WEBVTT - Big Ten West and MAC West Previews 0:00:02.040 --> 0:00:06.880 Welcome to the Solid Verbal. I'll that for me. I'm 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:09.680 a man, I'm forty. I've heard so many players say, well, 0:00:09.720 --> 0:00:11.639 I want to be happy. You want to be happy 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:16.040 for day Ato state? Is that? Woo whoom? And Dan 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:21.840 and Tye welcome back to the Solid Verbal, Boys and girls. 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:25.200 My name is ty Hildebrand, joining me as always over 0:00:25.200 --> 0:00:28.960 there in New York City. My man Dan Rubinstein, Sir, 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:29.720 how are you? 0:00:30.880 --> 0:00:33.400 Ty? I am streamlined in a way that I have 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:36.839 been waiting to be. Oh my hair is cut. I 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:39.279 went for a good run today. I took like a 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:42.280 seventeen minute, not a coffee nap, but a seventeen minute, 0:00:42.320 --> 0:00:44.840 like just a shut eye, real quick before the show. 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:47.320 Because today's a big one, Tye, Today is a big one. 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:50.200 Today is a very big one in the literal sense. 0:00:50.240 --> 0:00:53.280 We're going to be talking about the Big ten West 0:00:53.880 --> 0:00:57.840 in addition to the Macwest. I believe that that. 0:00:57.880 --> 0:01:00.600 Is one hundred percent correct. But we do have important 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:03.120 housecaping to take care of real quick before we get 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:03.480 into it. 0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:06.240 Solidverbal at gmail dot com, as always, is the email. 0:01:06.240 --> 0:01:08.440 You can find our website soliverbal dot com. You can 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:12.399 find us on social media at Facebook dot com. 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Because 0:01:48.120 --> 0:01:52.080 people seem to enjoy the fantasy things draft concepts, I 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:55.880 would go to solidverbaltickets dot com. It's a terrific show 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:58.640 that we have planned. It's at the Vidom Theater which 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:01.960 is in the West Noble Square area, but it's a 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:04.880 full on theater with a full on stage and a 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:09.280 full on screen and like digital experience happening. I cannot reckon. 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:12.760 We have a lot of weird things planned solid verbaltickets 0:02:12.800 --> 0:02:15.239 dot com. And afterwards we will go out and we'll 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:18.400 all find a bar and drink beer. I don't use 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:21.919 beers because it doesn't take much with me, but we're 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:23.800 gonna have a fantastic night. So we hope you are 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:27.359 able to We hope here it is English, you are 0:02:27.400 --> 0:02:28.919 able to join us absolutely. 0:02:29.000 --> 0:02:32.639 Soliverble tickets dot com. If you tried to order initially 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:35.560 when we send out our newsletter and you couldn't get through, 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:37.919 it's because there was so much interest that we crashed 0:02:37.919 --> 0:02:38.639 the website. 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:40.760 Yeah, weirds fun. 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:43.360 It was fun, and by fun we mean not fun 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:47.200 in fury for Dan and I. Right, we're told it's 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:50.000 only happened once in the last ten years. Yeah, we 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:54.840 are the Beatles, but a little more important in a 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:58.079 college football sense for sure. So again, soliverble tickets dot 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:00.959 com doing a live show August then that the Vidim 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:04.040 Theater in Chicago. If you're going to be in the area, 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:06.480 if you're thinking about being in the area, if you 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:08.680 have friends who are going to be in the area 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:11.160 and they like college football, invite them on out. Some 0:03:11.200 --> 0:03:16.400 tickets are still available. Yes, also, very very quickly, before 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:20.560 we dive on into the Big ten West merchandise, if 0:03:20.600 --> 0:03:26.760 you're listening before Friday, the twentieth of July, our merchandise 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:31.000 is still available. Been selling like hotcakes. Whether you're interested 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:32.880 in any of the three shirts that we've got out 0:03:32.919 --> 0:03:36.160 there or the hat, you do have a few days 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:39.320 to get on in that sweet solid verbal merchandise action. 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:44.000 If not, it's it's gone temporarily. We don't know when 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.200 it'll come back. There is potential for it to come back, 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:49.200 but why risk it? Really? 0:03:49.800 --> 0:03:52.800 I agree, I definitely agree. I am holding the hat 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:56.080 as we speak. I wore it last weekend in a 0:03:56.160 --> 0:03:59.080 laketown in Michigan or a couple weekends ago. And if 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:01.600 you're worried that it's going to be too shallow, like 0:04:01.640 --> 0:04:05.080 it's like too floppy the top cap part of the hat. 