College Football Week 1

College football is finally back! Since my Hawkeyes didn't make a bowl game last year, it's been a long off-season. I already did my predictions for the year, but here are my week 1 big game predictions.

North Carolina at South Carolina North Carolina could be a contender for their division in the ACC, while South Carolina could be a contender for a national title. The Gamecocks have some questions on offense, but their defense will be one of the toughest in the nation. South Carolina 27 North Carolina 14

Ole Miss at Vanderbilt Good early season conference battle here for two teams that will be fighting for recognition in the SEC. The winner of this game will be off to a good start and have a little momentum for the season. Vanderbilt 31 Ole Miss 21

Rutgers at Fresno State This could be a really good game. I think the Mountain West is a much better conference than the AAC and I think Fresno will help prove that. Fresno should be tough this year, I've seen some people predicting them into a BCS Bowl Game. I don't think I would go that far they have to compete with some tough teams, but I could see them getting double-digit victories. Fresno State 38 Rutgers 27

Mississippi State vs Oklahoma State This is a big game for Oklahoma State, if they win this they could start a nice run towards the top ten with a pretty favorable schedule. I don't think they're great, but they have a great shot at a BCS Bowl Game thanks to the schedule and the Big 12 not having a clear-cut favorite. Oklahoma State 34 Miss St 31

Northern Illinois at Iowa Northern Illinois is coming off a big season where they played in the Orange Bowl, but were over-matched by Florida State. Iowa is coming off a horrific season where they started 4-2, including an 18-17 victory over Northern Illinois, but lost their final six games. The Huskies should have a good shot at winning the MAC and competing for another BCS Bowl Game, but I think Iowa knocks them off in the opener. Iowa 27 Northern Illinois 21

Alabama vs Virginia Tech Va Tech had a rough year last year, but I look for them to bounce back and have a solid year. Unfortunately, they start the season with Alabama and won't win that one. Alabama 28 Virginia Tech 13

Georgia at Clemson One of the biggest games of the year! Georgia, I think, will be in the running for a national title. Clemson will, too, if they win this game. I really like Aaron Murray and think he will win the Heisman this year. Georgia 38 Clemson 34

UTSA at New Mexico This game isn't one of the top games of the week, but it is for me since I live right down the street from University Stadium and might make an appearance at the game Saturday. I think Bob Davie's Lobos will be pretty solid this year, they've added some great recruits and a passing game to go with their amazing ground attack from a year ago. They also return nine all-conference players from a year ago. They won't win the Mountain West, but they will compete for a bowl game. They came up just short in so many games last year. New Mexico 42 UTSA 17

LSU vs TCU Another big early game here. Neither team is expected to win their respective conference, but this game could be a statement game for the winner. LSU 31 TCU 23

Boise State at Washington Boise State is going to have their hands full this season with the new Mountain West, being in the same division as Utah State. Washington won't be a bad team this year and this will be a good early test for both teams. I think Washington pulls it off. Washington 31 Boise State 21

2013 College Football Preview

We are two weeks away from the college football season! Although the Iowa Hawkeyes had a rough year last year, I'm still excited! They currently have a six game losing streak, but I think things will be much better this season. Here's a look at my Top 25.

1-Alabama
2-Ohio State
3-Georgia
4-Oregon
5-Clemson
6-South Carolina
7-Texas A&M
8-Stanford
9-Florida State
10-Florida
11-LSU
12-Michigan
13-Oklahoma
14-Louisville
15-Notre Dame
16-Nebraska
17-Texas
18-Northwestern
19-Oklahoma State
20-Boise State
21-UCLA
22-TCU
23-Wisconsin
24-USC
25-Virginia Tech

Top Heisman Candidates
1-Aaron Murray QB Georgia
2-Braxton Miller QB Ohio State
3-Tajh Boyd QB Clemson
4-Silas Redd RB USC
5-Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
6-Kain Colter QB Northwestern
7-Chuckie Keeton QB Utah State
8-J. Clowney DE South Carolina
9-Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville
10-Jordan Lynch QB Northern Illinois

Top 10 Games of the Year
Week 1 Georgia at Clemson
Week 2 South Carolina at Georgia
Week 3 Alabama at Texas A&M
Week 5 LSU at Georgia
Week 11 Oregon at Stanford
Week 11 Nebraska at Michigan
Week 13 Texas A&M at LSU
Week 14 Notre Dame at Stanford
Week 14 Clemson at South Carolina

