The Iowa Hawkeyes have aspirations of finishing much better than they did last season, where the Hawks ended 6-6, which is by far one of the worst years that has occurred in Kirk Ferentz’s tenure as Iowa’s coach. They face a plucky Maine team in the season opener in Kinnick Stadium, so the first question is probably the most critical—which Iowa team will show up?

Will it be the team that finished the season 4-2 (that should have been 5-1 if it weren’t for a shocking loss to Western Michigan)? Or will it be the team that trudged to a 2-4 record starting the year off, including a good ole fashioned butt whoopin’ by (then) lowly Indiana?

In order to really make this question more clear before they Hawks step onto the field, the answer may lie in Jake Christiansen and Albert Young, who didn’t have awful years, but didn’t have anything to write home about. If they can show the improvement that they should have, the Hawkeyes could start off the year in style and gain some momentum quickly. The defense is very young but has a lot of potential (as noted in the season preview).

Maine doesn’t come in with a lot of press or really a lot of football credentials, other than being the place where Ferentz got his coaching start. The offense is pretty suspect, especially in the air, where the team has more of a platoon situation than anything else. The running game is decent, but again—nothing really spectacular. Over half of the Black Bears are freshman and sophomores, and traveling to loud and raucous Kinnick won’t do them any favors.

For a team like Iowa who has undergone some major off-field issues in the summer, Maine is just what the doctor ordered. There’s no line on this game, and for good reason—it could get pretty ugly early. I’ll take Iowa in a cakewalk: Iowa 48, Maine 10.