In Week 1 Jason Baier had probably the greatest sports prognostication week of his life. Admittedly, Week 1 games are always pretty easy to pick, but he only missed ONE game. He missed Grand View beating Drake mercilessly. Yes, once again this year I will not count it against you if you picked Iowa State to win and they don’t. I also won’t give you credit for picking against Iowa State and getting it right. My game. My rules.
So here are the Week 1 Standings:
1. Jason Baier – 17-1 .944
2. Russell Kennerly – 14-2 .875
3. Christopher D. Bennett – 14-4 .778
Although I should deduct points to RMK for being too cowardly to pick a winner in the FSU-OSU game and the Boone-Ballard game.
There is no real reason to dwell on Iowa State’s shellacking. It was maybe the most pathetic thing I’ve seen in Jack Trice Stadium. Up there with their loss to Drake back in 1985. Drake dropped football the next year.
I don’t care how good the Bizon are in their division, there is absolutely no excuse for getting completely whipped by a Divsion Whatever opponent. Especially not 2 years in a row!
We could go over went wrong, but it seemed like everything went wrong. To make matters worse, we lost Bundrage for the season. By far our most explosive offensive threat, gone. 4 plays into the season. On a running play. Maybe this is why Todd Blythe never blocked. As sad and as pathetic as our “new” offense looked, the defense wasn’t much better.
They gave up over 500 yards.
The last touchdown run of the game was over 60 yards by a fat, short dude that I’m pretty sure I could have ran down.
A cornerback was our leading tackler. (Tribune with 11)
A backup safety was the 2nd leading tackler. (Syrie with 9)
Another safety was the 4th leading tackler. (Mutcherson with 8)
The good news about the defense is that their problems looked to be from being in the wrong place and not from missed tackles. It is easier to correct players being in the wrong place than it is missing tackles. Most of the issues on defense come from inexperience. That will be fixed over time (unless we keep getting players thrown out of the game for bogus targeting penalties), but in the meantime, the defense is going to be rough.
The good news for the offense? Until Farniok went out of the game, the offense looked pretty good. After he left the game? The offense looked an awful lot like last year’s offense.
But why dwell on the past? That is what Nebraska fans do.
THE ONLY GAME THAT MATTERS
This week’s opponent: Kansas State. Basically North Dakota State. Only bigger, faster, and stronger. Quarterbacked by a quarterback that wanted to come to Iowa State and we were like, “Nah, we’re good.”
Kansas State is 1 of 2 conference opponents that Paul Rhoads has not defeated. (Okay, technically he never defeated Texas A&M or Missouri, but are we really going to count those turncoats?)
This made me wonder, has an Iowa State coach ever defeated all of their conference opponents.?
Chizik – he ONLY defeated Colorado and Kansas State. Yeah, it could always be worse. Remember that guy?
McCarney – Never beat Texas or Oklahoma
Walden – Never beat Colorado, beat Oklahoma AND Nebraska. Never beat Colorado
Criner – Never beat Oklahoma or Nebraska
Duncan – Never beat Oklahoma, Nebraska or KANSAS!! Did tie Oklahoma once though.
Bruce – Never beat Oklahoma
Majors – Never beat Nebraska, Colorado, or Oklahoma
Stapleton – Never beat Missouri. Tied Missouri once.
That goes all the way back to 1958, when Oklahoma State rejoined the Big 8!
Paul Rhoads has made a career out of exorcising many of Iowa State’s historical demons. I think he will be the first coach since God knows when to have bested every team in our conference. First Kansas State, then Oklahoma.
I know what you are thinking, Iowa State just got crushed by a school that has 1300 students, if you count goats. Which I do.
But one thing Paul Rhoads does well is circle the wagons.
The week before he beat Texas, He lost 52-0 to Oklahoma.
Paul Rhoads circles the wagons. The defense licks it wounds and mans up. They force 3 turnovers. Richardson explodes for a huge game, finally. Touchdowns by West, Bibbs, Nealy, and Daley.
Iowa State 28 Kansas State 24
OTHER CYCLONE STATE GAMES
Iowa struggles to get by Ball State
Drake rebounds to knock off Truman State
Grand View punishes Graceland
BIG 12 MATCHUPS
(4) Oklahoma pounds Tulsa
Oklahoma State puts 70 on Missouri State
Kansas nips SE Missouri State
Texas barely gets by BYU
West Virginia creams Towson
(10) Baylor shuts out Northwestern State
Texas Tech (a team wildly overrated by Jason Baier) struggles to get past UTEP
TOP 25 MATCHUPS
(8) Michigan State beats up on (3) Oregon in a rare Big Ten Power 5 win.
(11) Stanford manhandles (15) USC
BIG TEN GAME OF THE WEEK
Michigan knocks off (17) Notre Dame
SEC GAME OF THE WEEK
Tennessee over Arkansas State but close.
PAC 12 GAME OF THE WEEK
Arizona over UTSA
ACC GAME OF THE WEEK
(5) Ohio State pounds Virginia Tech – Another rare Big Ten Power 5 win, if you consider the ACC a Power 5 conference, which I don’t.
Coach Mac Bowl Watch
SMU over North Texas, sorry Coach Mac, rebuilding year.
NO FUN LEAGUE Games of Moderate Interest
As you may or may not know, I don’t live in or have ever lived in:
New York
Washington D. C.
Philadelphia
Dallas
Minnesota
Green Bay
Detroit
Chicago
New Orleans
Atlanta
North or South Carolina
Tampa Bay
Seattle
San Francisco
St. Louis
Miami
Boston or New England
Buffalo
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
Houston
Tennessee
Jacksonville
Indianapolis
Denver
Oakland
San Diego
Kansas City
So, I don’t really have any passion for the NFL. Most of my picks are based on whether or not Tony Romo plays for a particular team or not.
Seahawks over Packers
Saints over Falcons
Ravens over Bengals
Bears over Bills
Chiefs over Titans
49ers over Romo
Broncos over Colts
Lions over Giants
Cardinals over Chargers
Friday Night Lights
Boone Toreadors pound the Gilbert Tigers. It was embarrassing enough to lose to a town without a grocery store last week. No way it happens twice. Plus Tigers? That is like not even trying with your nickname.
Fort Dodge Dodgers over the Sioux City North Stars. I hate nicknames that try to get cutesy.
Audubon Wheelers over the IKM-Manning Wolves. Wolves are a badass animal, but as a sports team nickname – G-E-N-E-R-I-C. You are a half step away from being the Wildcats.
As always, please feel free to place your predictions in the COMMENTS section.