Big Ten Wrestling Opens 2015-16 Campaign This Weekend

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The 2015-16 Big Ten wrestling season begins Sunday, with five conference teams taking the mat.

The Terrapin Duals will feature Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Davidson challenging Maryland at 11:45 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. ET, respectively. Rutgers is also set to host the Rutgers Duals, with Centenary College, Franklin and Marshall and Binghamton. Duals are set to take place at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. ET, respectively.

Sunday will also feature Northwestern and Ohio State in the NWCA All-Star Classic in Atlanta, Ga., while Nebraska travels to Brookings, S.D., to compete at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open.

The following weekend will mark the season openers for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State and Purdue, as each travels to the Eastern Michigan Duals, while Minnesota hosts the Gopher Duals at home.

Iowa, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin are set to open their seasons during the week of Nov. 9.

Seven teams enter the season ranked among the top 20 in the InterMat College Dual Meet Rankings, including three in the top five. Penn State leads the way at No. 1, followed by No. 3 Iowa, No. 4 Michigan, No. 7 Nebraska and No. 8 Ohio State. Illinois begins the season ranked No. 11, followed by No. 15 Wisconsin.

IOWA’S DILLON KIDD NOMINATED FOR RAY GUY AWARD

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The Augusta Sports Council has announced the nominees for the 2015 Ray Guy Award, which identifies the nation’s top collegiate punter. Among the 79 candidates is the 2014 Ray Guy Award is University of Iowa senior Dillon Kidd. Candidates were nominated for the award by their school’s sports information department.

Kidd is averaging 44.8 yards on 33 punts through seven games. His 44.8 yards per punt ranks third in the Big Ten and 18th nationally. The native of Deerfield Beach, Fla., has 10 punts of 50-plus yards, which ties for fourth in the Big Ten.

The list will be narrowed to ten semifinalists to be announced on Nov. 13. Following the semifinalists announcement, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified on Nov. 23. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner.

The presentation of the Ray Guy Award will be featured live on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards, Thursday, Dec. 10.

Scarbrough's Take: Legends, Nightmares and, Finally, Survival

Oct 24, 2015; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Drew Morgan (80) dives into the end zone to score the winning touchdown during the quadruple overtime against the Auburn Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The Arkansas Razorbacks defeat the Auburn Tigers 54-46. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

By Lyn Scarbrough
Lindy's Sports

It could have been the thing by which legends are made. Facing the improbable, somehow achieving the impossible.

And, it could have been the thing by which programs are crushed, expectations smacked down by reality, dreams transformed into full-fledged nightmares.

With just over a minute remaining in regulation on Saturday in Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, legends and nightmares came face-to-face.

Arkansas had led Auburn from the first drive of the first quarter and with just 67 ticks left in the game, the score was 24-21 for the Hogs. The Tigers had the ball at their own 26-yard line. Then, with 33 seconds remaining after a holding call, Auburn freshman quarterback Sean White faced 2^nd down and 20, still back at the Tiger 28, with no timeouts left.

Improbable … certainly. Impossible … probably.

White, making only his fourth career start, showed the poise of a veteran, staring down the rush and completing two long passes, putting the Tigers at the Razorbacks’ 24-yard line with just nine seconds on the clock. Daniel Carlson’s field goal knotted the score and sent the game into overtime.

The pending nightmare would make the legend seem even more miraculous.

Arkansas had not just led the game, it had dominated it in humiliating fashion. At one point late in the second quarter, the Hogs had about 200 yards total offense to the Tigers’ 17. Auburn had no offensive first downs.

After a disappointing start to the season – Arkansas was ranked in all preseason polls, but entered the Auburn game with a 2-4 record – Razorback fans were literally dancing in the aisles. After a surprising road win in Knoxville and a disappointing road loss in Tuscaloosa, the home crowd finally had something to cheer about.

But, when Auburn’s comeback started late in the first half and continued after intermission, euphoria turned to worry, then to disbelief.

An Arkansas loss and the nightmare would be official. At 2-5 after a monumental collapse, the season that started with such promise would be an unmitigated disaster.

Of course, it didn’t happen that way. Auburn couldn’t overcome its horrendous start and Arkansas was able to survive.

