Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Ranking the Iowa Football schedule, The Caitlin Clark Rule

Episode Date: June 12, 2023

Trent Condon is back for another week of the Locked on Hawkeyes Podcast.First a look at the Iowa football schedule for 2024 as Iowa will travel 6,682 miles in Big Ten play including road trip to Ohio State, USC & Rutgers.Then a breakdown of the most difficult games on the Iowa football schedule for 2023 from 12-1.A new rule is in effect for women's basketball in the NCAA and it will be known as the Caitlin Clark rule. Plus, Iowa baseball adds a pitcher from the transfer portal as former Oklahoma State Cowboy Brant Hogue will join the squad.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BirddogsGo to birddogs.com/lockedoncollege and when you enter promo code, LOCKEDONCOLLEGE, they’ll throw in a free custom birddogs Yeti-style tumbler with every order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, the new schedule is out for 2024. Just how far is the Iowa football team going to travel? And we take a look at the 2023 schedule and take a look at the difficulties. Rank of 1 through 12. How tough is this schedule going to be for the Hawkeyes? The Kaitlin Clark rule. That's right. A new rule in women's college basketball.

All goes back to Caitlin in the national championship game. And Iowa baseball picks up a transfer all today on Hawkeyes. You are locked on Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome in. I'm Trent Condon, and this is the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We're available wherever you get podcasts.

You can also find us on YouTube. Make sure you hit that subscribe button while you're there. Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. As we make our way through June last week, the big newsmaker was obviously what we saw with the release of the Big Ten schedules for 2024 and 2025. An interesting note on that, the schedule that was out there before, obviously the additions of USC and UCLA, knowing that divisions were going to weigh,

but yes, there was a schedule that was out there. Iowa next season, if we didn't have these additions, would have of course played everybody in the Big Ten West. And on top of it, here's who the crossovers that they had scheduled for 2024. It was a road trip to Rutgers. It was a home game against Maryland and a road trip to Indiana. You think people were upset about the way the schedule was in 2015, that 2024 would have been a doozy. Not the case now though. Iowa, of course, they will make their way out to USC, go to the Coliseum, and play a game there.

UCLA comes to town. A road trip to Ohio State. Overall, in Big Ten away games coming up in 2024, with those road trips to USC, over 3,000 miles to Ohio State. Two Rutgers also on the schedule on the road that year. Iowa is going to travel the fourth most miles of anybody in the Big Ten. No surprise, USC, they're at the top of the list with over 16,000 miles traveled, over 15,000 for UCLA. Nebraska next up on the list, and there are the Iowa Hawkeyes,

as they will travel 6,682 miles in 2024. But the opportunity to go to USC, how fun that's going to be. Going out to the horseshoe, always a fun time out there, even if the fans are a little bit weird. It is going to be a real fun season coming up in 2024 and the change in the Big Ten. We talked plenty about that last week. Every day as we got you covered there,

you can always go back and check out all our content, either on the podcast side or on YouTube. But let's get into this upcoming football season. Let's go through and take a look at the schedule and the way that it sets up. And I rank these games one through 12 in terms of difficulty for Iowa football in this upcoming season.

If you've been here for a while, you know that I'm incredibly optimistic about this team. I think we have a special season on the horizon. The ability for Iowa to go out, they did in the transfer portal has completely changed where I am with this team. The ability, not only to go out and get a quarterback,

you start with Cade McNamara, the additions, a wide receiver, bringing in Caleb Brown and hearing more and more how acclimated and how quickly he is jumping in, how he was welcomed with open arms into the Iowa football room and that wide receiver room, and knowing how important he is going to be. You couple Luke Lachey now with Eric Hall, an all-ECC linebacker, and Nick Jackson, just on and on and on, the depth that they built on the offensive line. Yes, the coaching's the same. Yes, the offensive coordinator is the same guy.

I get all those caveats, and you still, I think, have to talk about them. However, with Iowa, with what they have, and the schedule that is in front of them, I think Iowa's going to have a special season. Well, let's go through this, and we'll start at the bottom. Western Michigan is my number 12 game on the schedule. Western Michigan with the new coaching staff coming in. It is a program that is not

flying real high outside of when Phil Fleck had things rolling along there by what year four before he departed and took the Minnesota job. And what a great job he had done taking them to a cotton bowl and an undefeated regular season with the Mustangs. Still, this is not that squad by any means. So they sit at number 12. Number 11, most difficult games on the Iowa football schedule. Let's go to Rutgers. Now, last year, it was not a thing of beauty. Thank goodness for Cooper DeJean.

