Hawkeye Basketball Tips Off

Another year of Iowa Hawkeye basketball started on Friday.  This season starting hasn't been talked about much, because of Iowa's football team starting 10-0 and being ranked as the number five team in the nation.
But, the Iowa basketball team is off to a fast start, at 2-0.  Of course, they haven't played anybody. But, that's all right, because it is only the first weekend, and it's a good time to get it sorted out with a young team like the Hawkeyes. On Friday, the Hawkeyes tipped off against a good one-bid league team, the Big South's Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs.  The Hawkeyes won that game 76-59.  Today's game was not that close.  The Hawkeyes played the Coppin State Eagles from the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference, another one-bid league.  The Hawkeyes started on a 22-2 run, and they never looked back.  Iowa was ahead 52-22 at halftime, and they won 103 to 68.  It was a fast paced game that took less than an hour and forty-five minutes to complete.
But, it gets tougher on Thursday, as the Hawkeyes will head up to Milwaukee to face off against the Marquette Golden Eagles.  The Eagles are coming off of a very tough season after their coach, Buzz Williams left to coach at Virginia Tech. They are in full rebuild mode, but have a great recruiting class that they got for the 2015 class that will present a tough challenge for the Hawkeyes. But, with young talent comes growing pains, as the Golden Eagles suffered a home loss to the Belmont Bruins from the Ohio Valley Conference 83-80.  This is the first year of the Gavitt Tip Off Games, games that will be played in the non-conference portion of the schedule between a Big Ten and a Big East team.  It is named to remember and honor former Providence athletic director and the first ever commissioner of the Big East Conference, Dale Gavitt.
Then, with their first two games of the season being the pregames, the Hawkeyes will fly down to Orlando to play in the Advocare Invitational against Dayton.  They will then play against either Notre Dame or Monmouth.  They could also meet up against Wichita State, a top 25 ranked team.
They also will play at top 10 in-state rival Iowa State.
At least Iowa got through without getting upset in a crazy opening weekend, such as Wisconsin getting beat by Western Illinois, Illinois by North Florida, and former Iowa coach's Steve Alford UCLA getting beat by Monmouth.  The road to March is just starting.
   

Iowa Moves Up to Number Five

The second batch of the College Football Playoff rankings came out this Tuesday, and the rankings  did not disappoint Hawkeye fans.
The top four this week was Clemson at number one, Alabama at number two, Ohio State in the three spot, and Notre Dame at number four rounding out the final four.  So no surprises there at all in the slightest.  But the real surprise was the Iowa Hawkeyes at number five.
The Hawkeyes jumped all the way from the ninth spot to their first top five ranking since the 2009 Orange Bowl, season, the last and only other time that the Hawkeyes were 9-0.  The move up shows just how much respect that the Committee has for the Hawkeyes.  As the Chair, Arkansas AD Jeff Long said, the Hawkeyes don't have an explosive offense, such as Big 12 teams Baylor and Oklahoma State, they are just plain consistent.  They don't commit very many penalties or turn the ball over.  It's not sexy, but week in and week out, they have taken care of business and won football games to remain undefeated.
Rounding out the rest of the top ten is Baylor, Stanford, Oklahoma State, LSU, and Utah.  Five through eight was where the Committee spent most of their time deliberating according to Long, and is a crap shoot.  The thing that sets the Hawkeyes apart is their two top 25 wins, both on the road at 18 Northwestern and at 25 Wisconsin.  The Hawkeyes, along with Notre Dame, are the only two teams that can claim two top 25 wins, but the Hawkeyes wins both came on the road.
Iowa is put ahead of Baylor because Baylor hasn't played anybody.  Baylor hasn't played a team with a winning record the whole year, while Iowa has played five.  Oklahoma State moved up from 14 to 8, but should not be in the top 4, because they beat number eight at home.  So they shouldn't move up eleven spots, even though it was in blowout fashion.  Iowa is ahead of  Stanford, in part because they beat Northwestern by thirty on the road, while Stanford lost and looked terrible at Ryan Field.  No, it being played at 9:00 Am Western Time isn't an excuse.
Things change from week to week, but, by the rankings, it seems if Ohio State and Iowa were to meet in the Big Ten Championship, it would be a de facto play-in-game for a Semifinal spot.  Even though a lot of people hate the Hawkeyes because they think they're not good, such as Colin Cowherd and Paul Finebaum.  The Committee like the Hawkeyes, and that's the opinion that matters.