The Razorbacks dug deep and found a way to win, answering every Tiger overtime touchdown and two-point conversion. When the offense had to make third-down and fourth-down conversions, it did. And, when the defense had to find one more fourth down stop, it did just that, tipping away a pass on the game’s last play.

After seven more combined touchdowns during four overtimes, Arkansas got the win, 54-46.

You have to give credit, too, to Gus Malzahn and the Auburn coaching staff. A lot of teams being demolished early like that would have called it a day, but they wouldn’t let that happen. Despite eight dropped passes by Tigers’ receivers, including an uncontested drop in the end zone in the final overtime and several fir

st-down-losing drops throughout the game, Auburn evened the stats and the score before falling at the end. (How many teams can win after dropping eight passes anyway?)

Unfortunately for both teams, it’s too late to meet this season’s expectations.

Arkansas, now with three victories, has to win three more in order to qualify for the postseason. With four more SEC games (at Ole Miss, at LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, plus a game against UT-Martin), finding that trio of wins is not guaranteed.

Auburn has four wins and a fifth against Idaho in late November is a near certainty. But, with Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama ahead, can getting that sixth win be considered a sure thing? The Tigers’ game against the Rebels on Saturday is as close to a “must” win as there can be.

At this point, legends and nightmares are put on hold.

White will have other chances to make his mark on Auburn football history. Arkansas will have other chances to meet and exceed its dreams.

The line between legend and nightmare is often a thin one. For now, these teams just need to find a way to survive.

Lyn Scarbrough of Lindy's Sports is a regular contributor during the College Football season to this blog.

TC Sports - October 28th

It was another busy week in the Tipton area for high school sports.  Here is a look at this week's Tipton Conservative Sports Pages for Wednesday, October 28th, 2015.

Class 1A Football Playoff Pairings Announced

The Class 1A Football Playoff Pairings for the first round of the Iowa High School Athletic Association's playoffs were announced late last night.  In class 1A, Wilton will host Pella Christian after beating North Cedar 17-7 last night to secure the #2 seed in district 5.  The Beavers finished the season 5-4.  Pella Christian will bring in a 6-3 record and finished their season last night with a 31-14 loss at home to Iowa City Regina.  The Eagles are runner-up in class 1A, district 6.
Here are the first round playoff match ups that start on Wednesday.

Class 2A Football Playoff Pairings Released.

The Tipton Tigers are back in the playoffs!  The Tigers qualify for the Iowa High School Athletic Association's playoffs for the 9th time since 1985.  Tipton will travel to Williamsburg after dropping their regular season final game last night against Mt. Vernon.  Williamsburg was the runner-up in district 5.  The Raiders were 6-3 overall and 5-1 in district play.  The Raiders beat Wilton in week 1 42-0 in a non-district game.
Here are the first round playoff match ups that start on Wednesday.

IGHSAU MAKES SOFTBALL, SOCCER CHANGES

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union on Wednesday announced a pair of changes involving softball and girls’ soccer.

In softball, the IGHSAU slightly altered its postseason format, so that all regional finals in all classes will be played on the home field of the higher-seeded team. Previously, regional finals in classes 1A, 2A and 3A had been played at neutral sites. Regional finals in classes 4A and 5A had been played at the home field of the top seed in a regional, whether or not that top seed advanced to the final.

A higher-seeded team could lose the ability to host a regional final if its facility lacks the proper lighting or other minimum requirements. According to a statement from the IGHSAU, allowing higher seeds to always host regional finals should boost attendance for those games.

As for soccer, the IGHSAU is changing how the teams are sorted into classes. The new arrangement places the 40 largest soccer schools in Class 3A, the next 48 schools in Class 2A, and the remaining schools in Class 1A. Previously, Class 3A only contained the 32 largest schools. Next spring, at least eight schools will find their soccer teams moving up to 3A, and at least another 8 schools will make the jump from 1A to 2A.

Hy-Vee Big Four Classic Tickets On Sale Oct. 30

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The state’s four NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams will be in action in the same venue for the fourth consecutive year at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, Dec. 19.

The first game of the doubleheader will feature Drake and Iowa beginning at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.com. Iowa State and UNI will play the second game at 6 p.m., with the game being broadcast on ESPNU.

Tickets, which range in price from $25-70, go on sale Friday, Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. exclusively through Hy-VeeTix.com, 844-55-HYVEE, 22 Hy-Vee Stores in Des Moines and Ames, or the Wells Fargo Arena Box Office. Tickets are good for admission to both games of the doubleheader.

