Touchdown Iowa!

It's the favorite saying of Iowa sports broadcaster Gary Dolphin, and music to the ears of rabid Iowa Hawkeye football fans. I expect it will be an oft-repeated phrase this fall.

The college football season begins this week on Thursday with a smattering of games across the country. Saturday will be opening day at Kinnick Stadium, as the nationally ranked Hawks play host to the Grizzlies of Montana. The Montana 1-AA football program is a powerhouse among smaller schools. Iowa is predicted to be a powerhouse among the the nation's most recognized football factories.

This is the time of year when we all take a look at the schedule and make predictions about the team, based on almost no real inside information, and without evidence that anything we say has merit. In other words, its time to guess about wins and losses.

Here's the facts about Iowa. Returning senior quarterback that has proven skills. Returning junior running back that led the Big Ten conference last year. Returning defensive line that went from being a weakness to a strength during last seasons bowl run. Returning all conference kicker. The negatives -- relatively inexperienced defensive backfield and linebackers.

That negative is a problem. Iowa is notoriously strong against the run but weak against the pass. Add to that fact that many of the pass defenders are first year starters, and you got trouble. Add to that that something like eight Big Ten conference teams are returning their QB from last year, and its downright disgusting to think about teams racking up 350 passing games against the Hawks.

It should be a high scoring affair on both sides of the ball this fall. But not this coming week. Games like this one between Iowa and Montana are not won by the quarterback, running backs, or even safeties. They are won in the trenches -- O-Line vs. D-Line. It is in the trenches where the bigger, faster lines eventually wear down the smaller, slower lines. Sometimes it takes a quarter or two. That might be the case this Saturday.

I like the Hawks on most Saturdays this fall, especially this one. The season will start as it should, with a big win.

Iowa -- 41
Montana -- 13