#Kirk Ferentz

LINCOLN - One more offseason. One more preseason. One more football season. And one more postseason. All with a new commissioner, and an eye toward a larger future in the league. One more trip around the sun with this iteration of Big Ten football. And one more year with divisional schedules. One more year, for certain, of a Big Ten title game. The…

From who is sitting out to who is expected to start, here's everything you need to know about the Iowa vs. Kentucky matchup. NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) face the Kentucky Wildcats (7-5) in the 2022 TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 31 - New Year's Eve - in Nashville. The Hawkeyes were scheduled to play in the Music City…

Iowa (4-4, 2-3) travels to West Lafayette to take on Purdue (5-3, 3-2). Let's take a look at how these teams stack up: Purdue Coming off a tough loss at Wisconsin, Purdue reached the much-needed bye week. Several Purdue players are fighting knicks or injuries and a week of rest might be the recipe for a charge into the final month of the regular…

NASHVILLE - Kirk Ferentz has the opportunity to make history Saturday. An Iowa win against Kentucky would tie the 24th-year Iowa football coach with Penn State's Joe Paterno for most bowl wins as a Big Ten head coach with 10. The record book aside, the bowl also will give Iowa fans somewhat of a glimpse into the future. Here are three keys for the…

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Iowa and Kentucky are running it back in the New Year's Eve Music City Bowl in Nashville. It's a rematch of last year's Citrus Bowl in Orlando. It's not often we see Power 5 schools meeting up in back-to-back bowl games. And this one is being frowned upon by college football fans outside of the fan bases, especially by the folks…

My phone reminded me, this morning, of what I was doing five years ago today. I had flown from Boston-a two-week research trip wherein I also flew to Maryland to watch the'Cats beat the Terps-to Evanston, where I saw one of my favorite sights: Iowa fans leaving Ryan Field. Just look at that. All those yokels, having congratulated themselves on…

Ranking 13th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten in total offense didn't stop the Iowa Hawkeyes from reaching the conference title game. However, the 42-3 loss to Michigan showed how much of a gap there was in the Hawkeyes' quest to win the conference championship. Quarterback Spencer Petras and tight end Sam LaPorta are among the top returnees on…

This rematch of last year's Citrus Bowl is going to be a rock fight. Both offenses rank outside the top 100 in scoring, while both stop units sit top-15 in scoring defense. Then, there are a number of offensive uncertainties on both sides. Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras will miss this game with an injury that requires surgery, while Alex Padilla…

Iowa starting quarterback Spencer Petras was injured in the Nebraska game and Hawkeyes head football coach Kirk Ferentz announced that it required season-ending surgery. That means that either Joe Labas or Carson May will start for Iowa versus Kentucky in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. Neither has yet taken a collegiate snap. Running back Gavin…

A pair of Big Ten rivals meet in a cross-division showdown as No. 2 Ohio State welcomes Iowa in college football's Week 8 action on Saturday. Both are coming off idle weeks seemingly headed in different directions. Ohio State owns college football's No. 2 total offense and the sport's most productive scoring unit, averaging 48.8 points per game on…

Week 12 in the Big Ten included surprising scares for the two best teams in the conference, as No. 2 Ohio State (11-0) escaped a close one at Maryland (6-5) and No. 3 Michigan (11-0) needed a last-minute field goal to survive against Illinois (7-4) at home. A possible explanation is that both teams were already looking ahead to Week 13, when…

LINCOLN - The Big Ten's current TV contract has paid out roughly $50 million per school in recent non-COVID years. The new contract, which starts next year, could eventually pay out $100 million. Could some of that money be used to buy some damn offense in this league? Some coordinators? Some better playbooks? A few how-to guides on how to recruit…

Week 12 in the Big Ten included surprising scares for the two best teams in the conference, as No. 2 Ohio State (11-0) escaped a close one at Maryland (6-5) and No. 3 Michigan (11-0) needed a last-minute field goal to survive against Illinois (7-4) at home. A possible explanation is that both teams were already looking ahead to Week 13, when…

Week 12 in the Big Ten included surprising scares for the two best teams in the conference, as No. 2 Ohio State (11-0) escaped a close one at Maryland (6-5) and No. 3 Michigan (11-0) needed a last-minute field goal to survive against Illinois (7-4) at home. A possible explanation is that both teams were already looking ahead to Week 13, when…

Things to watch during Week 13 of play in the Big Ten Conference: GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 3 Michigan (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 3 CFP) at No. 2 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0, No. 2 CFP) The stakes are always high in "The Game," never more than on Saturday. The winner represents the East in the Big Ten championship game and remains in prime position for a…

Here is a capsule look at today's games of interest: Kickoff: 3 p.m. TV: Fox Radio: WDBQ-FM 1097.5 Series record: Minnesota leads, 62-51-2. What's at stake: The West Division title is back in play in for both teams with each on three-game winning streak. The Hawkeyes and Gophers are in a four-way tie for first place with Illinois and Purdue,…

