CBS: Big Ten West win total picks: Predicting one of the most unpredictable divisions

[Saunders]

Big Ten West win total picks: Predicting one of the most unpredictable divisions

When it comes to talking about Big Ten contenders for the College Football Playoff, the conference's West Division tends to be overlooked. It gets the same kind of treatment that the SEC East has in recent years. The "somebody has to win it and lose the conference championship game" treatment.

Which is why when a team like Iowa goes 12-0 during the regular season we're all caught off guard.

Iowa wasn't supposed to be good! Nobody from the Big Ten West is supposed to be good!

It's a narrative that's a bit off base. Somebody is going to be good in the Big Ten West every season. Things just get murky because we don't know who is going to be good from year to year. That's what makes the West one of the more entertaining divisions to follow on a weekly basis, because you never really know what's going to happen.

Before Iowa went 12-0 during the regular season last year, it was a team coming off a 7-6 record in 2014. Nebraska went 6-7 in 2015, but if it suddenly turns around and wins the division this season, it really won't be that much of a shock.

It's that unpredictability that makes the division fun, but also makes it difficult to predict how things are going to go down before the season begins. I'm going to try anyway, though. Using the Vegas Insider win totals for each team, I'm going to break down each Big Ten West squad's chances in 2016 to try and figure out whether or not they'll go over or under.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-west-win-total-picks-predicting-one-of-the-most-unpredictable-divisions/

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

This prediction is for us to go 8-4 and Iowa 9-3. That does not technically pick a division champ, because they have us losing to Oregon. Since they didn't specifically call a winner of the NU-Iowa game, either team could win the division under this scenario.

 

[NUinID]

This prediction is for us to go 8-4 and Iowa 9-3. That does not technically pick a division champ, because they have us losing to Oregon. Since they didn't specifically call a winner of the NU-Iowa game, either team could win the division under this scenario.

I see a lot of national type guys picking a loss to Oregon. I am not sure I get the reasoning for this pick. At the very least it is a toss up game and I would actaully favor NU at home.

Oregon has a lot of problems. Number one on the list being they really have no idea who will be the QB on the team. The second problem is that their defense was actually worse than Nebraska's last year, and they are moving from a 3-4 to a 4-3 alingment. The third problem is they lost there OC. The forth problem is that there HC is not Chip Kelly.

They still have talent, but not really any more talent than Nebraska except for maybe at the RB spot. Royce Freeman is better than anything we have.

I guess Oregon is getting the benefit of the doubt, they probably have earned it. I am not saying that Oregon is going to be terrible, but a 7-5 season from them would not surprise me at all.

 

[NUance]

Iowa Schedule
03/16 vs. Miami (Ohio)
09/10/16 vs. Iowa State
09/17/16 vs. North Dakota State
09/24/16 at Rutgers
10/01/16 vs. Northwestern
10/08/16 at Minnesota
10/15/16 at Purdue
10/22/16 vs. Wisconsin
11/05/16 at Penn State
11/12/16 vs. Michigan
11/19/16 at Illinois
11/25/16 vs. Nebraska


I'd be surprised if Iowa loses even three games this year. Their schedule is cake. They avoid tOSU, Sparty and Michigan. The four bolded look to be their toughest games. And two of those are at home.

 

[Saunders]

Iowa Schedule
03/16 vs. Miami (Ohio)
09/10/16 vs. Iowa State
09/17/16 vs. North Dakota State
09/24/16 at Rutgers
10/01/16 vs. Northwestern
10/08/16 at Minnesota
10/15/16 at Purdue
10/22/16 vs. Wisconsin
11/05/16 at Penn State
11/12/16 vs. Michigan
11/19/16 at Illinois
11/25/16 vs. Nebraska


I'd be surprised if Iowa loses even three games this year. Their schedule is cake. They avoid tOSU, Sparty and Michigan. The four bolded look to be their toughest games. And two of those are at home.

Add Michigan to the list of tough games too. Ferentz seems to have a historical pattern that he underachieves when they're supposed to do well, and then after a few years of mediocre seasons, they have a good one.

