Hopefully, Iowa enjoyed a nice easy win over Northwestern because the pressure is back on. The honeymoon is over, here comes the Big Ten West division gauntlet.
While their midseason clashes against Michigan and Ohio State will show just where Iowa stacks up nationally, the Hawkeyes’ season really depends on the final four games of the season. Iowa faces four straight extremely tough divisional rivals as they push for a spot in the Big Ten championship.
Iowa fans will want to forget all about Purdue. Just when it looked like the Hawkeyes were legitimate national contenders last year, Iowa ranked No. 2 in the country and coming off of a massive win over Penn State, everything came crashing down against Purdue. The offense couldn’t do anything against the Boilermakers, losing 24-7.
Purdue is an interesting team in 2022. They played spoiler in 2021, knocking off both Iowa and Michigan State. They just weren’t consistent enough, though, dropping some key games against Ohio State and Wisconsin. Their offense emerged as one of the best in the nation over their last six games, averaging 37.1 points per game during that stretch. Can Purdue keep that hot streak rolling into 2022?
Aidan O’Connell, quarterback
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Aidan O’Connell was a revelation for the Boilermakers last season, especially in the home stretch. Finally given a chance to start, O’Connell was one of the best passers in the Big Ten. He was as efficient as they come, completing over 71% of his passes. He threw for 28 touchdowns as well. Just watching him, he’s clearly a step up from the average Big Ten quarterback.
King Doerue, running back
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A lot was made about the loss of fullback Zander Horvath this offseason. Drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, Horvath was a valuable addition to the Purdue run game. In the midst of their fullback…
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