Kyle Hunter sports picks – A degree in finance and a great ability to follow important trends and statistics set him apart from the rest. Totals are Kyle's specialty, so look for a lot of totals picks from NBA, NCAAF, & the NFL. Check out his plays today.
How about 50 wins and 3 losses? That is the Boise State Broncos record over the last four seasons. Chris Petersen has taken this team to the next level. There is a major question mark surrounding this season though: the departure of star quarterback Kellen Moore.
Southern Miss may have started the 2011 season with an ugly loss at Marshall in week two, but the Golden Eagles ended the season on an extreme high by thrashing Houston in the Conference USA Championship game and then winning the Hawaii Bowl.
Last season’s Hall of Game was cancelled due to the labor dispute, but this year the NFL is all ready to go this Sunday night. The Cardinals and Saints will kick off the NFL Preseason schedule with this showdown.
Ohio State and Michigan might have the most tradition in the Big Ten conference, but no one has been better in the last few years than the Wisconsin Badgers. If you were to pick a team that has been the most consistent at the top of the heap in this conference of late, you’d have to select Wisconsin. Michigan and Ohio State are gaining steam with great new coaches. Can Wisconsin stay on top?
A little over a week ago, the Detroit Tigers had taken over the AL Central lead and looked ready to run away with it.
Pat Fitzgerald still isn’t 38 years old, but he now has the second longest tenure of any Big Ten coach (behind Kirk Ferentz at Iowa). Fitzgerald is a young spirited coach who has gotten the most out of his teams. He recently signed an extension that keeps him in Evanston until 2020.
Detroit and Boston are both teams who have underperformed expectations this year, but both of them are still in the playoff hunt. The Red Sox lineup is finally getting healthy, and the Tigers are starting to get some better performances from the starting rotation.
It’s hard to label Brady Hoke’s first season with the Michigan Wolverines as anything but a major success. Hoke led the team to an 11-2 record and a BCS bowl win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Last year showed that Hoke knows how to win in the Big Ten.
Nebraska fans expect a lot. Tom Osborne really spoiled the Cornhusker fans back in the 1990’s. The Huskers haven’t won a title since 1997, but Bo Pelini has done a good job coaching this team. The team has put together four straight seasons of at least nine wins.
Jerry Kill’s first year with the Minnesota Golden Gophers was a tough one, but that was to be expected. Kill experienced health problems that brought several scares last year, but he actually did a very good job with a team that was severely undermanned in the Big Ten.
Kirk Ferentz is 96-66 in his 13 years at Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have had some special seasons, but sometimes this is a tough team to figure out. After a disappointing 8-5 year in 2010, the Hawkeyes only went 7-6 in 2011. Both years the team has finished at 4-4 in the Big Ten. Still, Iowa has had plenty of close calls in the past couple.
Big 10 Conference 2012-2013 College Football Previews: Iowa Hawkeyes
Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz
2011 Record: 7-6
Iowa Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS Championship: +9,000
Iowa Gambling Odds from JustBet to win Big 10 Conference: +1,000
Iowa Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2012 Schedule –>
This is a team that isn’t too far away from another breakout season.
The 2011 Hawkeyes were as inconsistent as ever. A win over Michigan made the team look great, but a loss to lowly Minnesota was extremely confusing. Iowa changed things up a great deal in the offseason. Defensive coordinator Norm Parker retired and offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe took a job with the Miami Dolphins. The schemes might look a little different on both sides of the ball in 2012 for the Hawkeyes.
James Morris and Christian Kirksey are two defensive leaders for the Hawkeyes at the linebacker position. Both of those guys finished the 2011 season with 110 tackles. Kirk Ferentz loves having leaders at the linebacker spots, and these guys fit the bill very well.
Micah Hyde is one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten. Hyde has scored two defensive touchdowns in his career, and he has extremely impressive footwork. He is the leader of a strong secondary. B.J. Lowery is a terrific cover corner, and he’ll start opposite of Hyde. Tanner Miller and Nico Law are solid physical safeties that should do a great job for the Hawkeyes.
Tight end is a position of strength for the Hawkeyes heading into 2012. C.J. Fiedorowicz has the potential to be a major matchup problem for the opposition because of his size and foot speed. Zach Derby is another solid tight end, and I expect Iowa to use double tight ends quite a bit this year.
The position that has been a glaring weakness for Iowa over the last few years is running back, and this year is no different. This team has tried all kinds of guys at tailback over the last few years, but they haven’t been able to get anyone to stick. Damon Bullock and De’Andre Johnson appear to have the top two spots on the depth chart, but they are completely unproven. This could be a major problem again in 2012.
The defensive line has been the team’s strength in recent years, but there are major concerns surrounding this unit in the year ahead. Only a couple starters are set, and the Hawkeyes have some real depth issues along the line. This defensive front might be bullied by some of the Big Ten offensive lines this season.
The Hawkeyes start the season against Northern Illinois at Soldier Field in Chicago. After that one, Iowa will face Iowa State and Northern Iowa. Iowa’s first tough test of the season comes October 13th at Michigan State. The Hawkeyes got a great break inside the Big Ten this year as they’ll avoid both Wisconsin and Ohio State. Iowa is a good team, but I don’t think they have enough talent to be among the best in the Big Ten. Look for this team to get to eight wins thanks to an easier schedule in 2012.
9/1/12 3:30 PM ET @NOILL
9/8/12 3:30 PM ET IOWST
9/15/12 3:30 PM ET NIOWA
9/22/12 TBD CMICH
9/29/12 12:00 PM ET MINN
10/13/12 12:00 PM ET @MCHST
10/20/12 8:00 PM ET PENST
10/27/12 12:00 PM ET @NWEST
11/3/12 TBD @IND
11/10/12 TBD PURD
11/17/12 TBD @MICH
11/23/12 12:00 PM ET NEB
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been the biggest surprise in Major League Baseball so far this season. It seems the Pirates are in the playoff race to stay this year. The Cubs have a solid home record, but they have been awful on the road.
Illinois started the 2011 season 6-0 and it looked like the team was ready for big things. The Fighting Illini then proceeded to lose six straight games. Illinois fired coach Ron Zook before the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl game last year. Illinois did rally for 20-14 win over UCLA in that game.
Kevin Wilson’s first year with the Indiana Hoosiers didn’t go exactly as planned. Everyone knew he was walking into a difficult situation, but a 1-11 season in 2011 was definitely a disappointment. In fact, the team’s only win came over a non FBS school (South Carolina State).
Joe Tiller took the Purdue Boilermakers to 10 bowl games in 12 seasons. The pressure was on Danny Hope to get the Boilers back to a bowl game in 2011. Hope did get Purdue to their first bowl game in three years. In fact, the Boilers edged Western Michigan 37-32 to end the season with their first bowl victory since 2007.
The Michigan State Spartans have won 22 games in the past two seasons. The team won a Big Ten Legends Division title and picked up their first bowl win since 2011. There is no doubt that the last couple years have been two of the most successful in the school’s history. Mark Dantonio started a rebuilding process when he showed up four years.
