Congratulations to Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes because no matter what happens from here on out this has been a season for the ages.  Ferentz has pulled off a turnaround that no other college coach has ever done.  He went from overpaid hot seat coach to a guy that has cemented his legacy at Iowa.  He turned his program around not once (when he first arrived and Hayden had left the cupboard pretty bare), not twice (when the highs of the early 2000’s teams turned into the slump from 2005-2007) but three times (after the low point of 2012’s 4-8 record was followed up with two lackluster seasons).  The offense is better, the defense is better (the Indiana and Minnesota games not withstanding) and the special teams has been fantastic.  In a few instances Ferentz has had no choice but to play players that are major upgrades over last year’s team.  No offense to Mark Weisman but LeShun Daniels, Jordan Canzeri, Akrum Wadley and Derrick Mitchell are all better options at RB.  At punt returner Desmond King is in a completely different league than Kevonte Martin-Manley was and the graduation of John Lowdermilk was a gift as Miles Taylor is a gigantic upgrade.  Ferentz made some choices, none bigger than the one to go with CJ Beathard over Jake Rudock, and it was as much about him making a choice as it was about whom he chose.  Picking Dillon Kidd over Connor Kornbrath at punter doesn’t get as much attention but it has been a huge change for special teams.  Back in January when Ferentz said that he needed to “spend more time in the building” meaning he had somewhat gotten away from his coaching duties and he felt he needed to put more emphasis on it I thought it was just more coachspeak but now I don’t think it was.  Ferentz has always been a good man and I think the disappointment of last year was his wake up call and he realized that he wasn’t coaching he was just being Coach.

The game against Minnesota was a contrast because it was a thing of beauty to watch Iowa’s offense bulldoze over the Gophers and watching a healthy LeShun Daniels run downhill all day long is just fun.  That was in stark contrast to watching the Iowa defense look like they were on skates and rolling backwards all day as Minnesota scored almost at will.  The Hawkeyes should have had the game put away a number of times but the defense played it’s worst game of the year.  Minnesota QB Mitch Leidner looked like a Heisman candidate and Iowa’s defensive line couldn’t touch him.  It didn’t help that LB Cole Fisher and CB Greg Mabin couldn’t cover anyone, I’m still trying to figure out how they were so consistently blowing coverage.  I don’t mean to call out two guys and blame everything on them because it was a collective terrible effort by the defense those two just stuck out a little bit more than others.  The defensive line couldn’t get pressure and both DTs Jaleel Johnson and Nathan Bazata were dominated inside like they haven’t been all year.  I guess this time it was the offense’s turn to bail out the defense and it’s not like they didn’t owe the defense one (remember the Wisconsin game).

This weekend the Hawkeyes can clinch the B1G West Division title with a win over Purdue.  The Boilermakers have played a few teams tough but this Iowa team is built to destroy them.  Purdue is 113th out of 128 teams against the run and they give up over 210 yards per game.  They are middle of the pack on offense and while they lit up Nebraska’s defense Iowa’s D is much better (assuming they play better than they did against Minnesota).  They have a new QB David Blough that has given them a spark but he’s a redshirt freshman and doesn’t have a ton of experience.  Their offensive line is not nearly as good as the Indiana or Minnesota lines Iowa just faced.  It’s supposed to be cold and windy and the exact type of game Iowa is built to win.  Run the ball, sustain drives and play shut down defense and West Title is Iowa’s.

I find it funny that people are worried about going on the road to Nebraska on Black Friday because Nebraska will be motivated to play spoiler, end Iowa’s undefeated season and they will be playing for bowl eligibility.  Somehow playing for a chance to make the Heart of Dallas Bowl is going to be a bigger motivating factor for the Huskers than Iowa playing for an undefeated regular season and worst case scenario going to the Rose Bowl?  I’m ready to watch the Hawkeyes run all over Purdue (the betting line started at Iowa as 17 point favorites, Vegas isn’t scared of the Boilermakers) and then we can worry about Black Friday.

College Football Hott Reads  (short and sweet)

• Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel announced he is retiring after the season because he has cancer and while it’s treatable and his prognosis seems good he wants to devote his time to beating the cancer and spending time with his family.  Pinkel is 63 years old and I wish him the best.  Not a lot of coaches would walk away but he has his priorities straight and he’s earned his time with his family.
• The Heisman voting is going to be interesting.  Early front runner Leonard Fournette has gone MIA in LSU’s two big LOSSES.  TCU’s Trevone Boykin is injured and they lost ugly too.  It might be Alabama RB Derrick Henry, it might be Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield or it might be Clemson QB Deshaun Watson but my vote is still going to Iowa CB Desmond King.  Okay I don’t actually get a vote but I still have an opinion.

NFL Hott Reads

• Peyton Manning was benched this week and while he is now out with a foot injury, trust me it wasn’t the foot that got him benched.  Manning completed 5 passes for 35 yards and threw 4 picks and he was benched.  The end is near, like standing behind you tapping you on the shoulder near.
• Brian Hoyer had been playing pretty well for the Texans and then he got knocked out of this week’s game with a concussion.  Things are so bad in Houston at QB they signed Brandon Weeden.  Yikes.  Bill O’Brien will draft a new QB in 2016 unless he decides to head back to the college game.  With so many top job openings O’Brien will have many options if he lets it be known he’s interested.
• The Titans fired Ken Whisenhunt before he even made it two years as head coach.  Mike Mularkey is the interim coach and while he hardly is exciting things were not going in the right direction with Whisenhunt and the Titans can’t allow Marcus Mariota to suffer with a coach he doesn’t fit with.
• The Saints finally put defensive coordinator Rob Ryan (yes Rex’s twin brother) out of his misery, maybe it was Sean Payton’s misery, it certainly was Saints’ fans misery because the defense was awful.  Former Raider head coach (and one time very good Bronco defensive coordinator) Dennis Allen was given the task of fixing the defense.  Good luck to him, the Saints defense is the third biggest disaster to hit New Orleans, right after Katrina and the oil spill.

