As I look down the bowl schedule there are a handful of games with double digit or higher spreads, another handful that hover between 5-8 point spreads and then several that predict close games.

The biggest favorites are
Boise State -14
Oklahoma -13.5
TCU -10
Texas A&M -9.5
Baylor -9

I think those teams win their games pretty easily if they show up to play.  I am not sure they all cover the spreads but I think they win.  The next group is a bit closer

Arkansas -7.5
Temple -7
Oregon -6
Houston -5.5

I think there are a couple of games in there that might go to the underdog.  I think Kansas State may challenge Arkansas.  I think Wisconsin will definitely challenge Oregon and who knows what kind of team shows up for Penn State.  If they come motivated that defense is good and Houston hasn't played anyone.

Norm Parker has announced that he is retiring following the Hawkeyes bowl game against the Oklahoma Sooners.  Parker has been a mainstay of Kirk Ferentz coaching staff and his contributions are numerous.  In recent years, health issues have slowed Norm and the game has slowly passed him by.
Parker was a great coach for Iowa and I am happy to see him retire at a time where he can be remembered for his contributions of building the Iowa defense and team  

I am seriously hoping that Ken O'Keefe will follow suit here.  I think it is time to overall these two key positions on the Hawkeyes coaching staff.

Again, thank to Norm Parker for all you have done for the Iowa program.  It will be remembered and reflected for years to come and kudos for knowing it was time to step down as well.
 

I will stop just short of saying that it is time for Kirk Ferentz to go.  I will also say there have been a number of times the last two years that I have stepped across that line and felt it was in fact time for a complete change though, including Kirk Ferentz.
This team is vanilla and stale by any standards.  Predictable and cautious to a fault.  Ken O'Keefe and Norm Parker are great men and at one time were great coaches.  It seems however the game has passed them by.  Spread offense, blitz, and stunt are all words that are not in their vocabulary.
Our defensive line is the smallest, weakest and worst it has been since Kirk Ferentz took over the program.  James Morris started his career strong but has fizzled some and our linebackers are not much better than the line.  People like to rip on the defensive backs but when you are trying to maintain coverage for 7 seconds because your line is never putting any pressure on the QB it is tough.
How many times have we seen Iowa get the ball with 2 minutes left in a half or a game and seen them just run out the clock instead of trying to score.  This might be my biggest pet peeve. 

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