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:07.160 Too much Dad in a hat, I think is what 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:07.680 you're saying. 0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:11.520 If you are worried about too much dad TMD, let 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:14.600 me assure you there is good height to the cap 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:17.839 portion it is. It is good coverage because I have 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.479 it on good authority that a lot of our listeners 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:24.359 have giant heads. Yeah, yeah, because both of us do. 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:28.480 Soliverbletickets dot com for the live show and also you 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:31.960 can go to soliverble dot com slash store if you 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:34.520 want to check in on that merch Okay. 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:36.400 You're listening to this episode you're probably interested in the 0:04:36.400 --> 0:04:39.400 Big ten West, which almost has a team in the 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:42.520 Chicago land area. So come on, it's a no brainer. 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:44.360 Soliverbletickets dot com. 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:49.839 With that being said, Daniel, Yo, we've got a big 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:52.280 preview ahead of us. I played the drum role. But really, 0:04:52.320 --> 0:04:56.560 since we're talking about the Big ten West, this is 0:04:56.600 --> 0:05:00.480 our official anthem of the Big ten West, is it not? You? Yeah? 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:03.200 That Fitzgerald. 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:09.200 Yeahs. Here's what we're doing on the show this year. Ooh, 0:05:09.279 --> 0:05:13.640 Lewis Smith brother was that macho man Randy Savage? It 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:17.560 was somewhere in there. Yeah, yeah, that's all I have. Well, 0:05:17.600 --> 0:05:20.479 here's what we're doing. In previous years, we've tried to 0:05:20.480 --> 0:05:23.640 do a top forty countdown. Some other years we've done 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:26.720 conference by conference, just a really broad look at what's 0:05:26.760 --> 0:05:29.800 going on. It's been a slow off season in terms 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:32.119 of news, so Dan and I decided out, what the hell, 0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:35.520 let's go all in. Let's talk about each conference and 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:39.440 each division within each each conference, which we started doing 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:44.919 last week talking about the ACC Fatlantic and uh today 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:46.600 we're going to go into the Big ten West end. 0:05:46.920 --> 0:05:49.679 It's very fun to say, and yes we know conference 0:05:49.720 --> 0:05:52.000 media days are going on. I think what the ACC 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:55.440 began today as we record this SEC has been going 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:58.840 on for a couple of days. Big twelve, I believe 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:00.680 has been going on for a day or two. I 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:03.919 saw our pal Bruce Feldman out there and Tom Herman said, 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:08.560 in just responding to somebody who asked how many what 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:11.080 was it was like playmakers or game changes he had? 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:17.840 He said, uh, some, So we're just going to do previews. Okay, 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:20.880 that's the lesson here is there's there are a lot 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:23.719 of football players and coaches in games and situations to 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:27.240 talk about and argue about and figure out why we 0:06:27.320 --> 0:06:29.480 care and why you should care, which is our general 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:32.320 theme for our previews this year. It's the care factor. 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:34.960 Even if you're a Texas Tech fan, even if you're 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:38.000 a Georgia Tech fan, if you're an NC State fan, 0:06:38.760 --> 0:06:42.000 we are trying to sleuth out. We are your college 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:46.040 football archaeologists. We are going to try and dust off 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:49.080 those reasons to care about the Big Ten West, of 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:50.760 which I think we have a good amount. 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:53.720 Absolutely so as you look at the Big Ten West 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:56.960 as a whole, m hm, is there anything that jumps 0:06:56.960 --> 0:07:00.560 out to you? Because I'm speaking just broad not about 0:07:00.560 --> 0:07:03.960 a particular team, but how that side of the conference 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:07.839 is shaken out because I know, for me, there was 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:10.920 a pretty glaring point that came across in some of 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:11.520 my research. 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:15.200 So at the top and this feels like a very 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:17.680 big ten West or big ten in general word, but 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:18.960 it feels very sturdy. 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:21.880 Yeah, that's just I think that's right. 