Leave it to Kirk Ferentz and his Hawkeyes to get my hopes up.  The biggest hurdle standing in the Hawkeye’s way to an undefeated 12-0 regular season was the road game against the high scoring Indiana Hoosiers and they handled it beautifully.  Akrum Wadley got Iowa off to a quick start with a 65 yard TD run on the second play from scrimmage and while Indiana bounced back and even had a lead for a while the Hawkeyes and QB CJ Beathard never panicked and they wore down the Hoosiers.  Beathard still has a groin injury but don’t tell him that as he did his best Superman impression for one score and later iced the game with a nice run after a play-action to LeShun Daniels and got the first down.  Speaking of Daniels he played a solid game complementing Akrum Wadley at first and then when Wadley got banged up Daniels stepped in.  He rushed for 78 yards and 2 TDs and looked like the power back he was before his ankle injury.  This game was as tough as people thought but Iowa’s combination of running the ball, Beathard’s efficiency in the passing game (and some timely running) and a defense that slowed the Hoosiers and made them earn every yard was enough to pull it out.

This weekend both Minnesota and Nebraska looked better than they have before and those two teams will both be looking to spoil Iowa’s undefeated run (Purdue will want to too but that game is less worrisome).  The Gophers are all heart at the moment but they just aren’t that good.  They will fight tooth and nail but in Iowa City at night this weekend just seems like a lot to ask so I see Floyd coming home.  Nebraska has lost some damn close games this season and they finally got a break this weekend with a blown call by the officials.  The officials were correct in saying that the WR on that last pass re-established himself with two feet inbounds before he caught that ball and the replay confirmed it, however, it was the official’s initial call that the WR was pushed out-of-bounds that didn’t actually happen.  They couldn’t review that part apparently so they let the play stand.  It’s okay by me because Michigan St. now is out of the undefeated ranks and won’t be able to snake the Rose Bowl out from under Iowa if the Big Ten title game doesn’t go the Hawks way.

The path to the Rose Bowl cleared up quite nicely this weekend for the Hawkeyes and while I’m hoping Iowa wins the Big Ten Championship if they get to that game undefeated the worst case scenario is a trip to Pasadena.  If  an undefeated Iowa team meets an undefeated Ohio St. team in the Big Ten title game the winner is headed to the College Football Playoff and the loser is heading to the Rose Bowl.  There is still 3 weeks to go and Ohio St. has to get through Michigan St. and Michigan to end the year and Iowa has to survive a trip to Lincoln on Black Friday but I can see this happening.

In an attempt to make the college football talking heads explode the College Football Playoff Committee moved Iowa all the way up to #5 in their rankings.  Iowa is 9-0 and has beaten two ranked opponents on the road and Pitt at home so anyone that thinks their resume doesn’t measure up needs to find a new measuring stick.

MLB Hott Read

• Congrats to the Kansas City Royals on their World Series victory.  Now spend some money to keep them together.

College Football Hott Reads

• The President of the University of Missouri system Tim Wolfe resigned under pressure from protests on campus.  This is a sports story because the protests have been going on for a few weeks but it wasn’t until this weekend that the Tiger’s football team said they wouldn’t participate in any football activities until Wolfe resigned.  The national attention shining down and the potential of the Missouri football game against BYU in Kansas City this weekend being cancelled was the tipping point.  I have only read some of the stories about the racial issues the Missouri administration seemed to be ignoring so I’m not completely up to speed on this but I applaud the football players for taking a stand on something they believe in.  It’s about time college athletes used the money they generate for the University for their own cause.  It would have cost the school at least $1 million if they didn’t play that game, that certainly got someone’s attention.
• Speaking of clueless administrators Illinois relieved AD Mike Thomas of his duties after their internal investigation of their coaching issues showed Thomas didn’t actually do anything wrong he just didn’t do anything to correct the behavior of some of his coaches and his firing of football coach Tim Beckman just before the season started wasn’t enough.  If you want to check out some of the appalling allegations against Beckman you can find them all over the internet but let me sum it up for you.  He cared more about trying to win than he did about the health of the guys playing for him.  Amazingly enough this didn’t help him win games and if anyone anywhere ever hires Tim Beckman to coach football again they should be prosecuted for endangering the lives of children.  The report found that Beckman willfully pushed injured players to play and not just guys with hamstring pulls or sprained ankles, players with neck and head injuries.  He also went through a number of head athletic trainers until he found one that went along with him, I hope to hell that guy loses his license.  Way to go Mr. Beckman (I will not refer to him as Coach) you played with the health of young men so you could go 12-25 in your time at Illinois.  I’m not one to think that people should just sue others for the hell of it but wherever the players are that Beckman pushed to play while injured I hope like hell they sue him for all he’s worth, or at least every dime he made coaching at Illinois.  Real coaches encourage their players to work hard at rehab and come back when they can help the team.
• Ten teams went into the weekend unbeaten but only six survived.  TCU got blasted by undefeated Oklahoma St.  Michigan St. got hosed against Nebraska but I’m not going to get all teary eyed about that one.  Memphis’ dream of crashing the College Football Playoff party came to a end as Navy handled the Tigers.  And finally LSU got bulldozed by Alabama.  That leaves five Power 5 unbeaten teams; Clemson, Ohio St., Baylor, Iowa and Oklahoma St.  Houston is still unbeaten too but they are quite a ways out from crashing the standings.  Alabama looks good even with one loss but they still have a game against Mississippi St., a rivalry game to end the regular season against Auburn and the SEC Championship game against Florida.  Notre Dame and Stanford are still in the hunt but they will play an elimination game on November 28th.  LSU and Utah need some help to get back into the College Football Playoff discussion.
• Last week I said it would be Clemson, LSU, the Big Ten Champ and the Big 12 Champ in the playoffs and this week the only change I’m making is Alabama replacing LSU.  Notre Dame beat Pitt but they still have Stanford to go.  Clemson took out Florida St and now their path looks pretty clear until the ACC title game against North Carolina.  UNC is having a good year and they might take out Clemson but I’m not betting on that.  Watch out for the clash of the titans when Ohio St. plays Iowa for the Big Ten Championship and trip to the College Football Playoff.
• There weren’t any coaches fired after this weekend’s games…yet.  And in an even bigger surprise Purdue gave Darrell Hazel a vote of confidence and said he would return next year.  I’ll believe that when I see it but the only thing that makes me think they may stay true to it is the fact that there are so many coaching vacancies they may not want to have to hire the 15th best coach on the market.  Of course they could listen to me and go get Brock Spack, he isn’t going to be high on most teams radars but he would be a good fit and an excellent choice for the Boilermakers.

