Hawkeyes’ bowl game.

Sporting News’ Bill Bender recently came out with his preseason bowl predictions and he has Iowa appearing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against the North Carolina State Wolfpack on December 30.

This says one of two things. Iowa is going to outperform expectations this year or North Carolina State is going to underperform. I say this because Iowa was not ranked in the top 25 while the Wolfpack came in at No. 13.

The Hawkeyes have never appeared in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl or any of its previous names (Belk Bowl, Meineke Car Care Bowl, or the Continental Tire Bowl). The Wolfpack have appeared in the game three times under the different bowl names and have a 2-1 record.

This wouldn’t be the first matchup of the schools as they have met three previous times, the most recent being in 1992. North Carolina State holds a 3-0 record over the Hawkeyes.

It’s early and Iowa Hawkeyes coaches, players, and fans are all setting their expectations on a higher bowl destination, but should this come to fruition, there is some solace in the possibility of Kirk Ferentz receiving a mayo bath.

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Iowa Hawkeyes ranked No. 28 in the Preseason CBS Sports 131

According to the preseason CBS Sports 131, the Iowa Hawkeyes are just on the outside of the top 25 looking in.

At least according to the CBS Sports experts, the Iowa Hawkeyes are on the outside of the top 25 looking in. In their Preseason CBS Sports’ 131 college football rankings, Iowa checks in as the nation’s No. 28 team. That’s down 10 spots from where the Hawkeyes were ranked headed into the Vrbo Citrus Bowl versus Kentucky.

Of course, the Wildcats handed Iowa a 20-17 defeat in the bowl game and sent the Hawkeyes into the offseason on a disappointing note. Since then, Iowa has been working to replace a star at center in Tyler Linderbaum, who was drafted No. 25 overall by the Baltimore Ravens.

In addition to Linderbaum offensively, the Hawkeyes will be looking to replace 1,000-yard rusher Tyler Goodson who is with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent.

Defensively, much of the retooling will come in the secondary. Gone are longtime starters Dane Belton, Matt Hankins and Jack Koerner. Still, there’s plenty of firepower defensively thanks to the return of star linebackers Jack Campbell and Seth Benson. Jestin Jacobs appears set to emerge as the Hawkeyes’ third talented linebacker in 2022.

Beyond that, the cornerback position boasts an All-American in Riley Moss and Iowa has a series of talented defensive linemen it feels great about. Figuring out how to get the most out of the quarterback competition in either Spencer Petras or Alex Padilla is what will set Iowa up to skyrocket up these rankings quickly.

As it stands, Iowa sees five Big Ten teams ranked in front of them in the initial CBS Sports 131 rankings of 2022. The top ten according to CBS looks like this: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Utah, No. 5 Clemson, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 8 Michigan, No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 10 Baylor.

The other Big Ten teams ranked in front of Iowa are No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 18 Penn State and No. 20 Michigan State. The Preseason CBS Sports 131 rankings are compiled from ballots of college football experts across CBS Sports and 247Sports and they will be updated weekly following the conclusion of week one action.

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The 10 best Big Ten football players the Iowa Hawkeyes will see in 2022

The Big Ten is known for producing future NFL stars. Who are the 10 best individual talents that Iowa will see in 2022?

The Big Ten is one of the premier football conferences in the FBS. Big Ten teams are typically scattered throughout the top 25 rankings, and a lot of players are drafted out of the conference.

There’s a big team-first style of mentality that is attached to the conference, team’s playing football the “right way,” but that absolutely does not mean there aren’t superstars to be found. Even with rosters held to a high standard, there are still those few players that stand out and today we are going to rank them.

Here are the 10 best individual players Iowa Hawkeyes fans will see against their beloved squad in 2022.

Iowa’s 2022 importance rankings: Breaking down the schedule’s games with the most significance

Every college football game is important, but which games are the most important for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2022?

Let’s establish this from the start. Every single game in college football is important. You cannot afford to take a game off. That one loss could make or break your season.

The Hawkeyes have to view every game as a must-win. That being said, there certainly are games with more at stake, or with more of a narrative in play than others. Games hold a special significance. About a month before the season, here is my ranking of every Iowa 2022 football game from least important to most important.

2022 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule: Downloadable Wallpaper

Never miss a game this season with our downloadable 2022 Iowa Hawkeyes football schedule for your smartphone.

Never miss a game this season with our College Wire downloadable 2022 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule. Use it as wallpaper for your lock screen on your smartphone.

Also, please share it with friends so they have the schedule with them at all times too!

Download the 2022 Hawkeyes football schedule here.

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Iowa Football Schedule 2022: 3 Things To Know

Iowa football schedule. The 2022 schedule with 3 things to know

Iowa football schedule 2022: Who does Iowa miss on the Big Ten schedule and what are 3 things to know?

Iowa Football Schedule 2022

Sept 3 South Dakota

Sept 10 Iowa State

Sept 17 Nevada

Sept 24 at Rutgers

Oct 1 Michigan

Oct 8 at Illinois

Oct 15 OPEN DATE

Oct 22 at Ohio State

Oct 29 Northwestern

Nov 5 at Purdue

Nov 12 Wisconsin

Nov 19 at Minnesota

Nov 25 Nebraska

2022 College Football Schedules: All 131 Teams

Iowa Football Schedule What To Know: Who do the Hawkeyes miss from the Big Ten East Division?

Yuck.

Every Big Ten team plays three teams from the other division. Playing Rutgers helps, but that’s offset by having to go to Ohio State and having to play Michigan. On the plus side, the Rutgers game is on the road – if you have to play a Big Ten road game, that’s not bad – and the date in Columbus is after the off-week.

Also on the plus side, the Hawkeyes miss Penn State and Michigan State, and not dealing with Maryland might not be so bad. They also miss Indiana.

In the West, they get Wisconsin at home but have to go to Minnesota for the Floyd of Rosedale showdown. Traveling to Purdue isn’t a plus, but Nebraska has to come to Iowa City.

Iowa Football Schedule What To Know: Just beat Iowa State again

There’s a shot at a really, really big start as long as Iowa can take care of home in non-conference play.

South Dakota, Iowa State, Nevada. All will require effort in their own way, but as long as the Hawkeyes can beat the Cyclones, they’ll probably be 4-0 before Michigan comes to town for the rematch of the Big Ten Championship. Win that, and all that’s in the way of a possible 6-0 start is a trip to Illinois.

Iowa Football Schedule What To Know: What does it all really mean?

There might be some bad breaks – going to Ohio State is the one – but Iowa only has to leave the state once before October 8th, and that’s the Rutgers trip.

There are two road games in a row and three in four dates, but there’s a key week off before Illinois and Ohio State. It’s all leading up to November, and Iowa will be right in the mix for the West title in the final month. Win those four games, and it’ll almost certainly be back in the Big Ten Championship.

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2022 College Football Schedules: All 131 Teams