While it ended with a gut punch in the Big Ten championship game versus Michigan and the Vrbo Citrus Bowl versus Kentucky, the 2021 season was a very good one for Iowa overall. The Hawkeyes won 10 games and captured the Big Ten West crown.
According to the way SB Nation’s Maize N Brew sees 2022 playing out for Iowa, Hawkeye fans should buckle up for a step backwards.
In their recent predictions for the Big Ten West in 2022, Maize N Brew had the Hawkeyes tumbling to a fourth-place finish in the West division. Here’s what Maize N Brew’s Daniel Plocher had to say about the Hawkeyes.
Kirk Ferentz is one of the best coaches in the country, and he is going to have a tough challenge ahead of him. The offense was anemic for the entire 2021 campaign, and they still got to Indy. Their most productive players on that side of the ball from a season ago, Tyler Goodson and Tyler Linderbaum, are now playing in the NFL. On top of that, a quarterback battle between Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla awaits. There are a lot of things to sort out on that side of the ball. – Plocher, Maize N Brew.
While it should be noted that they see the top four all as competitors for the division, Iowa is the team they are least sure on. As Plocher mentioned, the offense does lose some pieces, and he has a concern on the defensive side of the football.
The defense will carry this team, just as it has for the last two decades. Three starters return on the defensive line, and Jack Campbell, one of the best linebackers in the country. This should be one of the best defenses in the country yet again.
My question is if they can repeat their success in forcing turnovers. The Hawkeyes stole 31 possessions from opposing teams a season ago. Stats like that are very difficult to replicate, especially when your schedule consists of teams like Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan. – Plocher, Maize N Brew.
That fear on defense is one that doesn’t stand out right away, but is secretly in the backs of…
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