NFL Hott Reads

• The Lions started the house cleaning last week with 2 members of their offensive coaching staff and this week 90 year old owner Martha Firestone Ford fired Team President Tom Lewand and GM Martin Mayhew.  The widow of William Clay Ford finally decided she had had enough, although I’m not sure why she has kept Jim Caldwell other than the fact that he’s a nice man.  The final vestige of the Matt Millen front office staff has finally been swept away (Mayhew was Millen’s handpicked successor, yes that is as dumb as it sounds) and the Lions can finally get on the right path.  A new GM needs to be hired and allowed to pick his head coach and then they must decide if they are going to stick with Matt Stafford at QB or move on.  Stafford would be a sought after player if the Lions look to trade him because so many teams need a QB.  The Jets, Texans and Browns most prominently and potentially the Bills and 49ers could be in play.
• It’s a slow week in the NFL as far as news I want to talk about but late breaking on Tuesday is the fact that Andrew Luck suffered multiple abdominal injuries in the Colts win over Denver and will miss 2-6 weeks.  I picked Luck as my preseason MVP so it’s nice to know my jinxing powers are in full force.  This is Luck’s second stint on the bench with injury and he has been pretty bad when he’s actually played.
• Down to three unbeaten teams; Patriots, Bengals and Panthers.  I knew the Patriots and Bengals would be good although I didn’t know Andy Dalton would be in the MVP discussion.  He’s not going to win it (it’s Brady’s and he’s walking away with it) but he’s in the top 5.  Ron Rivera would be my choice as Coach of the Year but that’s because I can’t figure out how he’s got the Panthers undefeated at this point.  Truly a great coaching job by Rivera and his staff and the proof that sometimes the sum is greater than it’s parts.

 

The Hawkeyes took care of Maryland this weekend as they got a little healthier off of their bye week and they are 8-0 for the second time under Kirk Ferentz.  To say that the Hawkeyes aren’t getting a lot of respect is an understatement and ESPN’s band of idiots are leading the way.  The numbers don’t actually support any of the claims that Iowa’s schedule is weak at least not so far.  Yes the rest of the schedule isn’t very difficult but if you are to believe the talking heads somehow Iowa’s wins against Pitt (6-2), Wisconsin (7-2) and Northwestern (6-2) are in some way inferior to Alabama’s wins over the same Wisconsin team and let’s see who else, oh yeah Georgia (5-3), Tennessee and Arkansas (both 4-4).  They did beat a 7-2 Texas A&M team but they also lost to Ole Miss (in case you forgot like ESPN has Iowa hasn’t lost this season).  Clearly Stanford is better as they have beaten that juggernaut that is USC (5-3) and the mighty Bruins of UCLA (6-2) (a team that just about lost to Colorado this last weekend).  Oh yeah and they lost to a Northwestern team that Iowa destroyed 40-10.  Certainly Notre Dame has played a much tougher slate and done terrifically against it, right?  Let’s see, beat that same USC team and they gave Navy (6-1) and Temple (7-1) their only losses on the season, clearly the fighting Irish would dominate the American Athletic Conference.  Notre Dame is getting a whole lot of credit for their close loss to Clemson (it’s still 1 more loss than the Hawkeyes have).  I’m not arguing Iowa deserves more respect than Alabama, Stanford or Notre Dame but they deserve at least as much, they have earned it.

If we look ahead it is absolutely true that Iowa’s schedule looks easy.  The game this coming weekend at Indiana (4-4) is the toughest and it shouldn’t be that tough.  Iowa is taking a beating because somehow it is their fault that the Big Ten schedule has them avoiding Ohio St, Michigan and Michigan St.  It seems to get glossed over that Alabama doesn’t have to play Florida this season (a team that is surprising good) and Stanford doesn’t play the only other PAC-12 team worth a damn Utah because that’s the way scheduling goes sometimes when you have divisions.  By the way Notre Dame chose to stop scheduling Michigan so it could schedule ACC teams like Wake Forest and Virginia at least they are going to have to beat Pitt this weekend.  In case you are wondering I am becoming the biggest Pitt and LSU fan this weekend (the Tigers get Alabama).

The whole thing is going to work itself out if Iowa can remain undefeated.  #1 Ohio St. plays #6 Michigan St. (not to mention Michigan) and the winner is likely Iowa’s opponent in Indy.  #2 Baylor, #5 TCU and #12 Oklahoma St. all still have to play each other,  #3 Clemson gets #17 Florida St. this weekend.  #4 LSU plays at #7 Alabama (Go LSU) this Saturday also.  And #8 Notre Dame and  #9 Stanford play the last weekend of the regular season.  If Iowa can get to 12-0 and head to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game there is no telling what will happen.  The Hawkeyes running game is as good as anyone’s and the defense is playing at a fantastic level.  Desmond King is an All-American and has been making game changing plays on an almost weekly basis and while I would certainly rather play Michigan St. because of Ohio St.’s ridiculous talent level I think Iowa can play with anyone.  And if the Hawkeyes have to play Ohio St. can we please make sure Cardale Jones is starting at QB and not JT Barrett, thanks.  As for all the consternation about what will happen to the Hawkeyes I will say this one thing for sure, if Iowa goes 13-0 by beating either Michigan St. or Ohio St. in the Big Ten Championship game there is no way the College Football Playoff committee leaves the Hawkeyes out.  That kind of thing only happens to Big 12 and PAC-12 teams.