Undefeateds Fall in College Football

It was a wild week in the world of college football.  After the first rankings were released by the Committee last Tuesday, we saw were they thought the top teams were positioned at.  Well, the rankings will see a shakeup after this week.

The first upset of a top ten team was Oklahoma State over TCU.  Oklahoma State didn’t just win, they absolutely demolished the eighth ranked Horned Frogs.  So now, TCU’s playoff chances are almost over, depending how far they drop after receiving a good beat down from number 14 Oklahoma State.  A big question now is, how far does Okie State rise after this?  Do they hop teams such as the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Stanford Cardinal?  I say that for sure they hop into the Top Ten, but I have no idea how far up they will go.

The Navy Midshipmen beat the 13^th ranked and undefeated Memphis Tigers.  I don’t think that Memphis had a shot to make it into the Playoffs, but they for sure had the best shot to get into a New Year selection committee bowl.  But, instead the Midshipmen will probably end up ranked in the Top 25 and having a shot at a really good bowl game.

Lastly, the #2 ranked LSU Tigers lost on the road to one-loss SEC West rival Alabama by a score of 30-14.  LSU just got plain outplayed by the Crimson Tide, who will most likely get a trip to Atlanta with a game against Florida, which, if the Tide win, will clinch them a playoff berth.  LSU, meanwhile is in a tough spot.  They will drop, and I don’t think they will have a shot to get in unless Alabama somehow loses in the regular season.  Leonard Fournette and company look to be headed for a Committee Bowl Game.

Injury Bug Strikes Again for Steelers

It happened again.  Again, the Pittsburgh Steelers have an injured skill player.  This time, for the second time this season, Steelers fans watched quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lay on the ground in pain after a sack by Aldon Smith.  At first, it was thought to be that knee he hurt week 3 against the St. Louis Rams.  But, it was foot on the other leg. 

When it was showed on the replay, his foot did not look good.  He could not put any weight on the injured foot.  The worst was feared.  Could it be his Achilles? If he tore it just like Steve Smith Sr. did the week before, he season would for sure be over.  If Roethlisberger’s season was over, the Steeler season would be over.  There is no way they could win a Wild Card berth with Landry Jones under center with Le’Veon Bell already being out for the season.

He was sent to local hospital right away for an MRI, so it sounded bad.  But, a few hours later, ESPN’s Adam Schefter got word that it was only a sprained foot, and that he should only miss a few weeks.  So again, for the second time this season, Big Ben and the Steelers caught a humongous break.  The MCL sprain looked for sure like it would be an ACL tear, and this one looked like it might be a season ender.

 I can’t remember a team having such bad luck with injuries as this Steeler team has this year.  Of course, I’m pretty young at 16, but still.  They lost All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey in the preseason and it looks like his season is probably done.  Then, Roethlisberger gets hurt in Week 3 against the Rams and missed four games.   Then, they lose tackle Kelvin Beachum to an ACL tear in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals.  Then, as soon as Ben gets back, they lose All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell to a brutal MCL tear.  Then, of course, Roethlisberger hurts his foot his second game back against the Oakland Raiders.  They have also lost defenders for some games, such as linebacker Ryan Shazier.   Second round pick, cornerback Senquez Golston, didn’t see a snap before getting ruled out for the season.  Safety Will Allen came back finally after getting hurt Week 5 on Monday Night Football at the San Diego Chargers.

It is just sort of unfair.  Coming into this season, the Steelers were expected to have the best offense in the league.  With the best running back in the league, the best receiver, a rising star at receiver, and an elite quarterback, how could you think otherwise?  But that combo of Bell, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, and Roethlisberger only were all on the field together for 16 total snaps the whole season due to suspension and injuries. 

But yet, with all of that talent being hurt or suspended, the Steelers are still 5-4 and currently hold onto the second Wild Card spot in the AFC.   They just beat the now 4-4 Raiders, so they own a .5 game lead and the head-to-head tiebreaker.  With how weak the AFC and the NFL in general is, 9-7 could easily get you into the Playoffs.  The Steelers have the toughest schedule in the NFL, and the toughest part comes after the Week 11 bye

Coming up, the Steelers have the Cleveland Browns coming to town for a one o’clock battle in Pittsburgh to cap off the three game home stand for the Steelers.   Although Landry Jones will be under center for the Steelers, this is one that the Steelers should still win this football game against Johnny Manziel and the tough defense of the Browns.  Then, the Steelers have a timely bye to see if they can get Roethlisberger healthy for a showdown at the Seattle Seahawks and their intimidating home.

