Iowa and Iowa State open this week. Iowa goes to Chicago to take on Northern Illinois and Iowa State hosts Tulsa. Both could and should make noise for conference titles in the MAC and Conf USA. Will either team knock off their BCS opponents?
1. Iowa vs NIU prediction
Matt – NIU has been hit with some injuries and graduated a few players from their 10 win team last year but should still be good. Iowa’s DL is a question and who’s going to run the ball? I think this game is close like the last time in Chicago and but Iowa seperates in the 4th quarter. 23-10 Hawks
Painter – It's going to be a sloppy game but Iowa should, and had better, win this game. I don't know if I can tolerate a repeat of the last time Iowa played NIU at Soldier....
Wendt – Iowa-24 Northern Illinois-15
Blake – 27-17 Iowa
BSox – Pretty sure iowa will win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if its closer than what people think. Considering it’s the first game, the lack of running backs, and the new coaches…might be closer than what people think. Should be interesting though
Silker – Iowa starts slow but pulls off a win. 30-27
2. ISU vs Tulsa prediction
Matt – I think this game is similar to the Iowa-NIU game. I think this game will be tight in the 4th quarter. With that I’m going to give the ISU LB’s a nod and they’ll make a big play when needed to stop the Golden Hurricane. ISU makes it 1-0 to the Iowa game. Cyclones 31-26
Painter – ISU's offensive line will look like Swiss cheese and they will barely pull this one off, but of course they aren't looking toward Iowa just yet...
Wendt – Iowa State-27 Tulsa-21
Blake – 32-17
BSox – Another game that could be closer than you’d think. I know it’s a close spread with Tulsa being favored, but I’m really curious to see how jantz plays. Last season, he was amazing when he was on, but when he was off, it got bad real quick. So I’m interested to see how he reacts and what he looks like now as compared to last year
Silker – ISU demolishes and wins big. 24-3 -- Because the only two games mattering this weekend are:UNI 10 Wisconsin 52; Notre Dame 31 Navy 24
3. Big name players are hitting the chopping block in the NFL, TO by the Seahawks, Vince Young by the Bills. Also 5 rookies will start week 1 in the NFL at QB. What is the move your shocked by the most and what is the biggest story of the preseason?
Matt – ESPN is choking everyone with Tebow & the Jets creating stories. Diva wide recievers in TO & Ochocinco being cut. Those stories are getting most pub, but how about Russell Wilson in Seattle and the other 4 rookie starters? Is this 1983 (Year of the QB in the draft) all over again? I think that is more interesting. And MJD, when will he play and where?
Painter – The most shocking move was that Seattle signed TO in the first place and the biggest story of the preseason is my own retirement from fantasy football
Wendt – Billy Cundiff being cut by Baltimore was surprising but nothing has really shocked me this preseason
Blake – Just how fast successful veterans fall out of this league. You mentioned two, Randy Moss sat out last year. I still think back to how fast Shaun Alexander dropped a few years ago
BSox – Russell Wilson is pretty interesting considering they thought Flynn might be their guy. I thought they’d leave him on the bench for a bit to learn the system, and make the move later. Otherwise, TO wasn’t a total surprise, that was 50/50 to me. otherwise, the biggest story is probably the refs, and how bad the stand in refs are. No one gets too upset in a preseason game, will be interesting to see reactions on these horrible calls in a game that matters
Silker – Biggest move is that we are still talkin about Seattle. Pete Carroll always likes is talkin about him as much as Rex Ryan. That is why TO was brought in. Seattle wins 7 games this year and Carroll is on the hot seat next year. Biggest preseason story is the lack of offense for the Jets. Can you hear the Tebow chants already!
4. The Dodgers and RedSox pulled off a HUGE trade with Beckett, Gonzalez and Crawford leaving Beantown and joining the Dodgers. Does this move make the Dodgers the favorites in the NL?
Matt – I thought the Dodgers where NL Champs before the season, and this I think will just help them get past the Giants and rest of the NL. Don’t shy away from the Cardinals too, how do they always do this?
Painter – Nope
Wendt – I'm not gonna lie, I completely missed this deal but I still think the Reds are the favorite in the NL
Blake – If the Nats shut Strasburg down, you have to think so. LA has more experience than the Nats anyway, so they still might come out of the NL.
BSox – Depends on how the gel. The dodgers seem like that team that could just fall apart at any point just because of their recent history. We’ll see
Silker – Yes. Boston dumped everyone they could and will rebuild for the next ten years. The dodgers are now penent favorites and will be a force to recon with. McCourt is kicking himself for going backrupt.
5. Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth got into it a bit at this weekends race with Tony chucking his helmet at Kenseth’s car. Dumber way to retaliate, chucking a helmet at a car, hitting a guy wearing a football helmet with your fist, or charging the mound where a pitcher is waiting for you along with his infield teammates?
Matt – Hitting a dude in a football helmet is stupid. That’s broken fingers or hand written all over it. Tony made a great toss of his helmet though, but I do wonder if that could have gone off in the stands and hurt someone? I’m sure there is a fine coming.
Painter – If you throw a helmet you had better hope it doesn't get hit toward anyone else. At least with the other two you are risking your own safety more than others. That being said Tony had pinpoint accuracy on his toss and it was much needed for NASCAR
Wendt – Hitting a football player with their helmet on is by far the dumbest move ever
Blake – Car's are big, so I wouldn't do that. Hitting a helmet is just stupid, so of course I'd rather charge the mound.
BSox – I thought the tony/matt thing was great, and I loved the helmet toss. I’d say dumbest is proly punching a guy with a face mask, that’s just a no win scenario
Silker – Classic will always be charging the mound. It shows that you don't care and are about to take it
6. The Summer Movie season is pretty much over. What was your movie of the Summer and what is the flop?
Matt – The Colorado shooting seems to have put a black cloud on the movies this summer. It took the steam out of Batman and I think everything since then. Avengers is the movie of the summer. Bust (of what I’ve seen) is going to be Total Recall. It didn’t separate itself from the original enough but Jessica and Kate…mmmm.
Painter – Avengers carried the banner for the 2012 summer movie season. The flop was the movie theater in Perry for not having a fully-functional sound system in one of its 3 theaters, and of course it was the one that the movie I took the kids too was showing in.
Wendt – I can honestly say that I don't think I watched any of the "summer blockbusters" and will probably see them when they hit DVD/Netflix
Blake – I have a near two year old...I don't watch new movies.
BSox – I’d say avengers, ted, or dark knight…and out of that I enjoyed avengers the most. Otherwise, I didn’t see too many other movies, and couldn’t tell you which I saw that was the biggest flop sorry
Silker – I didn't see many but Batman was pretty good
NFL and IOWA/ISU predictions next week