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:26.600 So Paul Christ, Pat Fitzgerald, Kirk Farrence. In terms of 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:29.440 where this division has been the last few years, there 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:33.520 is a sturdiness to where those teams have been some changes, 0:07:33.960 --> 0:07:36.720 some for the better, some for the not so much better. 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:42.520 But with Purdue becoming a at least an interesting team, 0:07:42.920 --> 0:07:46.400 with Nebraska looking like the final destination a good way 0:07:46.760 --> 0:07:50.320 for Scott Frost and PJ Fleck getting a big shot 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:54.640 at Minnesota, it appears that short of Lovey Smith at 0:07:54.680 --> 0:08:00.200 Illinois that there could be potential for long term sturdiness. 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:04.000 Which is the name of a failed adult film that 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:07.200 I produced sophomore year of college. I'm not proud of it. 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:09.680 Ty Well, listen, you want to go you talk about 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:12.120 that point and let me expand upon it a little bit. 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:15.160 Illinois feels like the only team in the West that 0:08:16.120 --> 0:08:19.520 we could bet money on having a losing record at this. 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:21.880 Point, yeah, I would say, so, you. 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:23.640 Know, I wouldn't want to go in on that bet 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:30.320 for Minnesota. We'll talk about Minnesota or Nebraska or Purdue, 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.200 like I can't say for sure that any of those 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:35.480 teams are going to have a losing record. The only 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:38.160 team on the Big Ten West side that you look 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:42.199 at and you say yeah aah, probably Illinois. But otherwise 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:46.439 I agree, looking sturdy, long term sturdiness. 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:48.720 M H. I think sound get up on IMDb. 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:52.640 Long term sturdiness. Let's start at the top. Wisconsin, I 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:58.040 think is your odds on favorite to win that side 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:01.800 of the conference. It's a similar team, I think to 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:05.400 what we saw last year, with a couple differences, a 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:09.280 couple bullet points that we want to spike out here. 0:09:09.840 --> 0:09:12.880 I think the offense should be better, and I think 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:15.760 that will make it more interesting of a team to follow, 0:09:16.000 --> 0:09:18.760 if only because the schedule will be more interesting as well. 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:20.640 I think that's right. I think, you know, when you 0:09:20.679 --> 0:09:24.520 look at some of the weaker divisions in college football, 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:27.320 there are years where you look at, you know, like 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:31.200 last year with Wisconsin, with Minnesota, I think from a 0:09:31.200 --> 0:09:34.760 couple of years ago when the schedule is just absurd. 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:38.000 Scott's got a tricky schedule this year. I think the 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:40.559 big reason to care about Wisconsin is what you already said. 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:43.480 It's a pretty similar team to a team that went 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:47.080 undefeated last year during the regular season. That's a good 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:48.839 reason to watch. And it's going to be a more 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:52.000 difficult road this year. And they have what I think 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:54.480 we consider to be a top five running back in 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:56.600 the country. Sure Taylor tailback, Oh my god. 0:09:56.679 --> 0:09:57.040 Yeah. 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:02.800 And if that's not enough, their coach openly mocked the 0:10:02.840 --> 0:10:06.160 turnover chain in the bulgame. Is that something? Yeah, it 0:10:06.240 --> 0:10:08.880 was something like turnover chain, my ass, Like the better 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:11.360 lip readers were able to come up with that. We'll 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:13.280 see if that I mean, we can keep deep diving 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:16.760 and look. But defensively, they're in pretty good shape. They 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:19.720 seem to return all of their linebackers every year. Like 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:21.640 if you told me TJ. Edwards was on this team 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:25.600 in twenty twelve, I would nod skeptically. But they should 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:28.079 be very good at linebacker. There's some new pieces both 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:31.880 in the defensive front on the line and in the secondary, 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:36.360 especially at corner. But the amount of experience and the 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:38.920 lack of turnover on both sides of the ball. They 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:42.120 should be super good on defense. Offense should once again 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:45.920 be very good. I am still trying, more than like 0:10:45.960 --> 0:10:48.599 a year and a half into the Alex Hornybrook experience 0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:53.040 to figure out if he is capital a actually good. 