I’m not sure what to make of the 2012 Iowa Hawkeyes.
2012 Program Preview - Iowa
There's decent talent in several spots. Anyone who has followed the Big Ten for the last decade plus knows what Kirk Ferentz can do even without the best recruits in the country (or even in the conference). My gut tells me that I should expect better from the team this year after a disappointing 7-6 campaign that included their first bowl loss in four years. They've brought in Greg Davis as the offensive coordinator who most recently held the same duties at Texas. They've got a returning starting QB who actually played pretty well in 2011 (save for the Penn State game). They play just one third of their games on the road (which is just weird), though one home game will be played at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Then I look at the inexperience on the offensive and defensive lines. I look at the lack of depth at WR. And with RB Marcus Coker having transferred to Stony Brook, there's no standout in the backfield either.
I’m just not sold that Iowa can keep pace with Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska this year. Which I’m guessing it just fine with Kirk Ferentz.
After the jump, the prospects worth noting as well as some games and matchups to pencil into your calendar.
References
Black Heart Gold Pants (SB Nation Iowa community; can’t recommend this one enough), Off Tackle Empire (SB Nation conference community), SB Nation team page, official team site, Bill Connelly’s preview for SBN
Notable offensive prospects
| Name | POS | Yr. | Early projected Rd (notes) |
| Keenan Davis | WR | Sr. | 4 (riser) |
| James Ferentz | C | RS Sr. | 6 |
| James Vandenberg | QB | RS Sr. | 6 |
| C.J. Fiedorowicz | TE | Jr. | 4 |
| Brandon Scherff | OT | RS Soph. | 5 |
Notable defensive prospects
| Name | POS | Yr. | Early projected Rd (notes) |
| Micah Hyde | CB | Sr. | 2 |
| Steve Bigach | DT | RS Sr. | UD |
| Tanner Miller | FS | Jr. | 5 |
| James Morris | MLB | Jr. | 5 |
| Christian Kirksey | OLB | Jr. | 6 |
Summary
There's plenty of solid NFL-caliber talent here, especially on the defensive side. Still, Iowa doesn't have a stud offensive lineman or running back or linebacker like we've gotten accustomed to in recent years. Hyde continues the legacy of physical defensive backs taking over for Shaun Prater who grew under Amari Spievey and Bradley Fletcher; beyond Hyde, though, I don't have any day one or two guys on this roster. Keep an eye out for Keenan Davis, though. I love his skill set and with Marvin McNutt now a Philadelphia Eagle, Davis has a bigger platform to work on in Iowa City.
Key games
Penn St. (home) - Week 8 (Sat., Oct. 20 - 8:00 p.m. ET, TBD)
This game is sandwiched by an away game against Michigan St. beforehand with visits to Northwestern and Indiana after. With Penn St. welcoming Ohio St. the following week, this is a big game for both teams. Iowa just needs to stay afloat this season and pick up a few more solid prospects to load up for a big run in 2013. The big question at the midpoint of the season may revolve around TE C.J. Fiedorowicz. The massive end creates serious matchup problems. While he was slow to catch on, he finished with 10 receptions for 95 yards with three TDs. If he has improved on his 2011 start (which was pretty much non-existent), the question may be how far he can take them. If he’s become a key component in the offense, the question may be if he will even be around in 2013.
Nebraska (home) - Week 13 (Fri., Nov. 23 - 12:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
A solid, albeit imperfect, first year in the Big Ten helped ensure Nebraska wouldn’t be deluged with the “they can’t cut it” BS they had faced before the season started. Still, with big losses against Wisconsin and Michigan the question is if they can compete against the class of the conference. Closing out the regular season, this could well have implications for the conference’s second championship game...for both teams.
Key matchups
OT Brandon Scherff v. Michigan St. DE William Gholston, Week 7 - Sat., Oct. 13
New LT Brandon Scherff takes over for Riley Reiff, now with the Detroit Lions. Reiff handled MSU's talented DE Gholston last year with aplomb. If Scherff can approach anywhere near a similar level of competence, Iowa fans will be ecstatic about their new blind side protector.
WR Keenan Davis v. Purdue CB Ricardo Allen, Week 11 - Sat., Nov. 10
I mentioned my admiration for Davis' skills above. Facing off against Allen (though I wouldn't be surprised if Purdue CB Josh Johnson faces up on Davis or Normondo Harris if Johnson is hurt or in bad form) should be a huge mismatch for Iowa QB James Vandenberg to exploit for one good reason: height. Davis is a good half foot taller than Allen, which means Vandenberg should be able to isolate Davis in tight spaces to take advantage of that height difference. If not, it should say something negative about Vandenberg and Davis and/or something positive Allen.
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