Week 11 was our best of the season (5-1), and we were a fourth-and-29 touchdown pass by Rutgers (of all teams) from having a clean sheet. That ups our season record to 38-24 (61.3 percent) with only two weeks left. All seven Big Ten games in Week 12 have tangible meaning to one, if not both, teams. A playoff spot, a division title, or a bowl bid…

The Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. Check out our college football odds series for our Iowa Ohio State prediction and pick. The Iowa Hawkeyes are the classic "half a loaf" team. They are tremendously strong on one side of the ball, and profoundly impotent and incompetent on the other side of the ball. There are plenty of other teams…

Iowa welcomes in the Wisconsin Badgers with the two teams sporting identical marks overall and in Big Ten play. There's plenty of Big Ten West implications potentially at stake. The Hawkeyes enter off a performance that has inspired hope within the Iowa fan base. Kaleb Johnson just picked up weekly Big Ten honors, tight end Sam LaPorta is earning…

college football odds series for our Iowa Purdue prediction and pick. The Iowa Hawkeyes have had a brutal year, and it didn't have to be this way. Kirk Ferentz and Brian Ferentz knew that Spencer Petras was not a very good college quarterback, but they didn't make moves in the transfer portal to address that one glaring deficiency on the 2022 Iowa…

In this week's Triple Option, Andrew Caley is bullish on a Wake Forest line that is simply too low and frankly disrespectful to how good the Demon Deacons are. They could easily be undefeated if not for an OT loss to Clemson and should handle Louisville. It's a bit of an underwhelming week in college football. There is just one Top 25 matchup with…

With the start of college football season getting closer, it's worthwhile to see how oddsmakers are handicapping the power conferences. To start, we'll be looking at the favorites, sleepers, and best long-shot bets to win the Big Ten. The Big Ten East division has reigned supreme, winning every Big Ten championship game since the creation of the…

Every Tuesday, Matt Hayes tackles the 10 hottest topics in the Big Ten … I don't want to be the guy who has to point this out, but maybe, just maybe, Ohio State - a Playoff lock in the minds of many - is a product of one of the easiest schedules in the nation. I know, I know, it's Scarlet and Gray blasphemy. It couldn't have anything to do with…

A bettor once advised that October was the best time to find live underdogs in college football. The reason? Midterm exams. The theory went that student-athletes are busy studying for an economics test rather than the game plan for Saturday. As a result, teams were more vulnerable, especially those that relied heavily on younger players. I'm not…

The search continues for Nebraska, and one home run hire keeps coming to mind. Damon Benning, of course. Yes, for that other search - Husker football color analyst. Benning would be perfect. A natural. The Omaha native and former Husker running back has proved his mettle behind a microphone. Of the former players on the air in Nebraska - and…

College football is a window into America. In some ways, it's an ugly view. The sport thrives on the strength of an unpaid and largely nonwhite labor force, with fans buying tickets and media companies paying billions of dollars that get funneled toward lavish practice facilities and salaries for mostly white coaches and administrators. In other…

In two weeks, the Big Ten has gone from having five ranked teams to three: Wisconsin fell out of the rankings after Week 2 and this week, Michigan State was dropped after a poor showing at Washington (39-28 final). The three teams that remain in the top 25, though - (3) Ohio State, (4) Michigan, and (14) Penn State - looked great in Week 3 matchups…

It's not unusual for a student to spend five years on a college campus. It is rare for a quarterback to start all five of his years, which is the case for Dorian Thompson-Robinson during his extended stay at UCLA. Thompson-Robinson, from Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, and coach Chip Kelly essentially walked in the door together in Westwood in…

college football odds series for our Iowa Illinois prediction and pick. The Iowa Hawkeyes would be one of the best teams in the country … if they had a quarterback. This was said in the offseason. It was said at the start of the regular season. It is being said one month into the regular season. If Iowa had a reasonably competent quarterback to…

Two weeks ago was a not fun 2-3 as I spent the day soaking up one of three available to us on Sanibel Island* before heading to the Iowa watch party in Ft. Myers. It was a blast, relatively speaking. But that was 2 Hawkeye offensive touchdowns ago and the time I normally spend punching out this column last week was used shepherding a 2-year-old…

Welcome to Week 6 of the college football season. Each week, our VSiN experts will combine to give their best bets on select games. It was a rough one in Week 5 but we're back at it for Week 6. Odds are from DraftKings (unless noted) as of Wednesday night. Season record: 22-30-1 Saturday, noon ET Tim Murray: "College Gameday" is headed to Lawrence…

Every week on VSiN's morning show "Follow The Money" , Mike Palm gives an entertaining recap of the five most interesting things in sports betting and culture. Here's that segment: 5. Insane in the Tumpane Last Tuesday night at Citi Field in New York, the Mets took on the Marlins in a game that could be circled as one of the reasons they blew the…

Welcome to Week 5 of the college football "Upset Watch" here at Athlon Sports! We're on to something, as we've had at least one team from each of the first four weeks of "upset watch" go down to underdogs. Last week, it was Appalachian State going down to FBS newcomer James Madison. Who will it be this week? Let's take a look at the five teams on…

