<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=date vAlign=bottom width=190>Sunday, November 22, 2009</TD><TD class=date style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" vAlign=bottom align=middle></TD><TD class=navigation style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; TEXT-ALIGN: right" width=190></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>Iowa left to play BCS waiting game
Fiesta and Orange Bowl likely destinations should Hawkeyes score at-large bid
By CLETE CAMPBELL TH staff writer
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IOWA CITY — Destination, TBA.
All signs are pointing South but that’s all the Iowa football team knows right now. The Hawkeyes won’t know until Dec. 5 if their sloppy 12-0 rebound victory over Minnesota Saturday was enough to propel them into a BCS bowl. At 10-2, Iowa is competing for an at-large spot in one of the 10 BCS slots available.
“We’ve done all we can do to put ourselves in position to get one,” quarterback James Vandenberg said.
Iowa’s destiny is now in the hands of the complex BCS system. New BCS rankings will be released Sunday night.
“We can’t control anything except what happened,” wide receiver Marvin McNutt said. “We think we can play with anybody in the country. We’d like to be a BCS team.”
Should Iowa land a BCS bid, a popular possible destination and matchup circulating through the college football rumor mills is the Hawkeyes taking on unbeaten Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
Orange Bowl representatives were at Kinnick Stadium Saturday scouting Iowa. Orange Bowl committee member Larry Gautier said his bowl is very interested in landing Iowa, which brought a caravan of 48,000 fans with it for its last Orange Bowl appearance.
Iowa’s 2003 turnout “is very important, very important,” Gautier said. “There’s a positive track record.”
How many different bowl scenarios are there for the Hawkeyes? Too many for athletic director Gary Barta to even try to calculate.
“Thirty-seven,” Barta joked. “I made that number up, but the concept is true. We’ll be on the phone this week talking to all the bowls.”
Of course, Iowa hasn’t been invited yet. Big Ten champion Ohio State has locked up the league’s automatic berth and a spot in the Rose Bowl. Iowa is competing with 10-2 Penn State for the Big Ten’s possible, but not guaranteed, second BCS spot. The Hawks finished tied with the Nittany Lions for second place in the Big Ten, but bounced PSU, 21-10, Sept. 26 in Happy Valley.
Critics will say Iowa’s body of work, which includes four nailbiting wins by three points or less, has been as pretty as the Metrodome. But a 17-10 loss to Northwestern (in which the Hawks lost starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi) and a 24-21 overtime setback to Ohio State are the only blemishes on the Hawks’ record.
“We’re 10 points from being perfect,” wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos said. “We deserve a BCS bowl. We want the best challenge that’s out there.”
“Look at our body of work on the road (a 4-1 record),” linebacker A.J, Edds said.
Should Iowa be shut out of the BCS, Orlando’s Capital One Bowl or Tampa’s Outback Bowl are its most likely destinations.
But the only game Iowa can play now is the waiting game. Coach Kirk Ferentz believes his team’s best football may be in front of it.
“I’m pretty confident we’ll be a better team in January,” he said.
Fiesta and Orange Bowl likely destinations should Hawkeyes score at-large bid
By CLETE CAMPBELL TH staff writer
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
IOWA CITY — Destination, TBA.
All signs are pointing South but that’s all the Iowa football team knows right now. The Hawkeyes won’t know until Dec. 5 if their sloppy 12-0 rebound victory over Minnesota Saturday was enough to propel them into a BCS bowl. At 10-2, Iowa is competing for an at-large spot in one of the 10 BCS slots available.
“We’ve done all we can do to put ourselves in position to get one,” quarterback James Vandenberg said.
Iowa’s destiny is now in the hands of the complex BCS system. New BCS rankings will be released Sunday night.
“We can’t control anything except what happened,” wide receiver Marvin McNutt said. “We think we can play with anybody in the country. We’d like to be a BCS team.”
Should Iowa land a BCS bid, a popular possible destination and matchup circulating through the college football rumor mills is the Hawkeyes taking on unbeaten Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
Orange Bowl representatives were at Kinnick Stadium Saturday scouting Iowa. Orange Bowl committee member Larry Gautier said his bowl is very interested in landing Iowa, which brought a caravan of 48,000 fans with it for its last Orange Bowl appearance.
Iowa’s 2003 turnout “is very important, very important,” Gautier said. “There’s a positive track record.”
How many different bowl scenarios are there for the Hawkeyes? Too many for athletic director Gary Barta to even try to calculate.
“Thirty-seven,” Barta joked. “I made that number up, but the concept is true. We’ll be on the phone this week talking to all the bowls.”
Of course, Iowa hasn’t been invited yet. Big Ten champion Ohio State has locked up the league’s automatic berth and a spot in the Rose Bowl. Iowa is competing with 10-2 Penn State for the Big Ten’s possible, but not guaranteed, second BCS spot. The Hawks finished tied with the Nittany Lions for second place in the Big Ten, but bounced PSU, 21-10, Sept. 26 in Happy Valley.
Critics will say Iowa’s body of work, which includes four nailbiting wins by three points or less, has been as pretty as the Metrodome. But a 17-10 loss to Northwestern (in which the Hawks lost starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi) and a 24-21 overtime setback to Ohio State are the only blemishes on the Hawks’ record.
“We’re 10 points from being perfect,” wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos said. “We deserve a BCS bowl. We want the best challenge that’s out there.”
“Look at our body of work on the road (a 4-1 record),” linebacker A.J, Edds said.
Should Iowa be shut out of the BCS, Orlando’s Capital One Bowl or Tampa’s Outback Bowl are its most likely destinations.
But the only game Iowa can play now is the waiting game. Coach Kirk Ferentz believes his team’s best football may be in front of it.
“I’m pretty confident we’ll be a better team in January,” he said.
That little school from hicksville Idaho got their chance on center stage against Oklahoma and shocked the nation. They also played a hell of a game against one loss TCU last year in a bowl game. What else do you need? Not only are they a very good team with top talent but they have the most productive QB in the nation.
Yeah, you're right that it's a bad argument that given the opportunity on the big stage Boise usually performs well. They don't always win but they perform well and that's a sign of a solid program with good coaching. This isn't Hawaii from a few years ago. This is a very good program.
Yeah, bad argument to look at their past performances in big games. You're right.
this is boises best team they've had on both sides of the ball..i agree with you........the lines on their games prove it........they deserve a bcs game...they may or may not get it..........and anyone can go back over old threads ive bashed boise in the past......but this team is 100% for real and IMO the 4th best team in the country........and once again lines will prove that
ST, a lot of guys on here don't even watch them but they see WAC and Boise and they just write them off. I've watched them about 5 times this year and each time they've impressed me. Starting with K. Moore he's simply one of the best and most accurate QB's in CFB and I'd challenge anyone to prove me wrong. The guy make solid reads and his timing is perfect. Their WR's are very athletic and fast and so is their running game. They're kind of known for the trick plays and such but I usually see only 1 a game if that.
The defense under C. Petersen is always solid and this year it's no different. Look, I get the argument that they play in a week league....I get it but it's not like they're just squeaking by over teams and let's not forget they totally dominated a very, very good Oregon team. They held one of the Nations best offenses to next to nothing.
If you haven't seen this team play and only seen them on ESPN highlights on your way to work then you you shouldn't even comment in this thread. I'll say it until I'm blue in the face....right now K. Moore is the most deserving player in the country for the Heisman Trophy. Will he win it? Hell know but he deserves it.
