BleedGopher
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per ESPN:
The Hawkeyes will be the team to beat again in the West. But are they worthy of status as the heavy favorite? We discuss:
Jesse Temple: Iowa has to be considered the West favorite at this stage, but a lot of that has to do with process of elimination. That's no knock on the Hawkeyes, but a look at their Big Ten schedule shows they play the easiest slate in the league, based on 2015 records of opponents (31-41). Iowa's toughest Big Ten games -- Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska -- are all played at home.
Wisconsin has the most difficult Big Ten schedule (42-30 opponent records) and could essentially be eliminated halfway through after playing at Michigan State, at Michigan, home against Ohio State and at Iowa. Northwestern must play at Michigan State, at Ohio State and at Iowa, and the Wildcats' offensive consistency remains a big question mark after they finished last in the league in scoring. It's too early to vault Nebraska or Minnesota into the discussion given that both teams finished with losing records in 2015.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post...wa-the-clear-favorite-to-win-the-west-in-2016
Go Gophers!!
The Hawkeyes will be the team to beat again in the West. But are they worthy of status as the heavy favorite? We discuss:
Jesse Temple: Iowa has to be considered the West favorite at this stage, but a lot of that has to do with process of elimination. That's no knock on the Hawkeyes, but a look at their Big Ten schedule shows they play the easiest slate in the league, based on 2015 records of opponents (31-41). Iowa's toughest Big Ten games -- Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska -- are all played at home.
Wisconsin has the most difficult Big Ten schedule (42-30 opponent records) and could essentially be eliminated halfway through after playing at Michigan State, at Michigan, home against Ohio State and at Iowa. Northwestern must play at Michigan State, at Ohio State and at Iowa, and the Wildcats' offensive consistency remains a big question mark after they finished last in the league in scoring. It's too early to vault Nebraska or Minnesota into the discussion given that both teams finished with losing records in 2015.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post...wa-the-clear-favorite-to-win-the-west-in-2016
Go Gophers!!