College Football Hott Reads

• I think Clemson beats Florida St. this weekend and LSU takes down Alabama and then those two teams win out and secure two of the four spots in the College Football Playoff.  The other two spots go to the Big Ten Champion (as long as it’s an undefeated Ohio St, Michigan St or Iowa) and the Big 12 Champion (as long as it’s an undefeated Baylor, TCU or Oklahoma St).  The PAC-12 isn’t strong enough for a 1-loss team to end up ahead of four undefeated teams (doesn’t matter if it’s Stanford or Utah).  It would help if Notre Dame loses to Pitt this weekend and then takes down Stanford later this month and then Stanford knocks off Utah in the PAC-12 Championship game.  That would knock all of them out.
• Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer announced that he is retiring at the end of the season after 29 years as head coach of the Hokies.  Beamer is a legend and deserves to go out on his own terms and even though VA Tech isn’t having the type of season I’m sure he wishes to go out on his legacy is secure.  He made the program what it is and the next coach will benefit from the blood, sweat and tears Beamer invested to build the program.
• Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill retired this week effective immediately due to health issues.  His epilepsy has become too much of an issue and Kill had to put his life and his health first so he did not get to end his career on his own terms and it’s a shame.  Golden Gopher football existed before Kill but he had done a wonderful job in his time in Minneapolis and he is more than a good coach he’s a good man.  His press conference was heart-wrenching to say the least.  Best wishes to Coach Kill and I hope he lives a long and happy life.
• There is another coaching vacancy as Hawaii fired Norm Chow after they were destroyed Saturday by Air Force.  Chow made his name as a long-time, successful offensive coordinator but his tenure as Hawaii’s head man was less than spectacular.  Hawaii is a tough coaching gig due to a lack of resources and distance from any real recruiting ground so good luck to next coach at least he gets to live in Hawaii.
• Speaking of coaches on their way out have you seen what Mark Richt is doing at Georgia?  I’ve always liked Richt and I think he’s gotten a bad shake from the Bulldog faithful but he’s not helping himself this year as the team has underachieved and his handling of the QB position is ridiculous.  Did someone find him a three sided coin that he could flip because going between 2 QBs is bad enough but 3 is just crazy?  With all of the very good coaching jobs that are already available and the ones that could still become available it might be best for everyone if Richt finds himself a nice soft landing spot (Miami should have his agent on speed dial).
• Speaking of stupid 3-way QB battles what is Kevin Sumlin doing at Texas A&M?  Kyle Allen, Kyler Murray and Jake Hubenak are apparently locked in a battle Sumlin can’t figure out.  Maybe Richt can loan him that three sided coin he found.  The old football saying goes “if you have 2 QBs that means you don’t have one” but I’m updating it and say “if you can’t decide between your 3 QBs your head coach is an idiot”.  It’s not very often that I get to say this but these coaches should take a page out of Kirk Ferentz’s handbook and pick their guy and go with him, seems to be working for the 8-0 Hawkeyes.
• I am not one that can’t admit when I’m wrong so congrats to the Cyclones on their big win over Texas, you certainly drove one more nail in Charlie Strong’s coffin (he may not be dead though).  The Cyclones could potentially beat Kansas St. and West Virginia as neither team has looked particularly strong but they would need to upset either Oklahoma or Oklahoma St. to get bowl eligible.  I know they knocked off a ranked Cowboys team once before but don’t think for a second Mike Gundy and his boys don’t remember that one.  I can always hope they win just enough to keep Paul Rhoads around.
• The ACC suspended officials after they completely botched the crazy ending of the Miami-Duke game and cost Duke the win.  If you haven’t seen the 8 lateral free-for-all it’s worth a look and while everyone is up in arms about all the penalties the officials missed it is the fact that on the field and using replay they didn’t recognize a tackle when they saw it.  Pretty basic call for an official, players knee is down he’s down.  In the NFL he must be down by contact but not in college football; knee down=play over.  Oh yeah, he was actually down by contact too.  This is not surprising to me because this ACC crew is the same crew that worked the Iowa-Pitt game back in September and they were atrocious.  Iowa pulled out that win, I’m glad this officiating crew didn’t cost the Hawkeyes a victory.

NFL Hott Reads

• I’ve said before that I always want to root for former Hawkeye Jim Caldwell the current head coach of the Detroit Lions but that “current” part is tenuous at best.  The Lions fired their offensive coordinator and offensive line coach last week (it wasn’t the line coach’s fault he can’t make chicken salad out of of chicken feathers).  The Lions went to London this week and looked even more hapless against the Chiefs (not exactly a juggernaut themselves) and I’m sort of surprised Caldwell got a ride back from London with them.  He is not cut out to be a head coach and his days are numbered in Detroit.
• Colin Kaepernick is terrible and the 49ers are terrible with him and now they are benching him for Blaine Gabbert.  Read that last part again, they are benching him for BLAINE GABBERT.  Changes have to be made in San Francisco and it starts at QB.  Of course they may want to start with a new GM that can pick their new QB and then maybe a that GM can pick his new coach.  It’s not good when you have traded places with the Raiders and they are now the functional franchise in the Bay area.
• The Jets need a QB.  Badly.  And surprisingly it’s not because Ryan Fitzpatrick is bad it’s because he got hurt.  Geno Smith is either still hurt or just as terrible as I always thought.  I hope they have Tim Tebow’s number handy.  They can try Ryan Mallett but he might miss his flight.
• Two teams are surging behind the play of their two young signal callers.  The Raiders and Vikings have found the future of their franchises in Derek Carr and Teddy Bridgewater.  Both teams are potential playoff contenders and while play makers like Amari Cooper and Adrian Peterson deserve their credit too it’s the QBs that run the show and have given these teams legitimacy.
• Week 8 may be a turning point in the season for some teams and not in a good way.  Injuries took a particularly hard toll this week and it started Thursday night when the resurgent Dolphins defense lost Cameron Wake to a torn Achilles.  On Sunday a torn Achilles possibly ended the career of Steve Smith even though he is now saying he won’t retire and plans on returning next season.  The Steeler’s Le’Veon Bell torn up his knee as did Reggie Bush of the 49ers and both are likely done for the year.  Matt Forte hurt his knee but the Bears are being coy with any details.  Calvin Johnson got hurt too although it might not be too bad.  Seahawks WR Richardo Lockette sustained what must be a pretty serious concussion as he was out cold for a time on the field and taken off on a stretcher.  It seems like he didn’t suffer any sort of spinal damage that we know of but his was one of those scary injuries where he didn’t move for quite some time and was strapped to the stretcher before raising his hand on he way out of the stadium giving a sign of hope that his injury wasn’t life threatening.  Reports on Monday are that he injured ligaments in his neck but it doesn’t seem like he had structural damage to his neck.  Football is a violent game and this week was a stark reminder.
• The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday November 3rd and while lots of names will be talked about very little will happen.  Matt Forte’s name has been a prominent one but with an injury this weekend that should end that speculation.  The Browns are supposedly ready to deal everyone including All-World LT Joe Thomas but I suspect they will ask far too high of a price and will make very few deals.  No one wants the over bloated contracts of C Alex Mack and OLB Paul Kruger and OLB Barkevious Mingo has been less than impressive in his career.  TEs are a hot topic on the trade market as Vernon Davis, Jared Cook and Martellus Bennett are (or were) on the market.  The 49ers have sent Vernon Davis to Denver and while Davis hasn’t been great in the last two years I don’t think trading him away is going to help Colin Kaepernick…err…Blaine Gabbert.  He is an upgrade to the Broncos TE depth chart though.  Cook is overpaid and under productive in St. Louis.  Bennett would probably get Chicago some nice return on the market.
• I guess I was premature on the Peyton Manning career funeral as the Broncos pounded the Packers on Sunday night.  It certainly helps Manning that the Broncos found a running game and even if it was just for one night it was nice to see Manning looking good again.  He deserves to go out playing well and I do think regardless of how this season finishes he’s probably retiring at the end of the year.
• Funny thing happened when the Giants took on the Saints on Sunday, an Arena League game broke out.  Eli Manning threw 6 TDs while Drew Brees threw 7.  And of course the game came down to the Saints kicker hitting a 50-yarder to win it, I hate that ending for a game like that.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have spent the past five seasons under Fran McCaffery rebuilding a once proud program and it paid off last year in not only a trip to the NCAA tournament without having to play in the play-in games (I’ll never refer to them as  the first round so don’t try to “correct” me on it).  The team even won their first game by destroying a Davidson team many believed would upset them.  Going into last year many national basketball people thought Iowa would take a step back after losing Devyn Marble to the NBA but they underestimated the impact Aaron White would have in his senior year as he stepped up in a big way to lead the Hawkeyes.  Now the national media is taking a similar approach to this year’s Hawkeyes as they believe the team can’t possibly replace the spectacular Aaron White.  That’s fine, whether it’s basketball or football Iowa always seems to do better when no one sees it coming.  Underestimating what Coach Fran has built is foolish and this team has plenty of pieces to fight for the Big Ten title, make the NCAA tournament and play their way into the Sweet 16, or as I call it, take the next step.

