Voice of the Hawkeyes Board

Why we will: Because we are supposed to be bad. Every time we are in this position, we tend to overcome and preform well. We'll have one of the best defensive backfields.

Why we wont: Our starting QB has 1 road win. Our Oline lost 3 NFL future players. We lost our best WR of all time. We are learning a new offensive system under a new OC. We have a new coaches or coaches coaching new positions across the board. We lost our best RB's.... I could keep going. We are supposed to be dog crap bad with all the excuses I could give you but like I said Hawkeyes tend to fly better under the radar.

Fun topic here, and HwkFn4Life said a lot of what I was thinking.

With Iowa's schedule, the Hawkeyes could conceivably go 9-3 or 10-2 and not even be that good. Depending on who those losses come against, Iowa could very well be in the mix for a division title.

Also, Iowa's back seven on defense could be very deep and very talented. IMO, the linebackers weren't even close to as good as they needed to be last year. I'm looking for Kirksey to make some serious strides with a year of starting experience under his belt and some offseason gains in the weight room, and Morris should also be poised to take another leap forward. I like what I've seen out of Hitchens, and think he could be a major upgrade over Nielsen. And there is plenty of competition and depth aside from those guys. If the defensive line can put anything together, the Iowa defense could be outstanding.

But that's the biggest if. The defensive line was a glaring weakness last year when it came to rushing the passer, and the best player from that group (Mike Daniels) is now gone. If Iowa ends up becoming a great defense, at least one defensive end and one defensive tackle will need to have a breakout season.

Also, for the Hawkeyes to be as good as they can be on offense, some fresh faces will have to step up their game on the offensive line. By the end of the season, that group was pretty good across the board, but they lost their top three players.

I'm expecting/hoping that Vandenberg makes some significant strides in 2012. And while there are plenty of question marks at receiver and running back, I still think it all comes down to the offensive line. If those guys play well, I have confidence that someone will step up at running back and receiver. And CJ and Rogers should both have outstanding seasons as well, which will help in both the running and passing game.

Why Iowa doesn't win:

1. No one emerges with a breakout season on the defensive line. The pass rush still isn't nearly good enough, leading the defense to give up too many big plays. Also, while the linebackers should be very deep and talented, a couple injuries here or there could really change the picture.

2. Iowa is unable to replace the three starters lost on the offensive line. The new running back(s) can't establish any kind of confidence or rhythm because they have no room to run, and Vandenberg's lack of pocket presence is really exposed because the Hawkeyes can't protect him.

I remember thinking about how much offensive talent you'd be losing when I was looking at your lineup last year. Any replacements that are really sticking out in spring ball?

How's the QB situation? Is the only concern game experience?

No, the concern that he was referring to regarding Vandenberg is that he hasn't performed nearly as well in road games. He's got 15 starts under his belt, though.

That's definitely a major schedule break. You'd think there'd be some way to ensure that a program like Nebraska wouldn't miss two of the top conference teams in one season, but that's not the first time the B1G office has disappointed.

The only problem as far as the Huskers are concerned is that they could have a phenomenal team that year, but won't be taken seriously as a national title contender no matter what due to their schedule.

Iowa typically produces good offensive linemen, so conventional wisdom would be that someone will step up. There are several guys in the mix to earn a starting spot, so there should be some pretty fierce competition in fall camp. I don't think we'll get a true gauge for how they're doing until we see how they perform on Saturday afternoons.

Frankly, it hasn't come up yet. The only reason we have to look that far ahead as of right now is in terms of depth with regards to recruiting. I think some fans realize how soft it'll be in 2013, but most wouldn't.

If it came down to that, you would have a great time reading Husker boards. We've wanted a stronger OOC schedule for years now. Yet this coming season we're playing Arkansas State. Before Malzahan, that game had no appeal whatsoever. And even now, it's pretty minimal. If it kept us from a title shot... Man, our boards would get ugly.

No question. Two years from now could prove to be an entirely different scenario, but mostly in terms of conference teams. Again, we still have Wyoming and Southern Miss. Though Southern Miss isn't the worst, they don't garner much respect outside of when it comes time to pick them in bowl season games. Then they're miraculously supposed to be world-beaters. Wyoming? Like I even need to explain.

As for conference teams, I suspect Michigan State and Michigan will be near the top. I see State as a team that consistently does well, and occasionally great. Michigan is pulling a lot of talent right now. If Hoke can coach them up and fit the pieces together, they're going to be a problem for Nebraska for years to come. I have no idea what to think of Penn State, personally. I think their hire passes the eye test, but it's going to take a lot more than that to compete for the Big Ten Championship. I'll hold off on judging that one. Iowa... Well, I frankly haven't formed an opinion of Iowa yet. As a Kansas City kid, I don't have as much interaction with Hawkeyes as some of our other fans. The only thing I've got right now is that your AIRBHG situation is now one I envy. Yowza.