One of the marquee basketball events in the Midwest, the Hy-Vee Big Four Classic will look to grow its attendance for the fourth straight year. More than 13,000 fans have turned out for each year of the event, including a record 15,124 fans streaming through the Wells Fargo Arena turnstiles in 2014.

Iowa is in its sixth year under Fran McCaffery after finishing 22-12 and advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014-15. McCaffery has led the Hawkeyes to three consecutive 20-win seasons. Drake is coached by Ray Giacoletti, who is in his third season leading the Bulldogs. Top scorer Reed Timmer (11.6 ppg) is one of three starters returning for the Bulldogs. This will be the 68th meeting between the Hawkeyes and Bulldogs with Iowa owning a 57-10 lead in the series.

Iowa State, which is coming off its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, will be under the direction of new head coach Steve Prohm. The Cyclones went 25-9 and return four starters from last season. UNI went 31-4 last season for head coach Ben Jacobson. The Panthers, who won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, return two starters. Iowa State and UNI will be meeting for the 49th time with the Cyclones owning a 36-12 lead in the series.

The event’s sponsor, Hy-Vee, Inc., is an employee-owned corporation operating 237 retail stores across eight Midwestern states. With sales of $8.7 billion annually, Hy-Vee ranks among the top 25 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States. As representatives of the famous "helpful smile in every aisle" brand, Hy-Vee's more than 78,000 employee-owners take pride in meeting customers' desire for quality products, outstanding values and superior customer service. Additional information about Hy-Vee is available at hy-vee.com.

IOWA-MINNESOTA FOOTBALL GAME APPROACHING SELLOUT STATUS

Tickets remain for Maryland and Purdue games in Kinnick Stadium

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The UI Athletics Ticket Office announced today that only “singles” – single seats located in each of the four grandstands of historic Kinnick Stadium -- remain available for purchase the unbeaten and nationally ranked Iowa football team’s home game against Big Ten Conference rival Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 14.

“Our goal is to fill Kinnick Stadium for all three of our remaining games,” said Pam Finke, the UI’s director of ticket operations.

“We have had steady sales this week and it appears the Minnesota game is in good shape, but the pace of sales needs to accelerate if we’re going to reach sellout status for next week against Maryland.  We have some of the best fans in the country and we’re confident they’ll rally in appreciation and support for this team.”

Finke said approximately 9,500 tickets are available for Iowa’s game next Saturday, Oct. 31, against Maryland.  Kickoff for that game has been set for shortly after 2:30 p.m.  More than 15,000 tickets are available for the Hawkeyes’ final appearance in Kinnick on Saturday, Nov. 21, against Purdue.  Discount priced youth tickets are available for both of these events.

Tickets to Iowa’s three remaining home games can be purchased online at hawkeyesports.com, over the phone by calling 1-800 IA-HAWKS, or at the UI Athletics Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes have won their first seven games for the first time since 2009 and only the fifth time in school history.  That run includes victories in the first two “trophy games” of the 2015 season and a pair of victories over nationally ranked opponents on their home field.  Iowa and Alabama are the only teams in the country with two road wins over ranked opponents thus far this season.

Iowa also defeated Pittsburgh in the first of two night games to be played at Kinnick this fall.  The Panthers currently lead the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 3-0 record and a 5-1 overall mark.

The result of Iowa’s strong start to the season has been recognized in the national polls:  The Hawkeyes are ranked 12th in the Associated Press Top 25 – their highest ranking since being ranked ninth on Sept. 12, 2010.  Iowa checks in at No. 13 in the USA Today Coaches Top 25.

TC Sports Pages - October 21st, 2015

The Sports Pages for the Tipton Conservative Newspaper for the week of October 21st, 2015.  The Tigers had a good week - Swimming - good showing; Football - qualified for the playoffs; volleyball reached the quarterfinals of the RVC Tournament; and Cross-Country ran well at the RVC meet.  And, our other schools - North Cedar, Wilton, Durant all had good weeks of their own.

Scarbrough's Take: Baylor, Bama and The Twilight Zone

Oct 17, 2015; College Station, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jake Coker (14) attempts a pass during the first quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

By Lyn Scarbrough, Lindy's Sports

In a year like this one, looking ahead to the next seven weeks of the season is a dangerous proposition.