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:58.319 Yeah, well he needs to improve on his fifteen interceptions 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:02.520 from a year ago. Yes, and he is playing behind 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:06.040 a line that returns all five of its starters from 0:11:06.040 --> 0:11:09.679 the twenty seventeen version. Like, think how crazy that is 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:13.480 for Wisconsin. You know, to your point of the linebacking retention, 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:16.760 if you were to tell me that these five offensive 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:19.760 linemen were also on that twenty twelve team, I would 0:11:19.760 --> 0:11:23.480 also nod skeptically, because it feels like this is very 0:11:23.559 --> 0:11:27.440 much the case. Wisconsin just does running, they do defense, 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:31.200 and they do offensive line really really well. Again, that 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:33.600 is the case. They might have the best offensive line 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:36.760 in the country, if nothing else, the most experienced offensive 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:41.520 line in the country, and honestly, absent everything else, a 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:43.840 really good line in college football will get you places. 0:11:43.880 --> 0:11:46.440 So we know, just as a baseline that this is 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:49.280 going to be a really good Wisconsin football team. They've 0:11:49.280 --> 0:11:51.800 got Jonathan Taylor tail back, They've got the five offensive 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:54.559 lineman that in and of itself will make them very good. 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:57.440 Alex Hornybrook will wait and see. He needs to be 0:11:57.800 --> 0:12:01.240 more careful with the football. He does lose who's Troy Fumagali, 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:03.880 But he has some other familiar faces back. He really 0:12:03.920 --> 0:12:06.640 doesn't need to do that much, right. It just it 0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:08.920 really would help if he didn't turn it over fifteen times. 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:12.120 All right. The road schedule is tricky. The road schedule 0:12:12.200 --> 0:12:14.320 is tricky. I do want to make one other point 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:16.160 here on the defense, and you mentioned that there's not 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:19.160 a lot of turnover, and that's true to some degree. 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:21.880 They do only have four starters back from a year ago. 0:12:22.360 --> 0:12:24.440 I think the guts of that team is back in 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:27.920 the linebacking corps. We said almost the same thing a 0:12:28.000 --> 0:12:30.880 year ago. With Jim Leonard stepping in a first time 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:33.560 defensive coordinator, what's it going to be like for him? 0:12:33.880 --> 0:12:36.880 He did an incredible job. It's so easy to gloss 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:39.559 over how good of a job he did because they 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:42.240 just sort of always have a good defense and it's 0:12:42.240 --> 0:12:44.440 been there since Dave Randa and blah blah blah. But 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:49.439 last year, his first year as defensive coordinator, his scoring 0:12:49.480 --> 0:12:52.440 defense was third in the Nation behind Alabama and Clemson. 0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:55.240 I don't know exactly what happens this year, but I 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:57.040 can take a pretty damn good guess that it's going 0:12:57.120 --> 0:13:00.000 to be good again. So all of these indicators are very, 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:04.679 very positive in favor of Wisconsin retaining its status as 0:13:04.720 --> 0:13:05.840 the top dog in the West. 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:08.120 He also has a nose tackle who can do a 0:13:08.120 --> 0:13:09.800 standing backflip on sand. 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:10.800 That's true. 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:15.360 Yeah, advantageous. If Alex Hornibrook has another year in which 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:19.520 he shows a lot of promise but screws up a 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:21.280 bunch in the first half, if he doesn't take a 0:13:21.320 --> 0:13:24.040 step forward with all that returns around him on offense, 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:26.960 it almost feels as if he will be one of 0:13:27.000 --> 0:13:31.040 those assembly speakers at a junior high who gets in 0:13:31.080 --> 0:13:34.200 front of kids and says, I had everything going for me. 0:13:34.559 --> 0:13:36.440 If it could happen to me, it could happen to you. 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:40.520 I had the perfect life, and that his parents at 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:43.920 one point are like, we gave you everything. How did 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:44.320 you end. 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:45.559 Up very angry here? Dan? 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:48.240 I know. So Alex Hornibrook has it all, has it 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:52.360 all mapped out in a very advantageous way. And once again, 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:54.320 the schedule, when we say it's a little trickier. They 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:58.640 go to Iowa Iowa City. Late September, they go to 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:03.000 Michigan when Michigan would have some momentum and some idea 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:05.720 of what they'll look like with shape Patterson under center. 