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