Looking back over the first seven weeks is like living in The Twilight Zone.

Before the season kicked off, could you have possibly imagined that these things would happen?

*Oregon, ranked No. 5 in preseason polls, would give up 62 in a blowout loss to Utah before losing, again at home, to Washington State – which had lost to Portland State.

*Texas would have its worst start in 60 years going 1-4, including a 50-7 humiliating loss to TCU, before demolishing undefeated Oklahoma.

*Georgia Tech, No. 16 in the preseason, would play seven games – and win only two.

*Boise State would lose seven turnovers in the first half alone in an upset loss to Utah State where it surrendered 52 points.

*Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, only 10 seconds away from upsetting arch-rival Michigan State (which, by the way, had no timeouts remaining in the game), would watch the Spartans run a botched Wolverine punt attempt in for a touchdown to lose on the last snap, joining the short list of the greatest game-ending plays ever – Auburn’s Kick-Six against Alabama, California against the Stanford Band, Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary against Miami … and now this.

*Ole Miss, which had defeated Alabama in Tuscaloosa when the Crimson Tide never even had the lead, would give up 31 unanswered points in losing to Memphis. Two weeks earlier, the Rebels scored just 10 points against Florida (LSU scored 35 against the Gators).

*Speaking of Memphis, the Tigers, along with Temple, Houston and Toledo, would all be undefeated with a combined record of 24-0. All four would be ranked in the Top 25 at the same time!

*Head coaches from Illinois, Southern Cal, Maryland and North Texas would have been fired; Steve Spurrier would have resigned at South Carolina; and the starting quarterback for undefeated (at the time) Florida would have been suspended for the next 12 months

Whew! And we’re only halfway through the season.

Despite all of those things and more, looking ahead, dangerous or not, here’s what is likely to happen:

One of the three undefeated Big Ten teams – Ohio State, Michigan State or Iowa (the one getting no respect) – will end up undefeated and make the College Football Playoff Final Four.

Baylor will defeat TCU, while the league’s other undefeated team Oklahoma State (the one getting no respect), will lose two games, and the Bears will be in the Final Four.

Clemson will knock off Florida State in the battle of undefeated Atlantic Coast Conference teams and will be included in the final quartet.

Every Pac-12 team will lose at least one game, leaving the conference without a representative in the Final Four. Their fans will replace those of the Big 12 from a year ago as the ones most loudly criticizing the system.

Notre Dame will lose to Stanford or Temple – Temple! – and will be left out of the Final Four again.

Meanwhile, in the Southeastern Conference, Alabama with the home field advantage will defeat LSU; Texas A&M will lose to LSU and maybe Ole Miss; Ole Miss will lose to LSU and maybe Auburn; Alabama will win the Western Division and beat the Eastern Division champion (as might all teams from the West) and will be the last team to make it to the Final Four.

In the final game – Alabama against Baylor.

The traditional, hard-nosed, opportunistic defense supported with a powerful running game, but with quarterback inconsistency … The explosive, relentless, take-no-prisoners offense (maybe the best in modern college football history), with a defense that gives up a lot of points, but which still wins by large margins.

In a classic match-up, give the trophy to Baylor, but don’t put much on that just yet.

Strange things have been happening in The Twilight Zone.

PODCAST: CCP Short

A special short CCP this time.  I sat down with Tipton volleyball coach Amy Calonder prior to the 8-team, single elimination tournament on Thursday, October 16th.

Fall Podcast - Week 7

This week, I sat down with area football coaches for another episode of the Coaches Corner Podcast.  On the show today are:

Tipton football coach Josh Bahr
North Cedar football coach Lucas Stanton
Durant football coach Greg White
Wilton football coach Ryan Hetzler.

PODCAST: Fall 2015 - Week 7

Due to some technical problems with my computer yesterday afternoon, this episode is delayed. However, on this episode:

Tipton Football coach Josh Bahr
North Cedar Football coach Lucas Stanton
Durant Football coach Greg White
Wilton Football coach Ryan Hetzler
Jason Miller from WestBranchFootball.com Podcast

Below is a direct link.  Thanks for listening! - RS.





