Big Ten Football: 3 dark-horse candidates to win the conference in 2017
By Shane Lunnen
3. Iowa Hawkeyes
Head coach Kirk Ferentz is the elder statesman of the conference, returning for his 19th season with the Hawkeyes. The strength of Iowa is their defense. All three starting linebackers return, including middle linebacker Josey Jewell who has led the team in tackles the past two seasons.
Unfortunately for Iowa, they’ll have to find a way to replace All-American cornerback Desmond King. Other than that they should be solid defensively.
More from Big Ten
- Michigan State vs. Maryland: Location, time, prediction, and more
- Wisconsin vs. Purdue: How to watch, odds, injuries, weather, and history
- College Football Playoff: Projected top 4 after Week 3
- Biggest winners and losers from College Football Week 3
- Ohio State football: 3 takeaways from win over Western Kentucky
What could keep the Hawkeyes out of contention in the West is their offense, especially their passing game. Considering last year’s ineptness, the offense can only get better.
The strength on offense comes in the form of senior running back Akrum Wadley. He led the team last year in yards with 1,081 and ten touchdowns. Since he no longer has to split time with the departed LeShun Daniels, another 1,000-yard rusher, he should be able to improve upon last year.
The Hawkeyes are not far removed from coming up just short in the 2015 Big Ten Championship game against Michigan State. That year their offense controlled time of possession and just wore down opposing defenses.
Last year was a complete 180 of that. Iowa finished 120th in the country on third down conversions and couldn’t stay on the field, so its defense got tired. The offense needs to stay on the field longer this year and give the defense a breather.
The Hawkeyes schedule is no cakewalk. They draw both Ohio State and Penn State at home. They also have tough road games against Northwestern and Nebraska. Their toughest road game is undoubtedly at Wisconsin on Nov. 11. If the Hawkeyes can string together enough wins to that point and pull off an upset in Madison, the West division could be theirs.