Iowa 3

The media jumped on the Iowa bandwagon after they won the Capital One Bowl against LSU, and the Hawks failed to meet such lofty expectations in a disappointing 7-win season. Granted, losing Matt Roth was a harsh blow, but now the Hawkeyes need to deal with the loss of two star linebackers, Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge. The young D-line gets a badly-needed year of experience and should be much better in '06, but the rest of the defense looks a bit shaky. QB Drew Tate and RB Albert Young will lead a fine offense, but its young receivers will have to step up right away and fill the void left by Clinton Solomon and Eddie Hinkle. Iowa has an honest shot of winning the Big Ten, but a 7-9 win season is more probable.