Coaches Corner Podcast - Fall 2

Scarbrough's Take: Need Support For Your Team? Call Lady France, Not Me

Oct 3, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Will Grier (7) drops back during the first quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.  Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

By Lyn Scarbrough, Lindy's Sports

When I was a student at Hueytown High School in rural Jefferson County, Ala., there was this lady who reportedly claimed to be a fortune teller. Her office … or whatever fortune tellers call their place of work … was in an old trailer in between two subdivisions off Rutledge Drive in Fairfield Highlands.

A word of warning … Beware fortune tellers with trailers between subdivisions.

Often as we would drive by her trailer, which sat in front of a small crashed airplane (I never did figure that out), we talked about visiting her. I think  her name was Lady France, but I’m not completely sure. Some of my friends did stop by her place from time to time for some insight and good fortune. Not sure how that worked out, but if they ever hit it rich based on what she said, they didn’t share any of it with me.

Not sure that the prediction business was very lucrative back then, since we never saw her with a car and often saw her walking down the road.

I thought about Lady France this weekend as I watched my pregame predictions fade away faster than the sun going down on the Warrior River. The prediction business from my perspective wouldn’t be very lucrative now, either.

Has there ever been a wackier season when it comes to trying to figure before kickoff which teams are going to win? Lindy’s editors and writers pick games for our weekly newsletters and for the “Picks to Click” feature on our web site … that’s at www.lindyssports.com. Hope you’ll check it out each week.

So, based on my informed analysis of last weekend’s games … in hindsight, it apparently was my blind guesses about those games … I wrote in advance the lead for my weekly column, based on wins by Ole Miss, Georgia, UCLA and a few others. That column was deleted to the Recycle Bin by midnight on Saturday … and I’m writing about Lady France!

Games of this past weekend give evidence of how unpredictable and unexplainable the first five weeks of the 2015 season have been.

Start in Gainesville where the No. 3 Rebels took on the undefeated Florida Gators. Of course, you would take the visiting team, but after watching the game, you start to understand the mascot controversy in Oxford … the Ole Miss team hibernated for this one like black bears in the Smokey Mountains.

Just two weeks before, Mississippi had put up almost 500 yards against Alabama in Tuscaloosa and never trailed in the game. Florida had narrow wins over East Carolina and Kentucky, then a miracle last minute win over Tennessee. They could have been 1-3. Instead, they now sit at 5-0, ranked in the Top 25 and a contender for the SEC Eastern Division title.

Then, move to Athens, Ga., where that same Crimson Tide team faced Top 10 ranked Georgia with its powerful offense led by record-setting players, runner Nick Chubb and quarterback Greyson Lambert. There were legit questions about Alabama. Would a consistent quarterback finally emerge? Would the defense finally live up to its eternal hype? (For the record, in three of their past seven games, the Tide had given up 44 points to Auburn, 42 points to Ohio State and 43 to Ole Miss. Not exactly stellar defense on the big stage.)

What happened? Jake Coker did establish himself under center; the Bama defense sledgehammered the Bulldog offense; the Tide kept alive its hopes for the Western Division championship. And, Georgia fans are renewing their chorus … Mark Richt can’t win the big one.

And, how do you explain what has happened to the team from Knoxville? Before the season, Tennessee was ranked in the Top 25. Many people, including me, had them as the darkhorse threat for the division title. On Saturday, the Volunteers had another second-half collapse, this time at home against one-win Arkansas. I had the Vols with no losses heading into this week’s match-up with Georgia with both teams fighting for the division lead. Instead, Butch Jones’ team has three losses and joins the Bulldogs, both just fighting to stay relevant in the conference race.

Upsets weren’t limited to the SEC. UCLA, looking like the best team in the Pac-12, lost at home by 15 points to Arizona State, which was trounced the week before at home by USC, 42-14. ESPN Gameday this week will be at a Pac-12 game, one of the nation’s headliners between the last two undefeated teams in that conference … California and Utah!

California and Utah! You’ve got to be kidding!

The surprises also weren’t limited to ranked teams. Illinois had been massacred by North Carolina and struggled to edge Middle Tennessee at home. Nebraska had suffered heart-breaking last minute losses to Brigham Young and Miami. Of course, I took the Cornhuskers. The Illini won it, 14-13, scoring all of its points in the fourth quarter, as Nebraska lost another one down the stretch.