McCaffery made it clear in his preseason press conference that this team is like nothing he has coached before because he has a lot of veteran talent with plenty of playing experience and then a whole bunch of new guys that haven’t played a minute of Division 1 basketball and not much in between.  Seniors Mike Gesell, Anthony Clemmons, Jarrod Uthoff and Adam Woodbury along with junior Peter Jok have played a lot.  Sophomore Dom Uhl is the only player that has some experience but not a lot of minutes played.  The rest of the rotation will be filled out by newcomers and it may take a while to figure out which ones are ready to step up.  The new names to know are;  junior PF Dale Jones, true freshmen PG Christian Williams, SG Isaiah Moss, SG Andrew Fleming, F Brandon Hutton, F Ahmad Wagner and redshirt freshmen G Brady Ellingson and PF Nicholas Baer (Baer is a walk-on but McCaffery seems to like to mention him so he’s included).  The first 6 guys will get the bulk of the minutes especially to start the season but the new guys are going to find their place and McCaffery isn’t afraid of using a large rotation.

The first thing McCaffery has to figure out is the starting lineup but for now he really only has to make a choice between two guys, Anthony Clemmons and Dom Uhl.  Mike Gesell will start at PG and Adam Woodbury will start at center and Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok will fill in two of the other three spots depending on McCaffery’s preference.  Clemmons is a senior and many believe he’ll start next to Gesell in the backcourt pushing Jok to small forward and Uthoff to play power forward.  Clemmons can certainly play along side Gesell as he has done many times in the past and he has far more playing time than Uhl so that would make sense but let me explain why his experience is working against him making the starting lineup.  The rest of the Hawkeye roster has zero experience playing at this level and while true freshman Christian Williams is an intriguing player at PG given his 6’6 frame and ridiculous wingspan it’s a lot to ask him to run the Hawkeyes second team right out of the gate.  McCaffery can play Dom Uhl at power forward along with Gesell at PG, Jok at SG, Uthoff at SF and Woodbury at C and his relative inexperience would be covered by the rest of the starters while Clemmons can run the second team while also getting playing time with the starters much like he has throughout his career.  Coach Fran has recruited a bunch of players with multiple skill sets and the lineup possibilities seem almost endless and he will mix and match however he sees fit.  Let’s take a look at the players he has to work with and where they might play.

Point Guards

Mike Gesell   Senior

Gesell has been running McCaffery’s offense for the past three years and comes into his senior year ready to do it again.  His outside shot suffered a bit last season because of an elbow injury that limited his range but once Gesell made an adjustment to his game he became very dangerous.  He was unable to be affective from 3-pt range because of his elbow so he figured out how to fake the 3 and then take a step or two inside the line and hit the long jump shot.  It became a very nice weapon in his arsenal and if his elbow is good to go and he can become a threat from 3-pt range he’ll be deadly.  Gesell is a tireless worker and he’s a solid athlete and while he lacks great size to match up on bigger guards with the players on this roster around him that shouldn’t be a concern.

Anthony Clemmons   Senior

Clemmons turned into a fantastic 6th man last season and while he’ll get plenty of time running the first team both in place of and beside Gesell his experience is going to be invaluable with so many newcomers on this team.  He has proven to be a selfless player and does whatever the team asks of him and while he’ll probably start some games this year he won’t complain when he doesn’t and he’ll be on the floor at the end of games when it really counts.  He has good quickness, he’s a pest on defense and he always gives the team a shot of energy when he comes in off the bench.

Christian Williams   True Freshman

The Hawkeyes have two seniors and then it’s most likely the tall lanky freshman that gets the reigns.  Williams is 6’6 and has a nearly 7’0 wingspan which is going to help him when he does get playing time because he could be a real menace on the defensive end.  That is probably his best way to find time on the court but he does add some versatility because his size means he can match up on probably three different positions, PG, SG and SF.  It would be wise for the Hawks to find Williams some minutes because both Gesell and Clemmons graduate and they will need a PG next year.