 

[NUance]

Iowa Schedule
03/16 vs. Miami (Ohio)
09/10/16 vs. Iowa State
09/17/16 vs. North Dakota State
09/24/16 at Rutgers
10/01/16 vs. Northwestern
10/08/16 at Minnesota
10/15/16 at Purdue
10/22/16 vs. Wisconsin
11/05/16 at Penn State
11/12/16 vs. Michigan
11/19/16 at Illinois
11/25/16 vs. Nebraska


I'd be surprised if Iowa loses even three games this year. Their schedule is cake. They avoid tOSU, Sparty and Michigan. The four bolded look to be their toughest games. And two of those are at home.

Add Michigan to the list of tough games too. Ferentz seems to have a historical pattern that he underachieves when they're supposed to do well, and then after a few years of mediocre seasons, they have a good one.

Yeah, oops. My bad. I overlooked Michigan. lol Still a pretty easy schedule though.

 

[Redux]

Iowa Schedule
03/16 vs. Miami (Ohio)
09/10/16 vs. Iowa State
09/17/16 vs. North Dakota State
09/24/16 at Rutgers
10/01/16 vs. Northwestern
10/08/16 at Minnesota
10/15/16 at Purdue
10/22/16 vs. Wisconsin
11/05/16 at Penn State
11/12/16 vs. Michigan
11/19/16 at Illinois
11/25/16 vs. Nebraska


I'd be surprised if Iowa loses even three games this year. Their schedule is cake. They avoid tOSU, Sparty and Michigan. The four bolded look to be their toughest games. And two of those are at home.

Iowa goes 5-7 with losses to ISU, NDSU, Minny, Wiscy, UM, PSU and NU

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

I think the Thanksgiving game will be impactful this year. I could see Iowa coming into the game with losses to Michigan and Wisconsin, and us with losses to Oregon(not a conference loss), Wisconsin and Ohio State. Winner take all game.

Add in a loss to Northwestern for Nebraska, and it's still a winner take all game.

This assumes Wisconsin loses to two East teams (very likely).

 

[husker98]

Iowa Schedule
03/16 vs. Miami (Ohio)
09/10/16 vs. Iowa State
09/17/16 vs. North Dakota State
09/24/16 at Rutgers
10/01/16 vs. Northwestern
10/08/16 at Minnesota
10/15/16 at Purdue
10/22/16 vs. Wisconsin
11/05/16 at Penn State
11/12/16 vs. Michigan
11/19/16 at Illinois
11/25/16 vs. Nebraska


I'd be surprised if Iowa loses even three games this year. Their schedule is cake. They avoid tOSU, Sparty and Michigan. The four bolded look to be their toughest games. And two of those are at home.

Add Michigan to the list of tough games too. Ferentz seems to have a historical pattern that he underachieves when they're supposed to do well, and then after a few years of mediocre seasons, they have a good one.

Yeah, oops. My bad. I overlooked Michigan. lol Still a pretty easy schedule though.

How could you forget this guy?

 

[NUance]

Iowa Schedule
03/16 vs. Miami (Ohio)
09/10/16 vs. Iowa State
09/17/16 vs. North Dakota State
09/24/16 at Rutgers
10/01/16 vs. Northwestern
10/08/16 at Minnesota
10/15/16 at Purdue
10/22/16 vs. Wisconsin
11/05/16 at Penn State
11/12/16 vs. Michigan
11/19/16 at Illinois
11/25/16 vs. Nebraska


I'd be surprised if Iowa loses even three games this year. Their schedule is cake. They avoid tOSU, Sparty and Michigan. The four bolded look to be their toughest games. And two of those are at home.

Add Michigan to the list of tough games too. Ferentz seems to have a historical pattern that he underachieves when they're supposed to do well, and then after a few years of mediocre seasons, they have a good one.

Yeah, oops. My bad. I overlooked Michigan. lol Still a pretty easy schedule though.

How could you forget this guy?

Well thanks. That image will be burned into my memory for life now.

 

[Red Five]

Will Harbaugh be back to coaching at Michigan by then? Or will he still be on the satellite camp circuit?