Among the teams currently undefeated … Temple (4-0), Memphis (5-0), Navy (4-0), Houston (4-0), Northwestern (5-0), Iowa (5-0) and Toledo (4-0). Among the teams already with multiple losses by the first week of October … Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Arkansas, Tennessee and South Carolina with three each; Oregon, Wisconsin, Auburn, Mississippi State, Arizona State and Arizona, each have two. And, don’t even talk about Texas!

I’ve started evaluating the games coming up on Saturday.

Oklahoma State travels to West Virginia; Navy plays at Notre Dame; Missouri hosts Florida; and Miami goes to Florida State. Those are in addition to the ones already mentioned above. And, don’t forget to protect the women and children … Oklahoma plays the Longhorns (and their four losses) in the annual Red River Shootout in Dallas on Saturday.

After last weekend, my confidence level isn’t too high.

So, here’s another word of warning … If you want validation for your team this week, you might want to avoid calling me. See if you can get in touch with Lady France.

From the Cheap Seats (Online): Iowa? Soft Schedule? You Really Aren't Watching The Games

 I have to admit, I like college football like most.  However, I really do not get too worked up about the non-conference part of the season.  That means, that I normally do not get to a 'can't miss' Saturday on the couch until either the last weekend in September or the first weekend of October.      One thing is constant though, critics.  I have heard from many of folks and have even seen a weekly columnist at a newspaper near Tipton say that Iowa has played a 'Soft' schedule in the non-conference.

 That begs the question, how do you determine who has played a good schedule?  Is it by wins?  By what conference certain teams are in?  By who you would RATHER your team play?  

  When I hear these comments I get a little upset.  They usually come from people with no perspective.  I offer that perspective below.

  Check this out.  Here is a list of Big Ten football schedules for the 2015 non-conference, the result (W/L), location (home or away) and the conference their opponents play in.

  The Big Ten Conference recently came out with a preference that their schools stop scheduling Football Subdivision teams.  This year, like the next couple, that will be hard as schools already have contracts.  However, the message is clear though.  Take a look at who played who in this non-conference season:

Big Ten School             Result       Home/Away  Opponent                Opponent's Conference

Illinois

September 5                   W             Home           Kent State                 MAC

September 12                 W             Home           Western Illinois        Football Subdivision

September 19                  L             Away            North Carolina         ACC

September 26                  W            Home           Middle Tenn. State   Conference USA

Indiana

September 5                    W            Home           Southern Illinois        Football Subdivision

September 12                  W            Home           Florida I'ntl.               Sun Belt?

September 19                  W            Home           W. Kentucky             Conference USA

September 26                  W            Away           Wake Forest               ACC

Iowa

September 5                    W            Home           Illinois State               Football Subdivision

September 12                  W            Away           Iowa State                   Big 12

September 19                  W            Home           Pittsburgh                   ACC

September 26                  W            Home           North Texas                Conference USA

Maryland 

September 5                    W           Home            Richmond                    Football Subdivision

September 12                  L            Home            Bowling Green            MAC

September 19                  W           Home            South Florida              American Athletic Conf.

September 26                  L            Home            West Virginia              Big 12

Michigan

September 3                    L            Away             Utah                            Pac-12

September 12                  W          Home              Oregon State              Pac-12

September 19                  W          Home              UNLV                        Mountain West?

September 26                  W          Home              BYU                           Independent

Michigan State

September 4                     W         Away              Western Michigan       MAC

September 12                   W         Home              Oregon                        Pac-12

September 19                   W         Home              Air Force                     Mountain West

September 26                   W         Home              Central Michigan        MAC

Minnesota

September 3                     L          Home               TCU                            Big 12

September 12                   W         Away               Colorado State            Mountain West

September 19                   W         Home               Kent State                   MAC

September 26                   W         Home               Ohio                            MAC

Nebraska 

September 5                     L          Home                BYU                           Independent

September 12                   W         Home                South Alabama           Sun Belt

September 19                   L          Away                 Miami (FL)                ACC

September 26                   W         Home                Southern Mississippi   Conference USA 

Northwestern

September 5                     W         Home                Stanford                      Pac-12

September 12                   W         Home                Eastern Illinois           Football Subdivision

September 19                   W         Away                Duke                            ACC

September 26                   W        Home                 Ball State                     MAC

Ohio State 

September 7                     W         Away                Virginia Tech              ACC

September 12                   W         Home                Hawaii                        Mountain West

September 19                   W         Home                Northern Illinois         MAC

September 26                   W         Home                Western Michigan      MAC

Penn State 

September 5                     L          Away                 Temple                         American Athletic Conf.