But with the offensive fire, Pyro, I think Shiano has things improved. But this game being in Kinnick, I put it in number 11 on the list. I put it ahead of the opener against Utah State. And then the reason I put Utah State up a spot, first of all, their coach, Coach Anderson's done a really good job and does a good job year in and year out. But secondly, just that first game of the year. Now we've seen Iowa that have had some big heavy heads that have come in, at least as it pertains to kind of that outside perspective. We know how difficult UNI is and how well they prepare. You go back to 2009 and the two block field goals to win that game by a team that went on to win the Orange Bowl.

We know that those opening moments can be a little bit shaky. Remember the year Illinois State come in with a returning quarterback and big expectations. They played for an FCS championship the year before. Iowa blitzed them. Different here. I don't think there's going to be buzz that they could lose this game.

Just the newness, a lot of fresh faces, a lot of new guys in different roles. Because of that, I moved it up a spot just because of where it fits in the calendar in that first game of the season against Utah State. Number nine, and maybe the game I'm looking most forward to this year, and it's a game at Wrigley Field against Northwestern. We've seen the Wildcats take a couple of huge steps back

these last couple of seasons, so that is definitely a part of it here. That is definitely a piece that you're looking at and saying, I understand why you'd put this this low. We all, as Hawkeye fans, have those memories of some frankly not very good Northwestern teams or every good ones that Iowa should have beat and weren't able to. I don't think that's the case. And I think Fitz's squads are just continuing to regress further and further back from the team that played for two Big Ten championships, won the division a couple of different times. This is not the same program. You couple that with the environment.

Look, Northwestern's played a Wrigley Field before, and their fan base is going to be excited, but we're still talking about an incredibly small fan base. And though they love to call themselves Chicago's Big Ten team, that is not a city that certainly embraces. It's about professional sports there. I talked to David Kaplan, longtime person in the radio and the digital space in Chicago media for a long time. But NBC Sports Chicago, ESPN 1000, he is in it day in and day out. And college sports just don't matter at the same way. Hawkeye fans, on the other hand, how excited are you to get to Wrigley Field? If you're a Cubs fan, even if you're not, I'm not a Cubs fan.

I'm a Twins fan. I'm wearing the cap today, as you can see on YouTube. But I just know how charged up the environment is going to be, how big it is going to be over there. I think Iowa's going to have as many, if not more, fans in the building for that one. I continue to hear about people that are going out just to get their hands on tickets. They're buying Northwestern season tickets, just going to sell all of them, hope to get a couple of bucks out of it. No, it's going to be a losing effort buying season tickets to Northwestern,

but you get opportunity to buy these games at Wrigley Field, and a lot of people are doing that. Talked about this before. I'm also going to be there both doing my radio show on KXNO that Friday leading into the game. We're going to do a live podcast here with Lock on Hawkeyes, and we're going to do it from Merkel's, the Hawkeye Bar in Wrigleyville. It's going to be a great time, and as we get closer and closer, we'll give you more details of how you can hang out with us. Some things we're going to have going on some ticket giveaways that are also in the work. So a lot happening there with Merkel's and that's where we'll be on Friday and Saturday leading in to the kickoff for the Northwestern game. So that's number nine. It's a neutral site game, or maybe even considered a

Northwestern home game, but we know that's not going to be the a neutral site game or maybe even considered a Northwestern home game. But we know that's not going to be the case. Number eight on the list. Most difficult games in the Iowa football schedule for 2023. It is Purdue. Purdue does not have Brahm there anymore. Thank goodness for that. Yes, last season went well.

Iowa dominated that football game and were able to cruise into the victory and really the coming out party for Caleb Johnson at the running back position and just how good he was in that football game and were able to cruise into the victory and really the coming out party for Caleb Johnson at the running back position and just how good he was in that football game. But it's still, it's still Purdue. And yes, back in the leaders and legends divisions, that was our protected rival. What a joke that was. That aside though, we certainly know this game is no easy one.

