OK, it's the day after Christmas, nearly two weeks since my last post to my "new" blog. The presents have been opened, the food eaten, and drink drank. Well, except for my side of the family's Christmas happening later today. More of the same. I need to hit the gym after two weeks of eating decadent food and drinking more then my fair share of adult beverages.
Changed the tires on the STI Saturday, the 23rd. Thankful I didn't have to drive through another Iowa snowy winter with OEM racing tires. Too slippery for my taste. The TireRack kicked ass again, saving me about 100 bucks. Very efficient, sent the tires right to my mechanic.
The Hawks beat two "Southern's" over the last week, Georgia and Texas. Expected, of course. Both at home, we play well at CHA. After another warmup against Cornell this coming Saturday night, the Hawks will begin the Big Ten portion of their schedule at 8-6. That leaves little margin for error in a "typical" Big Ten season for Iowa (last year's 11-5 was not typical or indicative of the Alford era)...for example, 9-7 most likely will not get us in the Tournament (if we can keep improving, their at times listless play does not bode well for the tourney period), leaving us with a 17-13 record going into the Big Ten Tourney. Looks to be a rebuilding year for the Hawks, as frustrating as that may sound. My prediction? 8-8 (I think we will improve), with a 6-2 home mark and a 2-6 road mark. A win and a loss in the Big Ten tourney would leave us with a 17-15 overall record. Can anyone say "NIT?"
The football team embarks on Mission Impossible this Saturday with a matinee against the defending Champion Texas Longhorns. The Horns are favored by 9 (a 4 point drop from the original line), and most observers believe that Texas will put a hurting on the Hawks. Of course, most observers thought Pac-10 Co-Champ Washington would bury a 7-4 Iowa team in the 1995 Sun Bowl (38-18 Iowa) or that an 8-4 Texas team which was ranked no. 1 for two weeks back in 1984 would beat a badly sliding Iowa team in the inaugural Freedom Bowl (55-17 Iowa, 31 points in the third quarter alone, Chuck Long 30-39, 461 yards and 6 TD passes), and look at what happened.
My prediction? Texas can't be happy with their Bowl destination or opponent this year. Sure, they can talk a good game about being happy to be here, etc., blah, blah, blah, but let's face it, they were 9-1 4 weeks ago and still in the running for a spot in the BCS title game before losing their last two. They are suppose to win, we are suppose to lose. Did we finish horribly? You bet. Can we beat the Horns? You bet. Will we? Here's my two-part prediction:
If Iowa plays like they have the last 6 weeks, going 1-5 and losing to Indiana and Northwestern, we get smoked by the tune of 34-14.
If the "boot camp" mentality pays off for Kirk Ferentz, and the Hawks come out with something to prove, and the Horns prove listless with their Bowl lethargy, I say the Hawks win it 24-20.
Let the game begin!
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