September 12                   W        Home                  Buffalo                        MAC

September 26                   W        Home                  San Diego State          Mountain West

October 3                         W         Home                  Army                          Independent

Purdue

September 6                     L          Away                  Marshall                      Conference USA

September 12                   W         Home                 Indiana State                Football Subdivision

September 19                   L          Home                  Virginia Tech              ACC

September 26                   L          Home                  Bowling Green            MAC

Rutgers

September 5                     W         Home                  Norfolk State               Football Subdivision

September 12                   L          Away                   Washington State        Pac-12

September 26                   W         Away                  Kansas                         Big 12

November 21                   TBD     Away                  Army                           Independent

Wisconsin 

September 5                     L          Away                   Alabama                     SEC

September 12                   W         Home                   Miami (OH)               MAC

September 19                   W         Home                   Troy                           Sun Belt 

September 26                   W         Home                   Hawaii                       Mountain West          

 Division 1 College Football forever changed when they adopted a playoff structure.  Scheduling became more important as well as wins against those teams.  Wins against one of the 'POWER 5' conferences became much more important.

  The 'POWER 5' conferences that I am referring to are - Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).  From the above, here are the schools that scheduled games against 'POWER 5' teams: 

Illinois - 1

Indiana - 1

Iowa - 2

Maryland - 1

Michigan - 2

Michigan State - 1

Minnesota - 1

Nebraksa - 1

Northwestern - 2

Ohio State - 1

Penn State - 1

Purdue - 1

Rutgers - 2

Wisconsin - 1

So, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern and Rutgers, or 4 of the 14 Big 10 schools scheduled more than one team from the 'POWER 5' conferences this non-conference season.  

 Now, how did these teams to against their two opponents?  Iowa 2-0, Northwestern 2-0, Michigan 1-1 and Rutgers 1-1.
 I would say that seeing who plays teams of their equal or from a similar conference and how they do against those teams, and not a conference out of the 'POWER 5' holds more weight than what teams are actually on a schedule.

 My point is this have an informed opinion.  You can use rankings of opponents, conference bias or who you would rather see your favorite team play, but don't throw things out there that do not make sense.
  Iowa and Northwestern, both ranked teams, out of many Big 10 ranked teams, and are the only two schools that scheduled teams from power conferences and won both of those games.
  To me that says a lot.  For now, you are not going to see many teams with more than two 'POWER 5' games in a given year.  But, that day will be coming.  Until then, it behoves people to get perspective before throwing out claims of strength of schedule. 

Thanks for reading, we'll see you, at the game! 

Scores and Standings After Week 5

Class 2A District 4

Standings

                         D4    Overall        PF    PA

Anamosa        3-0    5-0             215    66

Mt. Vernon      3-0    4-1             197    83

Monticello       1-1    3-2        86      125

Tipton             1-1    4-1             166      106

Cascade         1-1    2-3             103      179

Camanche      0-3    1-4        82      156

NE Goose Lake 0-3    1-4        79      172

Scores - Friday, September 18

Tipton 49, North Cedar 42

Anamosa 45, Camanche 22

Mt. Vernon 50, Monticello 19

Cascade 50, NE Goose Lake 16

Friday, September 25

Tipton at NE Goose Lake

Mt. Vernon at Center Point-Urbana

Monticello at Anamosa

Cascade at Camanche

Class 1A District 5

Standings

                       D-5    Overall        PF    PA

Alburnett        3-0    5-0             181    74

Wilton            3-0    3-2             113      100

West Branch  2-0    5-0             194    45

Durant            1-2    1-4              82      199

Wapello          0-2    2-3             139      146

North Cedar   0-2    0-5              94      158

Bellevue         0-3    1-4              33      131

Scores - Friday, September 18

Alburnett 56, Durant 14

Tipton 49, North Cedar 42

West Branch 42, Bellevue 0

Wilton 38, Wapello 21

Friday, September 25

Bellevue at North Cedar

Durant at West Branch

Mediapolis at Wilton

Wapello at Alburnett