Will Iowa football win double-digit games this year?

Yes

While the Colin Cowherds and the Paul Finebaums of the world will say that Iowa football will finish with nowhere near the record it did last season, the Hawkeyes not only have a manageable schedule but also the coaching staff and players to make another run at the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff.

Quarterback is the most difficult position to master in all of sports but luckily for Iowa, the Hawkeyes have their man.

Senior quarterback C.J. Beathard will look to further his legacy in Hawkeye Nation as he enters his final year of college eligibility. With an entire season as a starting quarterback under his belt and consistent improvement in his completion percentage and touchdown-to-interception ratio, he will without a doubt prove he is the best quarterback in the Big Ten.

Along with the star quarterback, the Hawkeye defense boasts the best cornerback in all of college football in senior Desmond King.

King led the nation in interceptions last season with a staggering 8 picks. His play garnered him the Jim Thorpe Award and recognition as a consensus All-American.

Many argued against the Hawkeyes being a legitimate team because of the “cupcake” schedule that they faced last season, and most of that criticism will return this season. But as long as they take care of business each week, the Hawkeyes are in for another special year.

According to the spread, the Hawkeyes will enter this season favored in every game but one (Michigan). With a mentally formidable squad under head coach Kirk Ferentz entering the season, there is good reason to believe that Iowa will finish with at least 11 wins, compete for the Big Ten title, and, yes, try to claim the most coveted trophy in college football.

— Ricardo Ascencio

No

Football is less than one week away, and as a result, Iowa City is buzzing with excitement. 

The Hawkeyes return to football after last season’s unexpected, amazing undefeated regular season and Rose Bowl berth.  The team returns most of the starters on offense and defense and appears to be poised for another fantastic season. 

But wait, let us not forget the rhetorical phrase “History repeats itself.”  Hawk fans, you know what I am talking about.

In 2010, Iowa began the football season with more hype than “Suicide Squad,” and as everyone knows, both ended in major busts.  In 2010, the team was more talented than the previous year’s Orange Bowl-winning squad, but they just could not get the job done when it mattered most in games. 

This year, Iowa has to play both Minnesota and Penn State on the road, a tough task in which at the end of games, Iowa could show glimpses of 2010 and fail to win the game. 

Two other matchups that scare me on the schedule are home contests versus Michigan and Wisconsin.  I was at the Wisconsin home game in 2010, where everything seemed to be going smoothly until the Wisconsin punter fooled the entire stadium running the ball for about 50 yards, putting the Badgers in scoring position. 

The last five games versus the Badgers, the winner has always been on the road, so losing to them this year would not surprise me.

I see Iowa going 9-3 this year, losing at Minnesota and at home versus Wisconsin and Michigan.  That record will be enough to play in the Big Ten Championship game, where they will face either Michigan or Ohio State.

— Michael McCurdy