For all intents and purposes, we can now say congratulations to the Iowa Hawkeyes on claiming the Big Ten West Division today. Although the Iowa football team can’t officially clinch a berth in the Big Ten title game for a few weeks yet, today’s blowout over Northwestern gave them the inside track toward reaching Indianapolis.
The Iowa Hawkeyes will not likely again be underdogs or even a “pick’em” (as they were today) again this regular season. By absolutely obliterating the #20 Northwestern Wildcats 40-10 today, the division is now Iowa’s to lose.
In 2015, the Big Ten East Division is like the Major Leagues, with the Big Ten West being the AAA level.
Your typical division favorites, Wisconsin and Nebraska, are re-tooling and rebuilding under new coaches. Both the Cornhuskers and the Badgers have had their share of key injuries as well.
Having already beaten Wisconsin, Iowa’s 40-10 destruction of the Wildcats today leaves them with very little opposition in their path to Indy. They’ll end the season at Nebraska, but the 2015 edition of the Huskers is definitely not your father’s Huskers. They’re not even your older brother’s Cornhuskers. Between now and then, the Iowa Hawkeyes will take on Big Ten conference weaklings Maryland, Indiana and Purdue. The other game on the schedule is offensively challenged Minnesota.
Also, the Hawks don’t have to face Big Ten heavyweights Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.
That means a conference title game berth is in the cards, unless an inconceivable collapse occurs.
Iowa tailback Jordan Canzeri was coming off a monstrous, borderline historical 256 yard rushing game against Illinois last week. He went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter, as he needed help to leave the field of play. Canzeri was unable to put weight on his leg, but back-up tailback Akrum Wadley filled the void perfectly. Wadley rushed 26 times for 204 yards and four touchdowns as the Iowa Hawkeyes rolled up 294 yards rushing on a previously stout Northwestern defense.
“I’ve been playing Iowa for a long time, and it seems like they roll out running back after running back,” said Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald after the game.
“They really understand their system.”
Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz revealed after the game that Canzeri suffered only a sprain, as the x-rays revealed no fractures.
“Bad news was about a fracture, but I’ve been told he’s out of the woods there. It’s a sprain,” Ferentz said postgame.
Through the first five games of the season, Northwestern had been giving up just seven points per game. They’ve now surrendered 78 points in their last two. Iowa out-gained Northwestern 492-198 today.
“As you move up the mountain, the air gets thinner and thinner, that’s Big Ten football,” said Fitzgerald.
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