Wings (McCaffery will have an interchangeable group of players at SG and SF, just how he likes it)

Peter Jok   Junior

Jok has started at SG for most of the past two years and he needs to take the leap this year as a scorer to help Jarrod Uthoff out.  Uthoff is the most likely player to take over as the primary scorer in Aaron White’s absence but the team needs someone to step into Uthoff’s secondary scorer role from last year and it should be Jok.  He will play SG but if he stays on the floor when Gesell and Clemmons play together he’ll slide to the SF spot and he should be able to handle it just fine.  Jok has a good looking shot and is a solid athlete but he still needs to work on his defense.  He made strides last year and was a far better defender his sophomore year compared to his freshman season but with guys like Andrew Fleming, Brandon Hutton and Isaiah Moss coming in if he loses playing time it will be because those guys defend better than he does.  McCaffery isn’t the type of coach to just go with the guy that been here if one of those guys plays better they will get the time.

Andrew Fleming   True Freshman

Fleming is the shooter Josh Oglesby was supposed to be and the athlete Oglesby never was going to be.  Fleming is a 6’5 sharpshooter with solid athleticism, great competitiveness and played at a premier high school program (Oak Hill Academy in Virginia) and he will compete for playing time right away.  He isn’t going to back down from the challenge of finding playing time at a crowded position and he’ll make the most of his time on the floor.  He could be instant offense as a shooter off the bench and will hopefully stretch the floor the way a shooter should.

Isaiah Moss   True Freshman

Moss is another long player at 6’5 but he’s a bit light and skinny.  He has a better game going to the hoop than he does shooting from deep but he isn’t a liability shooting the ball.  He may see some time as a back up PG depending on how Williams transitions and he’ll also add instant offense off the bench but he’ll do it in a different way.  Both Fleming and Jok are outside shooters while Moss is more of an attack the basket sort of player so he should complement those guys very well both this year and in the future.

Brandon Hutton   True Freshman

The somewhat forgotten man of this large freshmen group is actually my favorite newcomer on the team.  Hutton is a power athlete like no one Iowa has had in a long time.  He isn’t a pure scorer and he’s not a deadly outside shooter but he has a chance to be a lockdown defender and an intimidating presence on the floor.  At 6’6 210 lbs. Hutton is physically ready to contribute to the team right away and while his offensive skills may need some work that isn’t where McCaffery will need him anyway.  A lot of people want to compare another freshman Ahmad Wagner to now former Michigan St. player Branden Dawson but I actually think Hutton has a chance to be that sort of player except he may be able to actually play SF instead of PF because unlike Dawson he has an outside game.

Brady Ellingson   Redshirt Freshman

Ellingson was supposed to be the upgraded version of Josh Oglesby in last year’s class but he came to Iowa trying to recover from an injury, couldn’t quite get himself right and ended up redshirting and will try to become Iowa’s sharpshooter off the bench this year.  He’s going to find the SG position a little tougher to crack and Andrew Fleming brings a very similar skill set in a slightly larger frame which is going to make things difficult.  There’s a saying in basketball “you can never have too many shooters” and it’s completely true just ask the Golden State Warriors.  Perhaps Coach Fran spent some time in the off season watching the NBA Champions and he can find a way to get all these guys on the floor at the same time.  Ellingson, Fleming and Jok could certainly spread the floor for the Hawkeyes.

In case you’re reading this and are worried that I’m forgettting someone pretty important,, I didn’t, just be patient.

Power Forwards

Dom Uhl   Sophomore

Uhl didn’t get a lot of playing time last season but he did a pretty solid job when he did.  He showed versatility being able to play both forward spots and that earns you a lot of appreciation from Coach McCaffery because there is nothing more he loves in a player than versatility.  This off season Uhl put on 20 lbs. and it’s noticeable.  He added the weight so he could handle the low post position better and Uhl must have realized that while he isn’t likely to replace Aaron White’s overall productivity the best thing he can do for this team is become a better rebounder.  The scoring slack should be picked up by Uthoff, Jok, Gesell and Woodbury but someone needs to pick up a lot of rebounds that White got last year and Uhl looks ready to do that.  The 20 lbs. should also come in handy because Uhl is probably going to see time backing up Woodbury at center because Iowa’s options there are limited.

Dale Jones   Junior

Jones is a JUCO transfer from Tyler Community College in Texas but he’s actually an Iowa native.  Jones went to high school in Waterloo but he wasn’t a 6’8 PF back then he actually grew into his body while down in Texas.  He isn’t a pure post player because of that and while he’ll play PF he can actually stroke it from 3.  He is a high percentage 3-pt shooter and he took a lot 3’s last season.  The Hawkeyes will need him to help defend in the post because he’s 6’8 and there are not a lot of tall guys on this roster.  Jones will add an interesting dynamic to this team but shooters are always welcome and his length and athleticism will work well in McCaffery’s defense.

Ahmad Wagner   True Freshman

The other Branden Dawson type player is Wagner.  Another power athlete (yep, Fran added two) Wagner will play in the post and he’s a very strong player at 6’7 215 lbs.  He is definitely better suited in the low post whereas Hutton is a wing player.  Wagner isn’t the tallest guy for a center but he’ll actually get time at both PF and center backing up Woodbury and Uhl.  His height might hurt him at the center position but he won’t see a lot 7 footers being the third guy, except maybe against Purdue they are hoarding them in West Lafayette.

Nicholas Baer   Redshirt Freshman

Yeah I had never heard of him either and usually I wouldn’t include a walk-on redshirt freshman but McCaffery has mentioned him a couple of times when he gets asked about the lack of depth down low after losing Gabe Olaseni and Aaron White.  Baer is a 6’7 kid out of Bettendorf that redshirted last season and apparently has made an impression on McCaffery.  I don’t know how much he’ll play but the team needs all the low post help it can get.

Center

Adam Woodbury   Senior

It’s hard to believe Gesell and Woodbury are seniors and these two will be forever linked in Hawkeye history.  They were AAU teammates throughout high school and they were the foundation of the rebuild Coach Fran has pulled off here at Iowa.  Like BJ Armstrong and Roy Marble or Jeff Horner and Greg Brunner it will be hard to mention one without the other.  Woodbury has come a long way and this season he needs to step it up another notch because he is the only true center with Gabe Olaseni graduated.  He did a much better job last season staying out of foul trouble and that will need to be the case this season.  He needs to increase his scoring a bit to help take pressure off the guards but most of all he needs to become a better rebounder.  Aaron White excelled at getting boards and it’s one area where Woodbury can truly make a difference for this team and he really should improve.

