Okay, okay, it is Michigan Stadium. And...okay, okay it is an Army paratrooper. BUT his colors ARE Black and Gold. And the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagle does look like a Tiger Hawk. And I think that's Stanzi's personal American Flag being unfurled. In any event this is the closest any of us will ever get to exiting the Aircraft at 10,000 feet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnJX2FiW-ik&feature=player_embedded

I've been meaning to get over to Vegas to make my annual bet on the Hawks winning the BCS Championship. Checked about three months ago, odds were 25 to 1 at most sports book.

Couldn't get away from LA so asked a friend who is there right now if he'd put a C-note down for me. Just got off the phone with him. He got the bet down.

At 8 to 1!

Eight to One! I realize that has nothing to do with which team Vegas  thinks will win or lose but it does indicate a whole lot of people, including professional gamblers, are, well... you know.

8 TO 1!!!

I've been carrying on a running e-mail conversation with LA Times college football writer, Chris Dufresne. Sent him the following e-mail...

 Subject: RE: IOWA HAWKEYES Well, Rankman, I traveled 2000 miles, at a half a buck per, to sit fifty feet from Stanzi when he got munched in the end zone by the NU DE, causing a fumble which they recovered for six. That was really no big deal, the very worst part was Stanzi just laying there, and ten minutes later having to be helped to hobble off the field. He's got a regular season ending high ankle sprain and Hawkeye Nation is most assuredly aware that we are now a very different team. Won't cry, whine, piss, moan, like other leagues, we're Iowa and we stand together win or lose. Keep hitting us with your cheap shots, Rankman. We're Iowa and we're Big Ten Football and we can take it. See you next Saturday.

And he e'd back...

it's been a good year for iowa, sorry for the injury UCLA's QB has had his jaw broken and a concussion cincy's starting QB out three games; they keep winning iowa has had a lot of things go their way this year, this was a bad break. it was inevitable the team was going to slip up eventually...you cant keep playing on that ragged edge Chris Dufresne --

FYI, Hawkeye Nation.

(Edited to include links to the articles in question and a quote.  The middle article about BCS possibilities for the Rose Bowl is an interesting read. -- RossWB)

The 10/29/09 issue of LA Times Sports featured Iowa Hawkeye Football big time in three separate articles. 

First was the Top Twenty-Five by "Rankman" aka Chris Dufresne. Rankman began his list with a two paragraph rant against the media's love affair with the SEC saying "Rankman loves the South Eastern Conference as much as anyone (cough!), but this blatant display of affection is tough to take". (Putting Florida #1 and 'Bama #2) indicates the poll voters should "all have your medical marijuana cards revoked". He went on to say the "SEC refs were sweet on Florida".

In the Poll itself, Rankman puts Iowa at #9 (up from last weeks #10) with glib comment "Year-end season highlights will be shown on fun-house mirrors" . Which caused this reader to think WTF!?! 

Second article a big front page-er headlined "Top Four Teams in Final BCS Standings Could End Up Playing in Pasadena in January". Story is all about potential for Rose Bowl to host RB Tournament on 1/1/10 featuring Pac Ten/Big Ten  followed six days later by BCS #1 and #2 battling it out, again at the Rose Bowl.

Without going into nuts and bolts, article featured Iowa Football in BOTH game senarios. The CEO of the Rose Bowl, Mitch Dorger, while emphasizing that they don't "root for teams", expressed strong interest in an Oregon/Iowa New Year's Day match up. (Quick aside, no team, and I mean NO TEAM travels to SoCal as well as Iowa Hawkeyes. Believe me, they love your Big Agra Dollars).

If you're tired of USC in Pasadena, there's a possible No. 3 vs. No. 4 Rose Bowl game that could be even more attractive: Iowa-Oregon.

You think anyone from those states would make the trip? Oregon hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since the 1994 season, and Iowa's last trip followed the 1990 season.

You might have to break up fights at the souvenir stands.

Final article to feature Hawks, "Games of the Week", number one being Iowa/Indiana (that is, behind USC/Oregon). The article spends a long paragraph on how Indiana could upset Iowa, then picks Iowa to Win. The best part is the picture of RICKY STANZI, a HUGE PHOTO of #12 dropping back, arm cocked, ready to throw.

Like it or not, Hawks are picking up some national media ink. And this only means one thing...Sixty minutes of football. Six seconds at a time. GO HAWKS!

Don't really know the protocol around here, so didn't post an introduction, just jumped right in and started commenting. Live out here in Los Angeles where I moved after graduating Iowa in '79. Sat through the 0-11 FXL season (73?), endured the Commings fiasco, was in the Fieldhouse to see 18 year-old Magic Johnson and his Spartans put our b-ball team away, attended both Iowa Rose Bowl losses, saw Hawks shellack Texas in the Independence Bowl and Wyoming in the Freedom Bowl (or was it the other way around?).

You get the picture, I've been pissing black and gold for a while now.

Today I own a fitness boot camp that meets at the "green space" around the Rose Bowl. Every day I see the always glowing red neon Rose and I've been getting the feeling lately that... well, I won't say it out loud, I'm a Hawks fan for Christ sake.

One thing I do to support the team is constantly e-mail a local LA Times College Football writer named Chris Dufresne. He posts his own Top Twenty Five every week that is heavy on Pac Ten and DOWN on the Big Ten. Along side each school he writes something glib, this last time, next to Iowa (which he ranked #10 after the Wisconsin game and we were 7-0) "I'll be a fan of Iowa when they give me a decoder ring and a subscription to "Boy's Life".

After the MSU fist fight I e'd him, "Punch in "Hawkeyes" in your decoder ring and it comes out "Respect".  He e'd back the usual about how Iowa's just lucky and I responded ""Luck is the residue of design"-Branch Rickey" and e'd back "Iowa is covered in residue, alright."

Pretty cold, I thought.

Today he wrote an article in the LA TIMES Sports Section that talked about how one play could make a season and if the BCS championship game came down to Alabama v Iowa it was because of the events this weekend and games before.

Here's some direct quotes (Hope I don't monkey with any blog "plagiarism" rules)

"Iowa defeated MSU as time expired when QB Stanzi hit McNutt with a seven yard pass. Was the ball ever going to get there?

"It felt like the slowest play ever," McNutt said."

"Iowa is now 8-0 after dodging its fourth or fifth dagger this season. The Hawks, by all rights, should have been cooked birds on opening day when they needed (insert the usual bilge about the 2 blocked FG's)" 

"Every week counts in college football, even the weeks you had NO BUSINESS WINNING. After Saturday you wondered how MANY MIRACLES Iowa could possible have left. 'We've already had a couple Coach Ferentz ADMITTED, "Hopefully we're not using them all up." (Emphasis mine) 

"We may look back on Saturday as the day when the Tide turned and Iowa said LUCK WAS THE RESIDUE OF DESIGN" (Emphasis mine).

Stanzi wasn't contemplating history when he zeroed in on McNutt to beat MSU. "I definitely wasn't thinking about championships or an undefeated season," he said.

And , yes, both are still in play."--Chris Dufresne, LA TIMES SPORTS, Monday 10/26/09

So, they're still dissing us but its starting to sound a little like whistling by the grave yard. The MSM might laugh and mock, but they are beginning to cast a nervous eye on these country hicks who are banging on the door of the NCAA party. Of course, we gotta' keep on bangin'.

Sixty minutes of football, six seconds at a time. GO HAWKS.