Conference Champions
SEC: Georgia
ACC: Clemson
AAC: Louisville
Big 10: Ohio State
Big 12: Oklahoma
Pac 12: Stanford
MWC: Utah State
MAC: Northern Illinois
C-USA: Tulsa
Sun Belt: Western Kentucky

Bowl Projections
New Mexico: Washington vs San Diego State
Las Vegas: Utah State vs UCLA
Idaho Potato: Bowling Green vs Fresno State
New Orleans: Florida Atlantic vs Western Kentucky
Beef O'Brady: Southern Miss vs UCONN
Hawaii: Rice vs New Mexico
Little Caesars: Toledo vs West Virginia
Poinsettia: Rutgers vs San Jose State
Military: East Carolina vs Duke
Texas: Iowa vs Texas Tech
Kraft Fight Hunger: BYU vs Arizona
Pinstripe: UCF vs TCU
Belk: Houston vs Georgia Tech
Russell Athletic: Miami vs Cincinnati
Buffalo Wild Wings: Northwestern vs Oklahoma State
Armed Forces: Boise State vs Navy
Music City: Missouri vs NC State
Alamo: USC vs Texas
Holiday: Baylor vs Arizona State
AdvocareV100: Wake Forest vs Arkansas
Sun: North Carolina vs Oregon State
Liberty: Tulsa vs Tennessee
Chick-Fil-A: Florida State vs Florida
Godaddy: Arkansas State vs Ohio
Compass: Michigan State vs Louisiana Tech
Gator: Wisconsin vs Vanderbilt
Outback: Michigan vs Texas A&M
Cotton: Kansas State vs LSU
Cap One: Nebraska vs South Carolina

BCS Games
BCS Championship: Ohio State vs Georgia
Rose: Alabama vs Stanford
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs Northern Illinois
Orange: Clemson vs Louisville
Sugar: Virginia Tech vs Oregon

2013 Big 10 Football

Here's a look at the Big 10 this year and my predictions.

1st Team All-Conference
QB Braxton Miller Ohio State
RB Ameer Abdullah Nebraska
RB Venric Mack Northwestern
WR Allen Robinson Penn State
WR Jerrod Abrederris Wisconsin
TE C.J. Fiedorowicz Iowa
T Taylor Lewan Michigan
T Brandon Scherff Iowa
G Andrew Norwell Ohio State
G Spencer Long Nebraska
C Corey Linsley Ohio State
DE David Gilbert Wisconsin
DE Adolphus Washington Ohio State
DT DaQuan Jones Penn State
DT Ra'Shede Hageman Minnesota
LB Ryan Shazier Ohio State
LB Chris Borland Wisconsin
LB Max Bullough Michigan State
CB Darqueze Denard Michigan State
CB Bradley Roby Ohio State
S C.J. Barnett Ohio State
S Isaiah Lewis Michigan State
K Drew Basil Ohio State
P Cody Webster Purdue

2nd Team All-Conference
QB Kain Colter Northwestern
RB James White Wisconsin
RB Mark Weisman Iowa
WR Kenny Bell Nebraska
WR Kofi Hughes Indiana
TE Jacob Pedersen Wisconsin
T Jack Mewhort Ohio State
T Ryan Groy Wisconsin
G John Urschel Penn State
G Marcus Hall Ohio State
C Brandon Vitabile Northwestern
DE Deion Barnes Penn State
DE Tyler Scott Northwestern
DT Beau Allen Wisconsin
DT Quinton Washington Michigan
LB James Morris Iowa
LB Jonathan Brown Illinois
LB Curtis Grant Ohio State
CB Ciante Evans Nebraska
CB Ricardo Allen Purdue
S Christian Bryant Ohio State
S Ibraheim Campbell Northwestern
K Mike Meyer Iowa
P Will Hagerup Michigan

LEGENDS
1-NEBRASKA
2-MICHIGAN
3-NORTHWESTERN
4-IOWA
5-MICHIGAN STATE
6-MINNESOTA

LEADERS
1-OHIO STATE
2-WISCONSIN
3-PENN STATE
4-INDIANA
5-PURDUE
6-ILLINOIS

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP: OHIO STATE OVER NEBRASKA

Hawkeyes in the NFL

The Hawkeyes have several former players in NFL camps hoping to make the final rosters. Here's a list that I came up with just scrolling through different rosters. I may have missed one or two. I've counted 36 with Jewel Hampton and Dezman Moses, they were former Hawkeyes that ended up finishing at other schools.

