2011 Bowl Predictions: Iowa Hawkeyes Can Take Advantage of Disappointed Oklahoma

After another disappointing regular season from the Hawkeyes', they find themselves in the Insight Bowl playing before New Years against a Oklahoma Sooners team that started the season ranked No. 1. This is a tough matchup for the Hawkeyes', and they'll have to play their best game of the year.

Oklahoma though is coming off a thrashing in the de facto Big 12 Championship against Oklahoma State. After starting the season No. 1, the Sooners had three disappointing losses and have fallen to the Insight Bowl. 

The Hawkeyes' can take advantage of the disappointed Sooners and will because Marcus Coker will have another huge bowl game, Oklahoma has checked out of their season, the Iowa defense will rise to the occasion, and Landry Jones will have a disappointing final game.

1. Marcus Coker Will Have Another Huge Bowl Game

Marcus Coker burst on the scene in last year's Insight Bowl versus the Missouri Tigers and will do exactly the same on the Oklahoma Sooners this year. Last year he carried the ball 33 times to the extent of 219 yards and two touchdowns. That gave Iowa fans high expectations for this year, and Coker has come on strong lately.

This Sooners defense was taken advantage of by the Oklahoma State Cowboys and will be playing let down after their season has come from meaning a title to an average bowl game. The Hawkeyes' must start and finish the game with Coker.

If Coker can manage 200 yards again, the Hawkeyes' are a shoo-in for their last game of the year.

2. Oklahoma Has Checked out for the Year

The Hawkeyes are probably over matched talent wise, but Oklahoma has checked out of the 2011 season and win or lose the season will be a disappointing one.

Beginning the season No. 1 in the polls, Oklahoma was thinking BCS title all the way until those hopes were killed by Texas Tech putting them at 6-1. Although one loss didn't completely kill their chances, a loss three weeks later to Robert Griffin III did. 

From then on the Sooners have looked relatively uninspired and far from what we thought we would see all season from the Sooners.

They have checked out on their season, and the Hawkeyes can take advantage of that.

3. The Iowa Defense Will Play to Its Ability

The Hawkeye defense has played well this year but has had a few letdowns this season. Those letdowns have added two bad losses to the year with Iowa State and Minnesota. In situations where they need a stop or a hold they look emotionless and have been unable to make stops.

Go to games against Michigan and Pittsburgh, the Iowa defense was electrifying and got stops when they needed them allowing close games to be won. In this game where the Hawkeyes' come in overmatched by the Sooners. The Hawkeye defense will have to play defense like the did against Michigan.

If the Hawkeyes want to win they'll have to come out with a couple turnovers, multiple sacks and a defensive touchdown would make the 2011 season end brightly.

4. Landry Jones Will Have a Bad Final Game

In the final game of his collegiate career, quarterback Landry Jones will let Sooner fans down and cost them the game. He is slated to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2012 NFL draft but the 2011 Insight Bowl will hurt his stock considerably.

As discussed on the last slide, the Hawkeyes' will have to come up with two or more turnovers to win this game and all of them will come from Landry Jones. He has a 2:1 TD-INT ratio on the season, but it will look opposite that against the Hawkeyes'. 

After throwing two picks, he will look flustered and the Hawkeyes will come up big causing a fumble that will be rumbled to the end zone for six. 

Jones will have to make up for this mistake ridden game in the combine and private workouts, but his stock and the Sooners' season will come to an end in disappointing fashion.

So there we have it, four things the Hawkeyes' must do to take advantage of a checked out Oklahoma team.

Score Prediction: Even with the turnovers and the massive game from Coker, the Sooners keep it close until the turnover battle won by the Hawkeyes' becomes too much.

The Hawkeyes' win by 10 points because the Sooner defense gives up late in the game, allowing the Hawks to put it away on a fourth quarter field goal, making it a two possession game.

Iowa 38, Oklahoma 28