Week 5 should be the best weekend of college football thus far in 2022. There are five games that feature matchups of Top 25 teams. Two more unranked, but undefeated power five schools, are playing ranked conference opponents. Those Carolina fans that can make the game Thursday night will get a chance to see the Gamecocks try to work out some…

We went a disappointing 4-5 last week with the picks, running our season record to 23-19. That's what I get for trusting Greg Schiano. (The OutKick NFL six pack also went 2-4, running our season record there to 11-7. I tweet out my NFL picks every Sunday morning.) But I'm not going to lie, I absolutely love the board this week. And we're going to…

Can Iowa close a 39-point gap with Michigan from last December? That is the question Saturday's Big Ten championship game rematch at Kinnick Stadium boils down to. The Wolverines pounded the Hawkeyes 42-3 to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff. Yes, teams change from year to year. But in the case of these 2 rosters, there's a surprising…

Last week ATS: 7-11 (5-7 B1G, 2-4 National) Season ATS: 28-29-2 (15-16-1 B1G, 13-13-1 National) (All lines courtesy of Draftkings Sportsbook.) Maryland v. No. 4 Michigan (-17) - 12:00 p.m. - FOX We should find out a little bit about Michigan in this game, since we haven't really been able to learn much about the Wolverines in their first three…

We got a nice, little appetizer in Week 0 with 18 FBS teams in action, but we've got some bigger games and a whole lot more of them in Week 1. Early-season matchups are interesting across the board for a variety of reasons, including a lot of matchups between teams that never really play each other. Bigger games on the horizon may cause coaches to…

History is setting up to take place on Saturday night in Piscataway, and it isn't what Rutgers fans and alumni might be expecting. Despite Greg Schiano and his undefeated Scarlet Knights pushing for an upset victory at home over the Iowa Hawkeyes, the biggest story revolving around this matchup is the game's historic point total. FanDuel…

In two weeks, the Big Ten has gone from having five ranked teams to three: Wisconsin fell out of the rankings after Week 2 and this week, Michigan State was dropped after a poor showing at Washington (39-28 final). The three teams that remain in the top 25, though - (3) Ohio State, (4) Michigan, and (14) Penn State - looked great in Week 3 matchups…

For the 24th time in his Iowa head coaching career, Kirk Ferentz leads his Hawkeyes into a Big Ten opener. It's the second time during his stint atop the helm that the destination for said opener is Piscataway, N.J., versus Rutgers. Back in 2016, Iowa used a 26-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown run from running back Akrum Wadley to beat the Scarlet…

Coming off a tough loss at home to one of the top FCS programs nationally, the Nevada Wolf Pack will travel to the midwest to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in their first of two straight away from Mackay. The Wolf Pack won their first two games over New Mexico State and Texas State, but struggled to contain the high-powered Incarnate Word offense in…

The Badgers are in for the toughest test in the Big Ten come Saturday night. Wisconsin travels to face the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in their Big Ten conference opener, and will enter as massive underdogs. How does the rest of Wisconsin's season look according to ESPN win probability? The Badgers are favorites in each game after Ohio State week…

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Iowa's defense came up with two second-half safeties, and the Hawkeyes opened the season with a 7-3 win over South Dakota State on Saturday. Neither team could do much offensively. Iowa finished with 166 yards of offense, while South Dakota State had 120. The two teams combined for more punts (21) than first downs…

Tough questions for Kirk Ferentz about QB decision of Petras over PadillaIowa head coach Kirk Ferentz understandably has QB questions after a 1-1 start and owning college football's worst offense. IOWA CITY - Even if the Iowa football team could gain 616 yards against visiting Nevada on Saturday night, it wouldn't be enough to definitively say the…

Nevada will travel to the Midwest to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. WEEK 3: Nevada Wolf Pack (2-1) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (1-1) WHEN: Saturday, September 17th - 4:30 PM PT/5:30 PM MT TV: Big Ten Network STREAMING: The Big Ten Network is on Fubo TV and here is the link where you can start a free trial. RADIO: Nevada is on ESPN 94.5 in Reno and Iowa is on…

New Year's Day still belongs to the Rose Bowl with a stellar matchup featuring the Pac-12 champion Stanford Cardinal taking on one of 2015's biggest surprises, the Iowa Hawkeyes, in Pasadena, California. Despite losing just one game all year, a three-point loss against third-ranked Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game, Iowa is still…

With the NFL returning for their opening weekend, college football reminded everyone who boasts the premier product with a sensational Week 2 slate. Upsets? We got them! Highlight-reel plays? The reel isn't long enough. Winners and losers? Step this way as we take a whistle-stop tour of the highs and lows experienced across the nation in college…

Week 1 ATS: 7-8-1 (2-5-1 B1G, 5-3 National) Season ATS: 11-11-1 (4-5-1 B1G, 7-6 National) Going nearly.500 in the first week of the college football season isn't all that bad. What makes it sting so much is we were so close to a number of underdog upsets. West Virginia, Purdue, and Illinois were all leading in the last five minutes of their games.…