0:14:05.760 --> 0:14:09.280 And that's a week after they host Nebraska. They go 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:12.920 to Northwestern, which is, as we mentioned, a little bit tricky. 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:14.520 Litill trappy, little trappy. 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:20.480 Yeah, and then they luckily the post Rutgers just smooth 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:22.200 glide and they go to Penn State. They go to 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:24.520 Happy Valley. I don't know if that's a white out game. 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:26.240 I don't have Penn State schedule in front of me, 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:31.440 but that should have pretty large Big Ten implications. So 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:36.440 the common refrain from years passed about Wisconsin isn't anywhere 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:38.080 near true this season. 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:43.760 Don't forget about Purdue Perdy. Yeah, sure, Purdue's gonna have 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:46.200 some trouble stopping that rushing attack. We'll talk about that, 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:48.480 I think so in just a little bit. But yeah, 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:52.960 things shaping up pretty well for Wisconsin. I think probably 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:57.560 one or two losses on this schedule, just because of 0:14:57.600 --> 0:14:59.880 some of the road tilts that they've got that wouldn't 0:14:59.880 --> 0:15:01.640 be out of the question for me, but still a 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:03.360 really pod I would campaign. 0:15:03.320 --> 0:15:05.920 Yeah, I would. They look like ten and a half wins. 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:08.360 I will go with the over because of the experience. 0:15:08.360 --> 0:15:10.040 In continuity, I think they go eleven and one. 0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:14.120 Let's move on. Who is your next best team in 0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:15.320 the Big Ten West. 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:21.680 That's a good question, yeah, because it would be fairly 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:24.320 straightforward and boring to say Northwestern. They go nine and 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:28.800 three during the regular season last year. I'm not super 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:32.320 big on Clayton Thorson. I think he's fun. I think 0:15:32.320 --> 0:15:34.200 they've been led by their defense, and I think the 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:36.000 front looks good again this year. You should be able 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:39.840 to pass on Northwestern some I actually I think I'm 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:43.600 Michael Iowa here, Okay, I think I like the ceiling 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:46.680 of Nate Stanley more than I like the ceiling of 0:15:46.720 --> 0:15:49.760 anybody else in this conference right now. 0:15:50.760 --> 0:15:53.960 Interesting about that tie that, that's interesting. Here's what's interesting 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.320 about Iowa. So iowall went seven and five a year ago, 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:02.640 Like this feels like a different set of ingredients for 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:06.440 IOWA football in twenty eighteen, you know, like, you know, 0:16:06.520 --> 0:16:10.840 the saying about this isn't your father's whatever. Brian Farrens 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:14.480 can literally say it's not his father's Iowa because the ingredients. 0:16:14.520 --> 0:16:17.720 The ingredients are different this year. They still have the 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:18.480 easy schedule. 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:20.600 They still disagree with you on that. 0:16:20.640 --> 0:16:23.400 Well, hold on, let me explain this out here. Okay, 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:27.480 they still have the easier schedule that made them more 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:30.760 of a featured bid on the podcast two years ago. Sure, 0:16:30.880 --> 0:16:35.280 but the other elements are somewhat different. Right. What can 0:16:35.320 --> 0:16:38.200 you typically count on with Iowa football if you're just 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:41.400 looking at the team as a whole lot of ball control? Yeah, 0:16:42.200 --> 0:16:45.960 good defense, especially up the middle Linebackers, pass rushers have 0:16:45.960 --> 0:16:50.040 been good in years past. Just those two points. I'm 0:16:50.080 --> 0:16:52.320 not sure they have either this year. I'm not sure 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:55.240 they have the solid ball control running game, and I'm 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:59.240 not sure about the reliable defense. The backfield's entirely new 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:01.800 because a Way and James Butler are gone. 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:05.080 But he did nothing last year essentially in terms of efficiency, 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:07.840 they were not where Iowa has been these past fairpoint. 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:11.000 Fairpoint, but they're almost entirely new in the backfield. And 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:13.600 there's even more of a question now because the offensive 0:17:13.640 --> 0:17:17.040 line replaces all three guys in the middle, both guards 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:17.639 in the center. 