Cy-Hawk week had new feeling

This past weekend was supposed to be another Cy-Hawk football game.

It was supposed to be a sixth straight Iowa win inside Kinnick Stadium.

Ok, maybe not. But after watching Iowa State on Saturday, I don’t think even the hardcore Cyclone fans would like their chances against the Hawkeyes on the road.

Iowa is not playing football yet. There were a few reports over the weekend that stated the Big Ten Conference Presidents were again going to vote on whether to play again.

If they play games, it likely won’t be until November. They need at least four weeks to get things going but more likely six weeks.

The Cyclones put out another uninspiring performance in Week 1. They are now 5-11 in September under head coach Matt Campbell.

I think we can expect them to get better as they go but how many teams on the schedule can we say are worse than Louisiana? Maybe more than usual but it’s still a small number.

The good news for the Cyclones is that the Big 12 as a whole didn’t look great. Nationally ranked Oklahoma and Texas looked the part in their openers but Kansas State and Kansas were both dropped by mid-major schools and Texas Tech barely survived.

Iowa State will win a lot of games. That first week performance was disheartening though after so much preseason hype and expectations.

Cy-Hawk week was still alive and well. Social media still had plenty of discussions.

Iowa fans gave Iowa State a hard time about the loss. Iowa State fans responded with “at least our team is playing.” Iowa then countered with “do you call that playing?”

I am not a huge banter guy when it comes to sports. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I love my own teams and I am not afraid to tweet about them.

I do not enjoy trash talking back and forth anymore. It used to be a thing for me but the older I get, the less I enjoy the banter.

You don’t have to tell me my Cincinnati Reds have been disappointing. I’m well aware.

The Niners should be good again. And if they win, you can bet it will be on Twitter. But it’s not directed at anyone. It’s an outlet I go to express myself.

The fact that Iowa did not play Saturday didn’t affect me as much as I thought it would.

Sure, I would rather have them playing football. But with me now working in this sports department solo, by the time Saturday rolls around, I am exhausted.

I enjoyed a Saturday of not having to do much. I even got a chance to start Cobra Kai on Netflix. That’s a new show I will definitely continue to watch as long as it’s on.

As I sit here typing this column on Sunday afternoon, I am watching the NFL’s Red Zone as YouTubeTV gave me a free weekend trial.

I am just happy to have football back on my TV. With the Hawkeyes and the Big Ten, I am not as into college football as I normally would be.

But I am an NFL junkie. I love the NFL Draft. I have been playing fantasy football for the good part of 15 years.

We started a fantasy football dynasty league last year and had our three-round rookie draft a few weeks ago. I was able to get Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who is off to a great start.

As I looked over my team last night before games started today, I realized I have nine 49ers on my roster. Two of those guys are on IR right now. I added a few SF wide receivers to compensate for missing spots on the roster.

I am counting on big years from Jimmy Garappolo, Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel, rookie Brandon Aiyuk and the defense.

My sleeper pick for this year is Jacksonsville running back James Robinson. And I think Jerick McKinnon could be much better in San Francisco than most think if he stays healthy.

Here are my NFL playoff picks for the 2020 season:

AFC — Bills, Ravens, Titans, Chiefs, Steelers (wild card), Texans (wild card), Patriots (wild card).

NFC — Cowboys, Packers, Saints, 49ers, Seahawks (wild card), Eagles (wild card), Buccaneers (wild card).

Contact Troy Hyde at thyde@shawmedia.com