Lots of links today...
Rivals - Iowa #18
Rivals.com has placed the Iowa Hawkeyes #18 in its preseason top 120 countdown. The site has a good and accurate, though brief, breakdown of the team. To summarize, Stanzi needs to hold onto the ball, Bulaga is really good, Keenan Davis has a chance to be a play maker, look for Jewel Hampton and Tony Moeaki to emerge, the receivers are a strength on offense (okay...I'm not sure I totally agree with that), the center position is the biggest question on offense, Iowa plays a straight forward 4-3, Spievey is a stud, Mycah Hyde and Steve Bigach are newcomers to watch, Klug could emerge as a good player on the line, the linebackers are a very good unit, and King and Kroul leave a void in the middle.
CFN - Big Ten Preview
College Football News has a decent preview of the Big Ten for 2009. What is absolutely crazy though, it is picks for the year's schedule. Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Penn State are all predicted to go 10-2. Are you kidding me? I know Illinois has everyone back on offense, but they were 5-7 last year. And Michigan State...how are they going to win 1 more game than last year when 87% of their total offense (Ringer and Hoyer) aren't on the team any more. Anyway, maybe I'm completely wrong and my endless rant on MSU being overrated will come back to haunt me, so I'll move on for now. Iowa is predicted to go 8-4, losing all of the conference road games. I don't really have a problem with that prediction, though I think it's more likely Iowa will split the road games and maybe lose one we shouldn't...9-3 sound more like it to me.
Barta is pro paint the water tower
For all you out there that are passionate about getting the iconic water tower outside of Kinnick paint black and gold, Iowa's Athletic Director Gary Barta is right there with you. Barta said, "I’ve been a proponent of putting a logo on the water tower for some time." He's also willing to sign a petition. Somebody better get on that.
On Iowa - Kirk Ferentz Interview
Before the Media Days extravaganza (I still have more to post...hopefully soon) Marc Morehouse had a long and in depth phone interview with Kirk Ferentz. Coach offers his insight on Twitter (he hates it), recruiting, the NFL, parenting, and more in this excellent interview. This is a must read and probably doesn't deserve to be buried deep in this post.
Princeton Review - Top Party Schools
The University of Iowa comes in a #12 on the annual top party schools list by the Princeton Review. Our friends out east, Penn State come in at #1, Wisconsin is #8, and also in the top 20 is Indiana at #14. Just don't remind any of the football players of this ranking. They can party after the season is over.