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:19.200 James Daniels is very good. 0:17:19.320 --> 0:17:23.000 Yes, at this point, it's not something I feel terribly 0:17:23.040 --> 0:17:26.760 confident in that ground control game. And then defensively, Look, 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:30.320 they're good at defensive end. They're gonna get after the quarterback, 0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:36.359 but linebacker really inexperienced. The defensive backfield very ah to me, 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:40.240 I care. One the reason I care about Iowa football 0:17:40.280 --> 0:17:44.040 is because those two ingredients aren't there. And in addition 0:17:44.080 --> 0:17:46.000 to the fact that they've got another great schedule to 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:48.439 make a run. If they do it, it's gonna be 0:17:48.480 --> 0:17:50.520 on the arm in Nate Stanley. It's gonna be because 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:54.719 he bawled out, because he threw eleven plus more touchdowns 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:58.240 to Noah Fan at tight end, and because. 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:01.520 Wait, wait, wait, don't just skip over Fan though well, 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:04.360 he was really tight. He broke the school record. This 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:05.600 is a full on dude. 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:07.000 You want to go doud to alert. 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:08.040 No, of course I do. 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:14.280 That's fair to me. I'm just saying that if Iowa 0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:16.960 gets it done this year, it's not because of the 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:19.960 ground game. It's not necessarily because of the defense. It's 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:24.399 because Nate Stanley took another step forward. He connected with 0:18:24.520 --> 0:18:27.360 Noah Fan for a bunch more touchdowns. He connected with 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:32.760 some good receivers who are retained from America. I think 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:34.640 it will be more through the air than it will 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:37.480 be on the ground, and maybe because of Iowa scoring 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:39.000 more points than we're accustomed to. 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:42.920 That's totally reasonable. I think no offense gives them, as 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:45.040 we saw last year at his best, gives them a 0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:47.760 weapon up the middle that should open things up somewhat 0:18:47.800 --> 0:18:51.760 for other receivers. I don't imagine those stylistically, Nate Sanley's 0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:53.960 turned the ball forty times. I just don't see them 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:56.760 opening up the offense in that kind of way. But 0:18:57.680 --> 0:19:00.000 in the context of what Iowa has in front of them, 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:02.679 here are their road games. 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:03.480 Let's do that. 0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:13.200 Go Don Don Minnesota, Indiana, Penn State, challenging uh Perdue, Illinois. Okay, 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:14.480 that's pretty good. 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:15.560 Are there any others? 0:19:16.400 --> 0:19:21.679 That's all of their road games, Minnesota, Indiana, Penn State, Perdue, Illinois. 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:24.679 They don't go on the road in the non conference. 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:28.040 They have Northern Illinois, Iowa State Northern Iowa, so they 0:19:28.080 --> 0:19:31.760 don't even leave the state, let alone their own stadium 0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:36.879 and just cross division. Wise, they missed three of the 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:39.800 four Big Big Ten East teams in Ohio State or 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:45.040 Michigan schools. So if you're buying Iowa as better than 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:50.160 they actually are this would be a person that agrees 0:19:50.200 --> 0:19:51.520 with you. May Did you. 0:19:51.480 --> 0:19:54.800 Know that the last time Iowa went to Illinois two 0:19:54.880 --> 0:19:58.719 years ago, hm, Iowa forced Illinois to punt on their 0:19:58.760 --> 0:20:01.120 first ten possessions and show them out twenty eight to nol. 0:20:01.240 --> 0:20:03.399 Just throwing that out there, it's pretty good. Yeah, pretty 0:20:03.400 --> 0:20:04.720 good way to play football. 0:20:05.080 --> 0:20:07.480 Throwing that out there. Yeah, the schedule sets up nicely 0:20:07.520 --> 0:20:10.320 for Iowa. I'm just not as confident in the normal 0:20:10.480 --> 0:20:12.119 ingredients as I have been in the past. 0:20:12.320 --> 0:20:15.879 So are you higher on any other Big ten West 0:20:15.960 --> 0:20:21.960 quarterback other than perhaps Harnybrook, but underneath Harnybrook than Nate Stanley. 0:20:22.800 --> 0:20:23.520 I don't think so. 0:20:24.359 --> 0:20:24.439 No. 0:20:24.560 --> 0:20:29.120 The only other real contender for me would be Clayton Thorson, 0:20:29.200 --> 0:20:35.720 but he's coming off the injury. I'm not crazy about Thorston. 0:20:35.720 --> 0:20:38.560 I'm probably higher on him than I think you are. 0:20:38.640 --> 0:20:40.960 But I'm really keen on Nate Stanley. 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:45.640 I'm telling you he is in terms of recent Iowa quarterbacks, 0:20:46.080 --> 0:20:50.320 I think he his ceiling is clearly above the last 0:20:50.320 --> 0:20:51.320 two or three dudes. 0:20:51.119 --> 0:20:54.439 At least for sure. I don't even think that's a question. 0:20:54.920 --> 0:20:55.760 But that's a big deal. 0:20:56.000 --> 0:20:57.960 It is a big deal. It's a very big deal. Yeah, 0:20:58.280 --> 0:20:59.720 all right, so that's why you care. 0:20:59.800 --> 0:21:00.480 That's why you care. 0:21:00.600 --> 0:21:01.040 That's why I have. 0:21:01.400 --> 0:21:04.800 Yeah, new good quarterback play in a major conference for 0:21:04.960 --> 0:21:07.480