It doesn't matter who the coach is. It doesn't matter who is out there. For whatever reason, Purdue has put up a lot of fight against the Hawkeyes, and they come in at number eight. Now we're starting to get into some good teams. I think the first five games that we mentioned, those are the also-ranks. I don't anticipate Purdue, Northwestern, Rutgers to be in any kind of consideration to be up there, have any opportunity on the West side with the Purdue and Northwestern side

winning a division title. I don't think that's going to be the case. We get up to number seven and our first team with the pulse. And that's big fat Burt Bielema and his fighting Illini. We saw the game a year ago. It was ugly, ugly football. But they got us. This year, I think Iowa has a little bit of payback games back in

Kinnick Stadium I think Iowa not as high as maybe you put I'd like that Illinois team I think they're going to be pretty good again this season we'll see what kind of step back they make defensively but that is where I am halfway through the difficult games of the Iowa football season we'll continue one through six when we come back what is the most difficult game on the Iowa football season. We'll continue one through six when we come back. What is the most difficult game on the Iowa schedule? Where is the in-state rivalry game against Iowa State? We'll count them down one through six as we continue here on Locked On Hawkeyes. Today's episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

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Get a no sweat first bet up to $2,500. Again, FanDuel.com slash locked on. FanDuel, official sports betting partner of the NBA. Trent Conant back with you once again here on the LockedOn Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making LockedOn Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Make sure you hit that subscribe button if you're on YouTube. Five-star reviews if you're on the podcast side, as we continue down our countdown to the top, most difficult games in the Iowa football schedule for this upcoming 2023

schedule. So we're halfway through. If you're just joining us, wherever you've been Western Michigan at number 12 Rutgers, Utah state Northwestern at Wrigley, Purdue and Illinois number six on the list, Michigan state. We get Sparty back on the schedule and

there has been some absolute epic matchups from the Big Ten Championship game that obviously did not go Iowa's way in 2015 when a top five Sparty team came to town and absolutely obliterated them. Physicality of these games seems to always be through the roof. Scott Dockerman and Mark Morehouse back when those guys were together with the On Iowa podcast, they always talked about it. Them, Iowa, and Michigan State, along with Wisconsin, kind of three polar bears fighting over the same block of ice. That's what it is, physicality.

Now, Milt Tucker in year number three. He comes onto the scene with Kenneth Walker, the transfer running back for Wake Forest. They hit the ground running, and they put together a great season. A huge step back last year. A new quarterback that's going to be taking over there. And that's why they're a little bit further down the list than when the schedule came out. Maybe you thought that Sparty was going to be number six on the list. Number five, we're going to Aims. Iowa State number 5 on my list of most difficult games for Iowa football this season

Iowa State look at what they returned from a year ago there's some losses of course they lose a first round draft pick something that they hadn't had in 50 years that streak is over but now off to the NFL and with Will McDonald there

some question marks defensively Matt Campbell a lot of people respect him in the industry, what he's done in making Iowa State a perennial winner. There's also the part of it you look at. Their most successful season came in 2020. It was the weird year of the COVID season. You had plenty of teams not playing guys,

plenty of guys that were sitting out. There was just all kinds of oddities in that season. And even with that, when they went to the Fiesta Bowl, remember, that was also a year that Iowa State lost to Louisiana Lafayette. I think at times, maybe, yes, getting them to a nature where Iowa State's a tough out year in and year out, that's tough to do. But some of the people wanted to continue to put him

in the top 15, 20 coaches in college football. Hey, I got to see a bounce back here. It was one thing to get it up and running. Let's see if that culture continues. Plus, you have the rumors that are out there. And if you've been under a rock, we've talked about the gambling investigation as it pertains to the University of Iowa

and the Hawkeye athletic programs. But there is a ton of smoke right now that Iowa State football is going to be hit, not just hit, hit hard by suspensions. Maybe guys that will no longer be part of the program. That is still out there as we await word. We will obviously pass it along, but that is another reason. Maybe not quite as high on the list for Iowa State as they come in at number five. The final home game on the schedule, it is Minnesota. You know, Kalamakis

last year, beginning of the year, he was awful. Their quarterback, the Greek freak. And he, I don't want to say he turned it on, but he showed big improvement towards the end of the season. Now they lose Mo Ibrahim and he was such a huge part of everything that they did offensively. Iowa has had their number. Iowa has made PJ Flick look the idiot that he is. And Kirk Ferentz has liked to rub his nose in it a little bit, as we remember.

