Spring Training...Football, Iowa vs USC RoseBowl

Pre-spring Top 25: USC, Iowa headed for Rose title game?


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10></TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=50> </TD><TD noWrap>March 2, 2005

By Dennis Dodd
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Dennis your opinion!

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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10></TD><TD>[font=Arial, Helvetica]<!-- T8245608 --><!-- Sesame Modified: 03/02/2005 16:08:21 --><!-- sversion: 5 $Updated: fagan$ -->OK, OK, I believe.


After underestimating Iowa all these years, it's time for some love. Lose Robert Gallery? No problem. No running game? A recipe for getting to the Capital One Bowl, naturally. Kirk Ferentz to the NFL? It hasn't happened yet.

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</TD><TD width=15></TD></TR><TR><TD width=200>It'll be tough for anybody to beat Southern Cal's Matt Leinart-Pete Carroll connection. (Getty Images) </TD><TD width=15></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>That means the Hawkeyes have developed into a legit powerhouse. Why fight it? Iowa is No. 2 in CBS SportsLine.com's pre-spring top 25. Makes sense, at least in early March, that the Hawks navigate a tough schedule and play in a "natural" Rose Bowl matchup against Southern California.

Ferentz added another top 10 recruiting class to a roster that went 10-2 and tied for the Big Ten title last year. Drew Tate was the bowl and conference player of the year. This is the signature program for a revitalized Big Ten. Enjoy it while all the running backs are healthy.

Besides, it's better to overrate than underrate.

Spring outlooks:

1. Southern California: The coaches can use the practice more than the players. Five assistants have left the program. It will basically take two coaches to replace former offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Steve Sarkisian is the new quarterbacks coach. He'll be working with 29-year-old OC Lane Kiffin, the old receivers coach. Matt Leinart needs to start developing new relationships right away and not hang his head over the loss of Chow. Why they're ranked here: Twenty-two-game winning streak, back-to-back titles. Duh.

2. Iowa: After losing seemingly every running back on the roster to injuries, Iowa is loaded with healthy RBs. The spring will be spent sorting out the new hoss. Look for a battle between junior Sam Brownlee and sophomore Albert Young. Oh, and there's Tate, the Big Ten offensive player of the year. The defensive line needs to be remade, but how hard can that be? Ferentz won with a sixth-string RB last year. Why they're ranked here: Three consecutive top 10 finishes. Three consecutive New Year's bowls. Eighteen consecutive home wins. Iowa won't go away, so why fight it? Warren Holloway left a calling card for the country not to forget the Hawkeyes. His game-winning touchdown catch in the dying seconds against LSU in the Capital One Bowl is being called the greatest in school history.

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arty: I'll be ready to meet you and FISH for a Rose Bowl Bash. Maybe we can get more than 4 posters to attend this year. That was an easy 5 grand that Fish gave away to Illini that weekend.

Iowa goes to the Rose Bowl and Ill be there for sure.

Cubsmac said:

Iowa goes to the Rose Bowl and Ill be there for sure.

Click to expand...

What the heck, count me in!

---FISH---

PS- Who knows, may give out another 5 dimes to a lucky RX poster.

If those two play in Pasadena it will be like the Orange Bowl in the stands. SC will be playing there, but 90% of the fans will be in Hawkeye colors. That would be the ultimate embarassment to SC and their lousy fans, they will be playing 15 miles from campus and the crowd will make it look like a road game. Trojan fans will just decide a dime or more for their tickets is better than going to the game.

Only thing that sucks if it is BCS championship is the festivities are not going to be that great. LA gets overrun by tourists and visitors between Xmas and New Years and lots out there to do, but with the BCS game going on Jan 4 or whatever it is, the town will be dying out just as the hype of the game comes. It was like that the first BCS championship game. You guys better be ready to party for days.

BTW, hard for me to take this article seriously as I just read it. He has Miami at number 18. They are a clear number two and I would be surprised if they won it all. They will lose less talent in this years draft than the last couple and were relatively young this year except with an experienced QB. Next season I think they will be hard to beat no matter who wins the QB job. The O-Line and D-Line look like they will dominate. As long as they can win fairly tough two openers on the road this team looks in position to go 11-0 without much trouble.