Thoughts on Iowa

(preseason)Iowa will be a very tough game. They always play us tough. They have a great quarterback. Their D will be solid. They have a great coach. (/preseason)

Yikes, what the hell happened to the Hawkeyes? Sure, injuries hurt. But they just lost to freakin' Indiana! They got steamrolled at home by Ohio State and while Ohio State is the best team in the country, they aren't that good.

I'm truly torn looking at this game. Part of me sees the Iowa that has played Michigan very tough under Ferentz. Hell, that same part remembers the epic battles between Bo and Hayden Frye in the 1980s. Then again, Michigan is rolling right now. The game is at home. Iowa is reeling. There is little objective evidence this year that Iowa can keep it close in Ann Arbor.

So what to expect? Drew Tate will have a good game and will frustrate the defense. He can move around the pocket and can keep the play alive giving his receivers way too much time to get open. But he'll also make some mistakes giving Michigan field position. Michigan's offense should be able to establish a pretty solid ground game against Iowa and Henne will have open targets if the OL gives him time. This game might be similar to the Wisconsin game where it is close for a little while before Michigan pulls away in the 2nd half.

I'll guess Michigan wins 31-13 and guys like Kevin Grady and Brandon Minor get some nice work at TB.