Hawks Best in the Big Ten?

Well, Saturday was a great day to be a Hawk fan. They upset the fifth ranked Penn State Nittany Lions 21-10. And to make it even better, the game was at Penn State! How great the game was. A defensive struggle for the entire game. And what turned the tide in the game? A blocked punt by Iowa defensive end Adrien Claiborne returned for a touchdown. This made the score 11-10 and the Hawkeyes never looked back. This win propelled the Hawkeyes into a rank of thirteenth in the nation.

So does this win make the Hawkeyes the best team in the Big Ten? I believe so. Even though this was the first game of the Big Ten season, the Hawkeyes looked very good and showed that they could not only play with the best in the Big Ten, but could actually beat them.


The Hawkeyes have an extremely difficult schedule this year. They were at Penn State, and will be at Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. They should win all of their home games the rest of the year. The biggest challenge at Kinnick Stadium, the Hawkeyes home field, will be the twenty third ranked Michigan Wolverines. In my opinion, they are extremely overrated having inched out a victory against Indiana, not the strongest team in the Big Ten, and should have lost to an overrated Notre Dame team. They will beat the stumbling Michigan State Spartans and the Wisconsin Badgers, but will have a big challenge against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio State. If they can be unscathed heading into this pivotal game, I feel they could beat the Buckeyes. This victory would most certainly cap a undefeated season and a Big Ten title, with a trip to a BCS bowl or even the national championship.


Now don't get me wrong, the Hawks have a long way to go, but I feel this will be a special year for the Hawkeyes. They proved they are a great team, now they just need to show it week in and week out. They have a stout defense. They just need to have a more consistent offense. If they can remain a consistently solid team every week, I have no doubt in my mind that they will be the best in the Big Ten this season, and could possibly even make the national championship game in Pasadena, California this January.