*****Official 2026 Season Prediction Thread*****

I'll go 8-4. I'm a bit worried about how inexperienced are, particularly on D.

Natty

OP, that sounds like a season I do not want to watch, buzzkill.

4 hard games, Michigan, OSU, Washington, and Illinois. We have been pretty good at not dropping dumb games in the 2020s for the most part, so I think we take those other 8 games. I think they will get 1 win out of the 4 hard games and go 9-3.

Fingers crossed for 10-2 and playoffs. But I think that’s more realistic in 2027, only 8 (I think, it’s definitely under 10) scholarship seniors on the roster. They should be pretty dangerous in 2027.

8-4, with 7-5 more likely than 9-3. That said, it will still be a fun ride. We have a reasonable chance to win every game except osu. With this schedule, 9-3 wld be considered a decent year imo.

I think Michigan may be overrated. Iowa pulls off the upset at Ann Arbor to go 4-0 thereby setting up the conference home opener vs. undefeated Ohio State. Kinnick is electric. That’s as far into the future as my prophetic powers will reach at the moment.

I will say it right now. I don't think Michigan or Washington will be that good. But I'm terrified of the front 7. Might be really good in a year or so but I'm not feeling it. 7-5 or 8-4.

Losses: OSU, Michigan or Washington, ISU or Minnesota, Illinois or NW. One of the or's could be an and.

Pain?

2D said:

Two weeks remain until the season begins and I know we're all excited. So I think it's time to punch in our predictions to help pass the time.

Despite the excitement on offense and some really promising players on every side of the ball, I think we'll be disappointed with how this year turns out. If we want to sniff the playoffs, a 10-2 schedule is required, meaning taking a win from the first three B1G games, and running the table after the bye week.

Prediction: 8-4

Looking forward to everyone's predictions. And as always, Go Hawks!

Date	Opponent	Prediction
Sep 05, 2026	vs	W - Should be an easy win, but I just get the feeling this will be closer than we think. 27-13
Sep 12, 2026	vs	W- Due its place on the schedule and a brand new staff and team, this is one of the most important Cy-Hawk games in Kirk's career. 35-13
Sep 19, 2026	vs	W - We get the win, but I feel like it'll be an ugly game for some reason. 35-6
Sep 26, 2026	@	L - This will be a close game, but the Big House and Iowa's inexperience will be too much for them to overcome. 27-20
Oct 03, 2026	vs	L - Great environment, but that won't stop the Buckeyes. Hawks lose decisively. 40-17
Oct 09, 2026	@	L - Hawks will give them a better game than anyone will give them credit for, but a tough environment plus Kirk's West Coast curse will deliver a third loss in a row. 31-24
BYE WEEK
Oct 24, 2026	@	W - Kirk is good at preparing a team with their backs against the wall. Despite being at Minny and playing a motivated Gopher team, Iowa pulls out a tough victory. 24-20
Oct 31, 2026	vs	W - The media keeps giving Wisky the benefit of the doubt, but I don't see it. The Hawks will roll on Halloween night. 35-10
Nov 07, 2026	@	L - We need the classic Kirk blunder somewhere in the season, and this is it. A new stadium, crowd will be pumped, Aiden Chiles owns us, and Hawks commit enough mistakes to lose the game. 28-27
Nov 14, 2026	vs Purdue	W - Purdue is a dead team walking. Hawks should get this done comfortably. 40 - 10
Nov 21, 2026	@	W - The media keeps saying Iowa loses this one, but I don't see it. A classic Big Ten brawl, but Hawks come out on top. 30-16
Nov 27, 2026	vs Nebraska	W - Little red isn't the dark horse that the media acts like they are every year. They will be reeling from a tough schedule, Hawks deliver the final blow to another losing season for the bugeaters. 33-17

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Seems realistic.
Lester tries hard, I hope he has success.
Not as worried about the DL as some, due to Phil.

Hawkfan_08* said:

I will say it right now. I don't think Michigan or Washington will be that good. But I'm terrified of the front 7. Might be really good in a year or so but I'm not feeling it. 7-5 or 8-4.

Losses: OSU, Michigan or Washington, ISU or Minnesota, Illinois or NW. One of the or's could be an and.

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SO, you don't think Michigan or Washington will be that good, but we'll lose both games? If that's the case we won't even win 7 games. I'll take 9-3 and we win at least one of those early road games.

7-5.
Unexpected loss to Minnesota or NW keeps Hawks from 8-4 season.

hope I am WAY wrong.

Barring injury, 10-2

Northern Illinois +31 , 1 game at a time , 1 deposit to the bank account at a time Iowa 34- NIU 13 Game 1 .

Good team, but can’t get over the hump.

7-5.

Hawkit said:

OP, that sounds like a season I do not want to watch, buzzkill.

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Have to agree damn

JerseyCityHawk said:

Have to agree damn

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Yea if Iowa drops all 3 of the gauntlet part of the schedule and do not go undefeated the first 3 games convincingly most Fans are going to start gravitating for the first time in 15 Years to the basketball Team and Season and lose all real passion for the football season .

Max Rebo said:

Good team, but can’t get over the hump.

7-5.

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BAU

And that unfortunately seems to be part for the course for Kirk, barring the years where the stars align in terms of the schedule, and the roster all being veteran and healthy at the right time rather than in reload mode like at an Ohio State where you can actually say next man in and they're still an unstoppable force because reasons..........

Otherwise, it's all the same spin cycle of grasping at straws to figure things out in the first half of the season, pulling off some nice games, losing some headscratchers, finishing the season strong (presuming injuries haven't impacted/derailed things) and being left with the same goddam 7-5, 8-4, 9-3 woulda, coulda, shoulda looking results each year. Sometimes the offense is better, more often than not the defense is always great, if not elite.....the win-loss results are still mostly the same outside of factors like a weaker schedule benefitting us for a few more wins.

Assuming we don't suffer 2012 levels of injuries and our opponents don't all f***ing turn into the "next Indiana" overnight, then there isn't any reason to think with this up-and-down mis-mashed roster won't produce the exact same results.........even with the fact that we finally got the f***ing ranked opponent monkey off our back in the bowl game against Vanderbilt.

Kceasthawk@77 said:

SO, you don't think Michigan or Washington will be that good, but we'll lose both games? If that's the case we won't even win 7 games. I'll take 9-3 and we win at least one of those early road games.

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I don't think they will be that good overall. I am just too afraid of our run defense. I'm not worried about Underwood at Michigan. I think Washington will be 7-5 or so but we can't win out west. Losing to UCLA two years ago proved it again.

Hawkfan_08* said:

but we refuse to win out west.

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Fify for accuracy.