Iowa Basketball loses to Augustana

It wasn't a good Friday night for the Iowa Basketball team.  It was their second scrimmage before the season opener next Friday.  They won last week, as expected, against Division Two Sioux Falls.  But, this second scrimmage did not end the same way.
It was going to be a tough game for sure, as their competition was Augustana (SD) Nobody knew much about them coming in.  But, they are the number one team in Division Two Basketball.  So, it should've been close, which it was. 
Iowa was playing catch-up the whole game.  They were down 36-41 at halftime.  So they were in a good spot to come back and win as expected.  But, it got worse from there. With 14 minutes left in the game, the Hawkeyes were down 46 to 61.
But, it got better from that point on.  Iowa got on a 16-5 run, and with 5:24 left got to within four at 62-66.  Then, with Iowa down three with eleven seconds left, Junior guard Peter Jok hit a three pointer that tied the score at 74.
So, the Vikings had the last shot in the game.  Then, Dan Jensen hit a great fade away jumper over Senior center Adam Woodbury for the Vikings win, 76-74
This isn't good, but it's not time to panic.  The record is still 0-0, and it was just a glorified practice.  Fran was trying to get everybody reps, and they wouldn't go as deep on the bench as they did Friday.
Also, remember this.  Michigan State lost last year to a 1-8 Texas Southern team in OT.  They, of course, made it to the Final Four.  
Iowa starts play for real on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs at 8:30 CST on ESPN3.

Steve Smith Sr. Tears Achilles, Is His Career Over?

Sunday was a brutal week for injuries in the NFL. But the two biggest were two star players from the AFC North whose seasons were ended. The first one was Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, who severely tore his MCL(More on that later this week).  The other being a torn Achilles for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.
Coming into this season, Smith Sr. said this would be his final year.  Now, the question is, does Smith Sr. come back for one last year since this one got ended halfway through the season?
I bet that Smith Sr. will seriously consider it.  I, for one, think that he will play next season.  I don't think that the fierce competitor inside Smith Sr. will make this decision easier.
I also think that either way, he should be in the Hall of Fame in Canyon, Ohio.  He joined the top ten in receiving yards in the game before he got hurt, and was a star for all those years as a Carolina Panther, and showed he was not too old after the Panthers released him as a Baltimore Ravens.  He will go down as a great player to watch compete and as a top receiver of his generation.

First Playoff Committee Rankings Come Out Tuesday

Finally, we are at that point in the college football season where we have the first Committee Poll come out on Tuesday.  The question is, how much different will the Poll be from the AP and Coaches' Polls.  The two polls are quite similar. There is only one team in the AP's Top 10 that is different than the Coaches' Top 10, which is Iowa, who is ranked number 10 in the AP and 11th in the Coaches'. There are minor differences like Clemson being ranked third in the Ap and fifth in the Coaches'.
I don't think that there should be many differences, but an interesting team to watch is the Iowa Hawkeyes.  For some reason,  the talking heads at ESPN and SEC fans and whoever else has no idea what they're talking about when it comes to Iowa.  They keep bringing up their schedule as a bad thing, but it's actually the opposite.  In fact, they have the third toughest schedule within all the unbeatens in the FBS.  I think for now, their schedule thus far will help them in the rankings, but in the long run with their remaining schedule, it could hurt them.  SOS is a big point for the Committee, so that will be interesting to see how that folds out.
For me, this is my top four.  At number one, the Ohio State Buckeyes.  At number two, the Baylor Bears.  At number three, the Clemson Tigers.  And, at number four, the Louisiana State Tigers.  My next two teams would be the Texas Christian Horned Frogs and the Michigan State Spartans.
Now, I have no idea what the Committee will do, but that's what I think it will be in my opinion.  So my top ten would be OSU, Baylor, Clemson, LSU, TCU, MSU, the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Stanford Cardinal and then the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at number 10.
But, I think the Committee will put Iowa at number ten, Stanford at nine, and Notre Dame at eight, and keeping Alabama at seven.
The real poll will be released on Tuesday, and after that, every other poll means absolutely nothing.  It will come out Tuesday on ESPN at 7:00 EST