We'll leave the timeouts here and take Floyd with us, right? The great quote from a couple years back up at TCF Bank. Well, this one will be back in Kinnick Stadium. Iowa found a way with Jack Campbell making the ridiculous play late in that football game. Still, it's almost where it's a little bit of the gambler's fallacy, but eventually they're going to win this game. There's been so many close calls.

There's been so many tight games, and every single time they have fallen Iowa's way, it's going to eventually end. We're not going to beat Minnesota until in perpetuity. I would hope so. As somebody that this is my favorite rivalry game, growing up in North Iowa, Minnesota is always number one for me

as it pertains to rivals, but it's going to end at some point. We'll see like their defense and a couple of guys in their defensive backfield, even with some draft losses, I got Minnesota at number four. We get into the top three of most difficult games on the Iowa football schedule. And there they are, our neighbors to the left, out to the west, the Cornhuskers. So a couple of things here. They are going through a transition again. Matt Rule taking over.

Now they have an adult actually running their football program, something that they didn't have under Scott Frost, something that they didn't have with the baby that was Bo Pelini. They have a real football coach there. Is it going to lead to them finally getting back to a bowl game in the first time in almost a decade this season? I'm not sure I'm going to go there. But would it surprise you to see Nebraska come in at 5-6

and need this game for bowl eligibility? Absolutely wouldn't for me. He's going to get them back to respectability. Now, ultimately, is that enough for Nebraska fans? I think we know that's not the case. And Tom Chattel, he had an article that was ribbing the Big Ten West, if you missed that, over the weekend. And another head-scratching moment from the Nebraska media over on the other side of the river. But I got them at number three.

I think they're going to be pretty good by that point in time and rule a good coach. Something that they haven't had for the past five seasons. Number two on the list, it's a road trip to Madison, Wisconsin at number two, the second most difficult game on the Iowa football schedule. They are going through a transition of their own, not only bringing in a new coach with Luke Fickle, but what they're trying to do offensively. I'm so interested to see how this Wisconsin team is going to look. They are the betting favorite right now to win the Big Ten West in the final season of the Big Ten West. Iowa is the second choice behind them. And you everydayers, we got you covered a little bit later in the week.

We're going to dive into those numbers from FanDuel and take a deeper look at what they have for odds, not just to win the Big Ten, but win to the division. And we will get into that here later in the week for you every dayers. And finally, number one, yes, Penn State. Whiteout, I was gone there before and won in a whiteout. Did it after beating them a time before. I think Hawkeye fans, you've been around for a while. You know, remember that conversation leading into the 2009 game? 2008, Iowa upsets Penn State, knocks them out of the national championship picture. They were undefeated, looked like they had a great opportunity to play for a national championship. Iowa behind Ricky Stanzi making a play up the sideline and a Danny Murray kick knocked them out 24-23. Well, revenge was on their mind the following season. And I'm already seeing that

from Penn State fans. Revenge from a couple of years back when Nico Rigetti makes the play into the end zone. Iowa pulls off the upset there and gets up to number two in the country. Same conversations are happening. That whole payback factor, I just don't buy it. Once the ball is in the air, is that something as a football player that's really on your mind, playing and play out revenge? I think it's an overplayed angle. It's going to be tough though. I like this Penn State team. I think they're talented. I think this is as deep as Franklin has had a team, kind of 1 through 22, and a quarterback,

a real opportunity for an upgrade there. There it is, 1 through 12, the most difficult games on the Iowa football schedule. We'll come back, put a wrap on things on the other side. Kaitlin Clark, a new rule has been put in place for women's college basketball. It all goes back to the national championship game. That's next year on Lockdown Hawkeyes.

Trent Conner, back with you one final time on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. So the Kait Caitlin Clark rule. Mention it, and here's what it is. If you remember back to the national championship game, afterwards, so much of the conversation was about Angel Reese.