X-Factor

I told you I didn’t forget about this guy it was just hard to put him a box and he is truly the X factor for the Hawkeyes

Jarrod Uthoff   Senior

I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on Uthoff but this Hawkeye team will go as far as he takes them.  Aaron White took the team to the second round of the NCAA tournament but Uthoff has the potential to take this program even farther.  As much as Gesell, Clemmons and Woodbury are leaders it is Uthoff’s talents that will propel this team.  He should be the starting small forward between SG Peter Jok and PF Dom Uhl but he’s far too versatile for it to stop there.  Uthoff can run the point and play shooting guard if the Hawkeyes want to go really big with their lineup and in college basketball where there are not a ton of 7 footers to deal with he can play some center, truly he can play all five positions.  Last season Aaron White took the reigns and was the go-to guy for the Hawkeyes and in crunch time he was magnificent.  Uthoff has to assume that mantle this season and be that guy.  He can be an unstoppable offensive force now that he won’t be deferring to White and his offensive game is far more diverse than White’s was.  Uthoff is also a defensive menace because he is one of the best weak side shot blockers I’ve ever seen.  His height, length and athleticism make him a scary defender and every team has to know where he is on the floor because he may come out of nowhere to block your shot.  Uthoff’s versatility (along with that of many others) makes the variety of lineups Coach Fran can run out on the floor nearly endless.  The only thing that was holding back Uthoff from being a dominant force before was his willingness to defer to White and hope that he is more selfish this year and takes on the responsibility of being the focal point of the Hawkeye team.

Coach McCaffery’s teams have always had plenty of versatility and his preference for recruiting guys that can play multiple positions has paid off on this roster and should make his lineup changes plentiful.  He will have to use the early part of the schedule to pare down his rotation because something tells me he won’t be using 14 players in a rotation.  By the time the Big Ten season rolls around McCaffery should have his rotation down to about 11 guys at the most.  PG Gesell, SG Jok, SF Uthoff, PF Uhl, C Woodbury and sixth man Clemmons should be the top 6 leaving room for 5 others to get playing time.  PFs Dale Jones and Ahmad Wagner are almost a given since size is at a premium.  I think you’ll see Andrew Fleming emerge as the shooter/scorer off the bench and I also think F Brandon Hutton brings versatility and great defensive prowess that will get him playing time.  That leaves the last potential spot if McCaffery goes 11 deep as a fight between Moss, Williams and Ellingson.  I would lead towards Moss because I think he brings a different offensive dimension but Williams potential on defense and Ellingson’s potential as a shooter could also be useful skills.

This Iowa Hawkeye team is going to be very good and see Jarrod Uthoff as a First Team All-Big Ten selection and potentially the Big Ten Player of the Year.  The Hawkeyes will give Maryland a run for their money for the Big Ten title and the Sweet 16 is the least I expect out of this team.  After the Hawkeye football team wins the Big Ten Championship game over the Ohio St. Buckeyes and then wins the College Football Playoff Championship I expect Fran McCaffery and the basketball team to follow that up with a run the NCAA Final Four and obviously a National Championship win over Marcus Paige and the North Carolina Tar Heels.  A man can dream can’t he.

Yeah, I don’t believe it either.

The Iowa Hawkeyes just celebrated their much needed bye week with a commanding lead in the Big Ten West division, a top 10 ranking in the AP poll (11th in the Coaches’) and they are staring at a very manageable schedule that could lead them to an appearance in their first ever Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis.  If you had told me back in January that I would be writing that sentence at this point in Iowa’s season I would have asked one simple question…So who is Iowa’s new head coach? Kirk Ferentz has proven me wrong by proving me right and I couldn’t be happier about it.  He has proven me wrong by making the changes necessary to get the Hawkeyes back on the winning track and he was able to do it with the same coaching staff in place.  I didn’t think that was possible.  He also did it by using the play makers the Hawkeyes actually have on the roster which I was right about, they were there they just weren’t being used.  Brian Ferentz deserves a special mention too because not only has the running game been exceptional after he was named run game coordinator in the off season but his work as offensive line coach has been nothing short of incredible.  Losing starting OTs Boone Myers and Ike Boettger didn’t slow the offense down and the running game has been dominant regardless of the which guys are lining up on the line and which RB is taking the handoffs.  Moving Sean Welsh to RT for the Northwestern game was incredible recognition of the best possible O-line combination.  Kudos to both Coach Ferentzs (or is it Ferentzi, I’m not sure)

There has been a lot of talk about the Hawkeyes remaining schedule and I’ll admit it doesn’t look very intimidating especially with the way they are playing but not enough attention is being paid to the schedule they have already played.  Pittsburgh, Wisconsin and Northwestern are 6-1, 6-2 and 6-2 respectively and 3 of the 5 losses they have combined are to Iowa.  Illinois St. may be a FCS team but they are a very good one and I’ll grant you the Iowa St. and North Texas wins don’t mean much but every college football team has a couple of those wins.  The Illinois win isn’t hurting or helping at this point.  Iowa’s five remaining games?  Maryland comes to Iowa City on Halloween with an interim coach and a QB completing less than 50% of his passes, against Iowa’s defense that’s not going to end well for them.  At Indiana might be the most challenging game because Indiana can score but Iowa’s defense is very tough and the Hawkeyes might run for 400 yards against the Hoosiers and never let their offense touch the ball.  Minnesota comes for a night game in Kinnick and they have looked less than impressive.  Then Purdue comes to town and with the way NCAA football coaching jobs are going right now it’s 50/50 on whether or not Darrell Hazel is still coaching the Boilermakers at that point (I’m going to go with he won’t be).  Finally the matchup against Nebraska in Lincoln on Black Friday doesn’t look so tough especially after the Huskers just dropped one at home against Northwestern.  There is a better than average chance that Iowa has the Big Ten West title in the bag when they go to Lincoln as they have a multiple game lead over everyone given their win over Wisconsin gives them the tiebreaker.  I don’t believe I just jinxed the Hawkeyes but I’m going to remain skeptical of this awesome turn around because it’s been working to this point and I don’t want to change a thing.  So if anyone asks I’m “really worried” about the Maryland game.