QB-RICKY STANZI 6'4" 228 #6 JACKSONVILLE
was released by Kansas City, but picked up by Jacksonville and earned the 3rd QB spot

QB-JAMES VANDENBERG 6'3" 212 #6 MINNESOTA
*released

RB-SHONN GREENE 5'11" 233 #23 TENNESSEE
Career: 3,423-18 65-482

RB-JEWEL HAMPTON 5'9" 210 #33 SAN FRANSISCO
*released

WR-MARVIN MCNUTT 6'2" 216 #87 MIAMI
*released
*added to practice squad

WR-KEENAN DAVIS 6'3" 215 #3 MIAMI
*released by Cleveland and Miami

TE-DALLAS CLARK 6'3" 252 #87 BALTIMORE
Career: 474-5,322-50
Won a Super Bowl, 2009 Pro Bowl

TE-SCOTT CHANDLER 6'7" 260 #84 BUFFALO
Career: 82-968-12

TE-BRANDON MYERS 6'3" 256 #83 NY GIANTS
Career: 111-1,056-4

TE-TONY MOEAKI 6'3" 252 #81 KANSAS CITY
*released

TE-ALLEN REISNER 6'3" 225 #87 JACKSONVILLE
Career: 2-18


OL-BRYAN BULAGA 6'5" 314 #75 GREEN BAY
INJURED FOR SEASON

OL-RILEY REIFF 6'6" 313 #71 DETROIT

OL-MARSHAL YANDA 6'3" 315 #73 BALTIMORE

OL-ADAM GETTIS 6'2" 292 #73 WASHINGTON

OL-SETH OLSEN 6'5" 312 #72 MINNESOTA

OL-JULIAN VANDERVELDE 6'2" 300 #61 PHILADELPHIA

OL-MARCUS ZUSEVICS 6'5" 300 #66 NEW ENGLAND

OL-MATT TOBIN 6'6" 303 #64 PHILADELPHIA

DL-JON BABINEAUX 6'2" 300 #95 ATLANTA
Career: 269 Tackles 22.5 Sacks 3 Int

DL-MIKE DANIELS 6'0" 294 #76 GREEN BAY
Career: 12 Tackles 2 Sacks

DL-KARL KLUG 6'3" 278 #97 TENNESSEE
Career: 27 Tackles 10.5 Sacks 2 FF

DL-ADRIAN CLAYBORN 6'3" 280 #94 TAMPA BAY
Career: 44 Tackles 7.5 Sacks 3 FF

DL-CHRISTIAN BALLARD 6'4" 283 #99 MINNESOTA
*released

DL-COLIN COLE 6'2" 335 #91 CAROLINA
Career: 218 Tackles 4.5 Sacks 1 FF

LB-DEZMAN MOSES 6'2" 249 #54 KANSAS CITY
Career: 27 Tackles 4 Sacks 1 FF

LB-CHAD GREENWAY 6'2" 242 #52 MINNESOTA
Career: 765 Tackles 11.5 Sacks 6 Int 13 FF
2011, 2012 Pro Bowl

LB-PAT ANGERER 6'0" 236 #51 INDIANAPOLIS
Career: 264 Tackles 2 Sacks 1 Int 4 FF

LB-AJ EDDS 6'4" 250 #49 NEW ENGLAND
*released

LB-JEFF TARPINIAN 6'3" 240 #53B NEW ENGLAND
*practice squad
Career: 8 Tackles

DB-SHAUN PRATER 5'10" 190 #38 PHILADELPHIA
*released by Cincinnati
*injured reserve for Philadelphia

DB-CHARLES GODFREY 5'11" 210 #30 CAROLINA
Career: 343 Tackles 2 Sacks 11 Int

DB-AMARI SPIEVEY 5'11" 195 #42 DETROIT
*released

DB-BRADLEY FLETCHER 6'0" 200 #24 PHILADELPHIA
Career: 149 Tackles 1 Sack 5 Int 1 FF

DB-TYLER SASH 6'0" 215 #39 NY GIANTS
*released

DB-MICAH HYDE 6'0" 197 #33 GREEN BAY


DB-GREG CASTILLO 5'11" 187 #45 KANSAS CITY
*released

Quite a few Hawks didn't make the final roster cuts, but congrats to those that were able to earn spots. Looks like about 26 made the 53 man rosters.