It was about the extras that went along and the pointing to the fingers and this team that was all cobbled together by Kim Mulkey. They went out there and won a national championship, and now you look what they've done in the portal again this year, and they're going to be a behemoth once again this season. But the other part of the conversation was about a play. After Iowa got down 19 in the first half, they're chucking in threes.

LSU is at the wing, not even looking at the rim in the first half. They're shooting incredibly. But the thing that is forgot because LSU won the game by what about 15 points is that Iowa was sneaking back into the game. The Hawkeyes were getting back into it. They cut it to single digits. They had an opportunity to get maybe even a little bit deeper run and certainly make it more difficult for LSU and make it a ball game.

What happens? A foul is called. A dead ball is in the hands of Kaitlyn Clark. She rolls the ball back behind her back to the baseline, and she's hit with a technical foul. It's one of the weakest technical fouls you will ever see at any level of basketball. It was three referees that were completely manipulated

by Kim Mulkey that would not talk to Lisa Bluter. They were completely out of their element. They were not ready for primetime. They were awful. But of all the awfulness, that is at the forefront. It gave Kaitlyn Clark her fourth personal foul. Well, that will not be the case anymore. Technical fouls like that will not count as a personal foul going forward.

Long time coming. It should have ever been the case. It was a complete miss by the refereeing crew. But even the play aside, that shouldn't have been a technical fall. I think they should go a step further and say things like that should not be teased. It was absolutely no doubt about it were the worst calls you will see in college basketball.

It is not the reason that Iowa lost that game. They were outplayed. LSU shot lights out. They were incredible that day. All the credit to them, but that play maybe robbed us an opportunity of having a compelling game. Go into the final minutes of the fourth quarter and have the thing be relatively close. And we talked about those TV numbers that came out of it.

How big would they have been if that was a four or five point game going to the last five minutes? How big that could have been. Women's college basketball missed an opportunity. One of the reasons for it is just that. They don't call that technical. Could that game played out differently? Very well could have. Now we know that will not be a personal foul going forward. One final note also from the transfer portal for Iowa baseball.

Brent Hogue from Bishop Helan up in Sioux City. He is going to join the Iowa baseball program. Had a UCLA L-Tare, went through rehab, had surgery a little over a month ago, pitched this past season at Oklahoma State, started his career up at Iowa Western. A lefty, doesn't throw it out there, you know, velocity-wise. Not a guy that chucks it up there in the upper 90s

or anything like that. He sits around 90 miles an hour, got a good changeup, a really funky delivery, difficult. He sits around 90 miles an hour. Got a good changeup, a really funky delivery. Difficult. Definitely deception is part of his game. But another bullpen arm, perhaps, or even more than that. We know the top two are set going into next season in the rotation with Marcus Morgan and with Brody Brett coming back for another season.

But another bullpen arms, as we saw in regionals, you're going to need a ton of arms. No doubt about it. Iowa baseball're going to need a ton of arms, no doubt about it. Iowa baseball is going to return a bunch. It's going to be a fun season coming up for Iowa baseball. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Today's episode brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, America's number one sportsbook. A big thank you to them.

Visit fanduel.com slash lockdown today to get started with FanDuel Sportsbook. A big thank you to them. Visit fanduel.com slash lockdown today to get started with FanDuel Sportsbook. A big thank you to them. Thank you to you for joining us. Every day is coming up tomorrow. We got more football, including the guys arriving on campus. That's right. The freshmen are making their way to campus. Which freshmen have the best opportunity to help out this incredibly deep Iowa football

team? We will talk about that coming up here tomorrow on the program. Plus on Thursday, it'll be our first edition of throwback Thursday. We're going to take a look back at some of the great Iowa Hawkeye teams, both basketball and football wise. You got a team. You want us to spotlight,

hit us up on Twitter at Trent Condon is where you can find me or locked on Iowa on Twitter. Hit me up there. We will get your favorite teams out there. spotlight hit us up on twitter at trent conan is where you can find me or locked on iowa on twitter hit me up there we will get your favorite teams out there we'll do that on thursdays here throughout the summer months we'll talk to you again tomorrow thanks for watching and listening and go hawks