Iowa Football: Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for 2018
Following their bye week on the weekend of Sep. 29, the Hawkeyes are on the road for the first time in 2018 to face Big Ten rival Minnesota. Iowa won a defensive struggle last year 17-10.
The Golden Gophers enter their second year under head coach P. J. Fleck following a season where they outplayed their expectations, finishing 5-7, just one win short of bowl eligibility. It’s clear the Fleck has already changed the culture in Minneapolis as last year’s Minnesota team had a different vibe when they played, a sort of excitement around it. The Gophers return Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks, the two workhorses for their offense.
Last year’s game was one of those fabled physical and gritty Big Ten battles in a cold, cloudy setting at Kinnick Stadium. It only took two or three plays to separate the Hawkeyes from the Gophers, including a long Nate Stanley touchdown pass to Noah Fant, which turned out to be the decisive score. The Hawkeyes have held the famed Floyd of Rosedale since 2015 and have no intentions of giving it up.
P.J. Fleck will have his team ready to go for this big rivalry game, but the experience that Kirk Ferentz and his staff bring to the table will overpower that of Fleck and his staff, which ultimately be the deciding factor.