The Iowa Hawkeyes open their 2025 football season on Saturday with a first ever meeting with the Albany Great Danes. The matchup will be just the second time Iowa has played host to an opponent from the CAA with the lone other meeting coming in a 46-3 mauling of Maine back in 2008.
With an opponent on deck the Hawkeyes have never played, it’s worth spending some time getting to know them.
In the words of the wise and sage-like Big Tom Callahan, you can get a good look at a t-bone by sticking your head
up a bull’s rear end, but wouldn’t you rather take the butcher’s word for it?
So rather than sticking our head up anyone’s rear end, we’re asking our friends over at **record scratch** – wait, there is no SB Nation affiliate site for Albany or the CAA or FCS. Uhhh, wow OK, this is sort of awkward.. I guess?? I guess we will just leave this empty?
Wait! This is 2025! We don’t actually need people to talk to – we can just have a conversation with a robot to get the answers we want! Yeah, that’s the ticket. We’ll ask the bot everything we want to know!
Thanks to our AI overlords for jumping in to save the day. We asked ChatGPT the questions we would have typically asked a staffer from an affiliate site.
Here’s a look at our conversation.
BHGP: OK, we’re entering a new season with a new name atop the org chart for the Danes. Who’s running the show now that Greg Gattuso left?
ChatGPT: Longtime OC Jared Ambrose is the interim head coach (promoted Mar. 4). Staff continuity is decent: Bill Nesselt (DC) and Will Fiacchi (OC/QBs) steer the schemes. Gattuso exited in February to be a defensive consultant at Penn State.
BHGP: The Danes brought in a couple of transfers for the quarterback room this offseason. Who’s the starting QB at Kinnick and what do they bring to the table?
ChatGPT: Jack Shields (Old Dominion → Buffalo → UAlbany) won the job on Aug. 19. Ambrose praised his ball security and command; he beat out Marshall transfer Colin Parachek and ex-Georgia Tech QB Aidan Semo. Expect a timing/quick-game emphasis with selective shots.
BHGP: You mentioned interim head coach Ambrose was previously the OC. What’s the identity of this team on offense?
ChatGPT: Balance built around a healthy 1-2 at RB: Jojo Uga (team-high 422 rush yds, 6 TD in 2024) and Griffin Woodell (’23 CAA Offensive ROY; looking for a bounce-back after injuries). Veteran WRs Kylen Austin and Jasiah Barron are the primary outside threats. The OL is being retooled, so they’ll try to stay on schedule and avoid third-and-long.
BHGP: What should Iowa expect schematically?
ChatGPT: Ambrose’s background suggests a pro-style spread with RPO elements—quick decisions, rhythm throws for Shields, and inside/outside zone to Uga/Woodell. With a new QB and an OL still settling, Albany’s early script should be conservative, then build in shots off play-action if protection holds. (Inference based on staff history and camp comments about Shields’ operation of the offense.)
BHGP: What about on the defensive side of the ball?
ChatGPT: The strength is the back seven: LB Ron Holmes (88 tackles in ’24) plus DBs Denzel Patrick (54) and Thomas Joe-Kamara (50). They’ll try to keep a lid on explosives and make you drive. Depth up front is still proving itself after a 4–8 season (2–6 CAA) last year.
BHGP: Special teams—anything notable?
ChatGPT: John Opalko has been their long-time kicker/punter option and is back; stability here is a plus for flipping field position and stealing points if drives stall.
BHGP: How good is this group in CAA context?
A: League media slotted UAlbany near the bottom this summer, reflecting a rebuild year under an interim HC and roster turnover. Translation: scrappy, but unproven.
BHGP: What’s the upset recipe for the Danes on Saturday (if any)?
ChatGPT: The recipe is pretty simple, but may be difficult to pull off.
- Win the hidden yards: clean special teams, force Iowa into long fields.
- Early efficiency: Uga/Woodell staying ahead of the chains, plus Shields’ quick game to avoid Iowa’s pass rush.
- Takeaways in the secondary from the Holmes/Patrick/Joe-Kamara core.
BHGP: OK, prediction time. The Hawkeyes are 37.5 point favorites on Saturday with an over/under set at 50.5 total points. How do you see this one playing out and what’s your final score prediction?
Prediction: Iowa 42, Albany 7
- Margin: A 35-point Iowa win. That’s massive but realistically shy of the 37.5-point spread—falling just short for the bettors expecting a blowout, aligning with the pattern of modest opener margins. Using general betting trends and historical opener performance, this strikes the most realistic balance.
- Total Points: 49 combined—under the 50.5 over/under. It reflects expectations of defensive dominance from Iowa with manageable offensive progress, while Albany’s early-game conservatism limits scoring upside.
Breakdown: Why That Score?
- Iowa has the talent and depth edge, and they won’t ease up—but typical season openers aren’t runaway affairs. The 35-point gap is believable and keeps them from fully cashing the spread. This aligns with analysts who suggest such games often look uglier for the favorite than expected.
- Albany’s aggressiveness might keep drives alive (e.g., 4th down calls, blitzes from Ambrose), but their new QB and shakeup under interim leadership cap sustained threat.
- Total score under consideration: With conservative early play and Iowa likely settling into a comfortable second-half rhythm, hitting under 50.5 seems plausible—even though totals have historically trended over in Hawkeye home games.
So there you have it! The bots are on our side, though we should apparently be taking the Danes with the points and as always, hitting the under.
Thanks to the folks at OpenAI for building something we could use to pinch hit. Here’s hoping our human interactions the rest of the season are a bit more riveting.
Let’s hear those predictions from you all in the comments below!
