Tag: Hawkeyes Football

The 2023 college football season is rapidly approaching and at this time, every team’s hopes and dreams are still alive. Some may come crashing down sooner than others, but that is neither here nor there yet.

The Big Ten is always an intriguing conference to try and predict. Like it or not, the Big Ten East is a three-team race of Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. No one else has shown the ability to dethrone any of them.

The Big Ten West is a little bit more jumbled. Last year, there were five teams in contention until the final few weeks. Iowa and Wisconsin have been the most common representatives, but Minnesota, Illinois, and Purdue have made their cases and best efforts recently.

Entering 2023, the Big Ten has seen its fair share of new faces, coaching changes, and offseason drama that will all influence how teams perform this year. With that, the predictions for each Big Ten team’s record in 2023.

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Everyone loves a good Cinderella story. It is what makes the NCAA March Madness tournament so special and fun. Any team can win against anyone. Why not translate that to the football field?

It isn’t as easy with a 12-game season and water finding its level in football compared to a 40-minute basketball game, but it can still happen. There tends to be one team each year that comes from nowhere and shocks America.

On3 believes that the Iowa Hawkeyes could be that team that is not ranked and a little bit forgotten about who could be one of the darkhorse contenders in 2023.

The Hawkeyes are a punchline for good reason, but what if Iowa suddenly had an offense capable of scaring teams even every third drive? They were anemically terrible in 2022, but they went out and found upgrades at quarterback (Cade McNamara), receiver (Kaleb Brown) and tight end (Erick All). – Simonton, On3

Iowa did go out and revamp their passing game. The additions across the board are anticipated to make changes. From Kaleb Brown and Erick All to journeyman Nico Ragaini, McNamara will have options. Toss in an up-and-coming ground game led by Kaleb Johnson, and the Iowa offense has weaponry.

Defensively, Iowa returns seven starters including All-American defensive back Cooper DeJean off a unit that allowed just 3.99 yards per play last season. The Hawkeyes checked in at No. 1 overall in ESPN’s SP+ 2023 defensive rankings. So with Iowa poised to play elite defense and special teams again, simply having a serviceable offense — vs. historically awful — could be enough to win the Big Ten West in the final year of divisions and perhaps upset one of the bluebloods from the east. – Simonton, On3

The Iowa defense is one area that isn’t questioning if they can perform, but more so how well they can perform. This unit is loaded. Led by one of the best players in America, Cooper DeJean, the Hawkeyes’ defensive unit is littered with talent.

Being a darkhorse also takes luck and Iowa has that this year. They didn’t draw Michigan or Ohio State from the East and their toughest matchup of the year is at Wisconsin. Iowa has been granted one of the more clear paths to being a darkhorse.

Elsewhere, Louisville and new head coach Jeff Brohm have been tabbed as a potential Cinderella in the ACC. They also have landed a relatively smooth schedule. The Texas Tech Red Raiders have the chance to do what Kansas State did in 2022 and steal the Big 12 with some lucky breaks.

In the Pac-12, Oregon State is becoming a bit trendy as their new quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has all the talent in the world and joins a team that surprised many by going 10-3 last year. And lastly, the always popular pick that never fails to underwhelm, Texas A&M has a Mount Everest climb to take the SEC.

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The Iowa Hawkeyes have added quite a bit of talent this offseason and return even more. Their expectations are growing and that is right in line with what this team believes that they can do.

The talent is oozing and that is evident as nine members of the Hawkeyes, across the offense, defense, and special teams, were named to Pro Football Focus’ 2023 preseason All-Big Ten Teams.

Four are from the defense, three are from the offense, and Iowa swept both of the special teams spots on the first team. While these nine did get named, there are some glaring omissions as Luke Lachey, possibly the best returning tight end in the league, isn’t named to any team at all. Kaleb Johnson flashed as a freshman and expects to blossom even more but no mention of him either.

Defensively, Xavier Nwankpa could be the best safety in the Big Ten when the season is over but is absent. Jermari Harris, returning after injury last year, also seems to be getting dismissed.

Nonetheless, Iowa is very well-represented and will look to only expand on the nine individuals below that were named.