Unfortunately for Iowa if they make their way to Indy they will probably be facing defending National Champions Ohio St. and that I would be worried about.  I know, I know there is a scenario where OSU, Michigan and Michigan St. all end with one conference loss each and all hell breaks loose with the tiebreakers and we won’t know who represents the Big Ten East in the championship game until the Tuesday before it.  Yeah that was all a possibility until Urban Meyer finally came to his senses and listened to my advice and benched Cardale Jones for JT Barrett…damn me and my brilliant advice.  Who knew Urban Meyer reads my blog?  The Buckeyes do have to get by Michigan St. and Michigan but they found their mojo this weekend and his name is JT Barrett (we should call him mojo, it’s a way better nickname than JT).  I’m not going to write this Hawkeye team off if this matchup comes to fruition but 12-1 after an appearance in the Big Ten Championship game would still be an incredible turnaround for this Hawkeye program.  My only fear then would be the contract extension Gary Barta would hand Kirk Ferentz for $8 million dollars a year until 2030 with a $80 million dollar buyout.  I know I shouldn’t actually write that down but what are the odds both Urban Meyer and Gary Barta read my blog?  Hold on…where’s that edit button on this thing?

College Football Hott Reads

• The Miami Hurricanes fired head coach Al Golden (yes it’s becoming an epidemic) after their shellacking by Clemson, the 58-0 loss was the worst in school history.  Golden was a dead coach walking and the Clemson game was the knife to the brain that finally ended it.  Golden is a solid coach and the problems at Miami extend beyond him.  College football is an arms race whether you like it or not and Miami is using a pea shooter.  Their stadium is nowhere near campus and they have no indoor practice facility either.  In today’s college football climate those are the basics and no matter who gets the job (if I were a betting man I’d bet on Greg Schiano) I would make sure that an indoor facility was priority #1 or I would take one of the other good jobs available.
• Central Florida coach George O’Leary resigned from his position and while it’s not a surprise given the Golden Knights are 0-8 it does bring the number of coaching vacancies to 7 and it’s not even the end of October yet.  There are 7 head coaching jobs in the FBS  that are open (USC, Miami, Maryland, South Carolina, Illinois, Central Florida and North Texas) and the odds don’t look good on Rutgers’ Kyle Flood or Purdue’s Darrell Hazel to make it through meaning there could be at least 9 jobs open before the season ends.  Get ready for a crazier silly season on the coaching carousel, it’s off to a fast start.
• Baylor QB Seth Russell was having an excellent season until this weekend when he suffered a neck injury against Iowa St.  The seriousness is not completely known yet but it’s never a good thing to hear the words neck injury at all.
• For the sake of the Iowa Hawkeyes I’m becoming a Pittsburgh, Wisconsin and Northwestern fan for the rest of the year because Iowa’s schedule needs as much help as possible.  It’s hard to cheer for the Badgers, it’s nearly impossible to cheer for Northwestern (yeah I hate Fitzgerald that much) but I don’t have a problem cheering for Pitt.  Pat Narduzzi is doing a fantastic job so all the best to the Panthers.
• Paul Rhoads fired his offensive coordinator Mark Mangino this week, in a previous life Rhoads was the guy rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.  In the Cyclones five losses so far this season they have given up 31, 30, 66, 45 and 45 points and he fired the offensive coordinator?  I suppose there’s a moral victory in only giving up 45 points a piece to Baylor and TCU.  The only thing that can keep Rhoads employed at ISU after this season is the stupid contract Pollard gave him that he doesn’t want to buy out.  Oh and if Pollard is hoping to hold onto Rhoads so he can have a Ferentz like resurgence next season just remember Iowa went 7-6 last year and that was an bad year, 7 wins would be dream season for the Cyclones.

NFL Hott Reads

• Congrats to Dan Campbell the interim coach of the Miami Dolphins you’ve won two games in a row, your reward is you get the Patriots on a short week.  He has done a fantastic job of turning around that teams attitude and it has made a huge difference.  As a Patriots fan I’m just really glad that no matter how well Campbell does I know Stephen Ross will screw up this coaching search if left to his own devices.  He’ll go after a big name first like Jon Gruden or Jim Harbaugh (neither of whom he has a shot at) and hopefully he’ll go after Greg Schiano or maybe he’ll take a flyer on recently resigned (not retired) Steve Spurrier (I can dream can’t I?).  Todd Haley’s name has been mentioned and he might actually be able to fix Ryan Tannehill but he’s struggled in the top role before.  My dark horse for the Miami Dolphins job, Jim Mora head coach of UCLA.
• The Houston Texans are in a free fall and it’s picking up speed as RB Arian Foster just tore his Achilles tendon and that likely spells the end of his days in Houston.  Bill O’Brien isn’t likely to get fired but GM Rick Smith may want to update his resume.  This team isn’t going anywhere until they fix the QB problem and after watching Penn St. this weekend if O’Brien decides to hitch his wagon to Christian Hackenberg he’ll either be coordinating an NFL offense in two years or coaching in college again.
• I don’t know if Chuck Pagano is really the problem in Indianapolis but he’s going to take the fall for the complete mess they are this season.  Andrew Luck has fallen apart and while their division is terrible and they lead it at 3-4 they should really hope not to win it and get themselves a higher draft pick.  They also might want to take a run at Stanford coach David Shaw, he’s probably not leaving Stanford for he uncertainty of Indianapolis but it’s worth a shot.
• Todd Gurley is proving to be the beast I knew he would be but unfortunately the Rams still need a QB and Nick Foles doesn’t look like the answer.
• The Patriots are rolling right along and while the Jets played well they lost to a Patriots team that ran the ball 5 times.  Yep 5.  The Jets run defense is spectacular so Bill Belichick said screw it and went with Tom Brady and the short passing attack and it worked.  54 pass attempts later the Patriots walked away with the win and a solid lead in the division.
• Todd Gurley is a beast…oh wait I already said that…but he’s not the best rookie.  That’s where I was going with this.  Amari Cooper is a revelation and he’s going to be a top 5 WR in the NFL very soon.  He is a legitimate superstar waiting to happen, just a matter of time.