ESPN's Latest Pre-season Top 25 (Big Ten)
I wish we were playing Iowa and Penn State at the very beginning of the season.........
Iowa will lose 4 this year at least. I don't care what anyone says, I'm not drinking the damn Iowa kool-aid. With people gunning for them now, they'll go down early.
Wait a sec, I thought it was supposed to be last year with everyone gunning for them that they take a fall.
I'll take your action, or anyonne else's that they'll lose at least 4 games. All day. Just name the price.
I don't think anyone was talking about Iowa before last season because I doubt most people realized they still had a team down there. It was amazing how many Hawkeye stickers and car flags I amazingly started seeing everywhere around week 7or 8. If they hadn't blocked two Northern Iowa field goals anyway, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I'd be willing to bet they lose early to Arizona on the road.
Didn't Iowa lose a ton of OLinemen? They were good last year, but there were a lot of games they won that they easily could have lost (like MSU and us).
I know they lost Bulaga, and that guy was a monster.
I believe they also lost their right tackle. He went somewhere on the 3rd day.
Their names are way too similar for this to be completely original but oh well.I definitely read his name as Baluga in my head until recently.
Then I would start singing that Baby Baluga song from when I was a kid. Damn you Raffi!
Do you follow up with some banana phone?
So yeah, they will probably suck.
Except when facing difficult 4th quarter deficit. Then you'd better buy 2 tickets for the Stanzi comeback express.
Please...Indiana straight up folded, and their receivers did all the work, not Stanzi.
...calling back two obvious indiana touchdowns, and the luckiest pick 6 anyone will ever see, off a hand, a helmet, than it hit the QB's own hand, off another helmet and into tyler sash's hands, and before anyone from indiana realized the ball had just gone in a complete circle he was already in the endzone
I didn't say I was betting on Stanzi to win the game. Just that he'll be there when it happens. The man is basically a Iowa rabbit's foot.
Penn State is just as generous as Iowa. They will not finish in the top 25 I don't think. I bet Wisconsin finishes ahead of Iowa, too.
With a noob at the helm I also find it hard to believe they'll finish top 25.
Not only with they have a noob QB, but they'll have a patchwork OL. That is not a recipe for success.
...a situation we have a little experience with. The PSU fanbase is high on my schadenfreude watch list.
They'll finish ranked because of who they are. Year after year they are over ranked. I've come to accept it just as part of reality not because it is right.
After the past few years PSU fans were getting cocky, but this year there is fear that I haven't seen in a long time.
...significant as corn in a pile of cow dung. I am not lambasting you but I seem to recall that Michigan basketball was #15 or so on many pre season polls. How did that turn out?
Everyone here knows this. And we will discuss such polls anyway. It is the offseason. Why do people sweep into these conversations and insist on pointing out the obvious like it they are some source of wisdom for the masses?
You've got some work to do!
the endless sports media tongue-bathing that Ferentz and JoePa get. At least Michigan wasn't ranked #15... that would not be a good omen.
SI's recent top 25 is even more generous to the B10:
3. Ohio State
5. Iowa
9. Wisconsin
14. Penn State
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/05/03/post-s…
Wow... that just sets the Big Ten up for the "overrated" meme, doesn't it? I don't know if any of those pan out.
I'm still not sold on OSU. It's pretty well guaranteed that their offense is good to great but I'm still not convinced of their offense's abilities. Iowa and PSU are losing more than the media guys realize, and Wiscy always finds a way to shoot themselves in the foot... like giving up 3 defensive/special teams TDs to lose to OSU last season.
Defense?
God, I am so sick of hearing about how Boise should get a title shot. Play in a real conference with a real schedule and you can be taken seriously. If Alabama's signature win was against Oregon at home in week 1, all that anyone would talk about is how they had such a weak schedule all season long. Give me a break, the Broncos aren't cute anymore, they're just annoying.
To be fair, they did schedule Virgina Tech and Oregon State this year, which are ranked 7th and 17th in these pre-season rankings.
If they're a legit #2, they should be able to handle both of them and could make a statement by beating at least one by a comfortable margin.
We'll earn our way in by the end
They are ranked high because of last year, not this year. "Iowa won a BCS game last year, so they must be good this year".
"Penn State beat LSU last year, and they are part of the SEC which has never lost a game in the history of the universe. So PSU must be amazing or have Jedi abilities."
Compare the final rankings of last year to the way too early rankings of this year, and there is little difference.
Exactly...The rankings are based on who went to what Bowl Game the previous season. They always fail!
Michigan will be proof of that!