It's Iowa! It's Oklahoma! It's time to make Arizona the state where Iowa will have played the second most games in the last two years!

You can blame me for this one.

The Big Ten looks to keep its momentum (1-0, Baby!) rolling as Iowa heads to the Valley of the Sun. The question is: who will show up. And, I don't mean which team will be motivated. I mean, which team will have enough players. Both teams have suspended, sent home, and lost transfers since the season ended. It should be refreshing for whomever is left to just get on the field.

Come on in and join and party. Today's drink of choice is the pride of Iowa. No, the other one. This, mixed with some Red Bull should keep us going through this late night affair. We don't expect Iowa to win, but they have a history of keeping things close.

If you're new here, welcome. We've only got a couple rules, so consider this our legal disclaimer. We have a pretty hefty legal department here at OTE, so don't cross us on this: No racism, sexism, homophobia, pornography, personal attacks, politics, religion, or illegal Internet streams of any games.

Dear Coach Ferentz,

I want you to know that I remember. I was in Iowa City in 1999. I remember just how bad that team was. I remember just how little talent you had on the field.

I remember how exciting the second half of 2000 was, as the corner was turned. I remember the excitement of 2001's continuation. I vividly remember the magic of 2002. I'll never forget being in the Metrodome, watching you being carried off the field. I remember the great moments of 2003. I remember the joy of Penn State and Wisconsin in 2004. I'll never forget the amazing end to the Capital One Bowl against LSU.

No, I haven't forgotten about the disappointment of 2005-7, either. But, I remember the 2008 win over Penn State and the excitement that continued through the end of the season. I'll always remember the magic of 2009. Two blocked kicks to beat Northern Iowa. The blocked punt in Happy Valley. Seven got six. The Orange Bowl.

I want you to know that I remember all of that, so that it can't be said that I'm ungrateful or that I'm living with a short memory. I am grateful. I do remember. It's because I remember that I wanted to take a moment of your time. You see Coach, something has to change.

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Hit the music...

Thanks, Southside Johnny. That makes me feel a little bit better, but not much. You see, my friends, it has been a long, long time. On Saturday, the Iowa Hawkeyes will have the Northwestern Wildcats over to Kinnick Stadium. By my math, Northwestern made 22 trips to Kinnick through 2002. Iowa went 18-4 in those games. Most of them weren't close. 

However, 2002 was the last time that Iowa beat Northwestern upon God's field in Iowa City. Nine years is far FAR too long. How long has it been? Let's open up the November 9, 2002 time capsule and see just how long it's been. 

Cut the music...

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I. File Opening

A. Case History

So 2010 didn't go according to plan. A pretty Top 10 preseason ranking melted away after the special teams melted down at Arizona. The team hit a highpoint in their complete an utter dismantling of Michigan State, but it was the previous week's game versus Wisconsin that best exemplified the story of their season.

Special Teams error(s)? Check. Solid performance ensuring that the outcome is in doubt in the last two minutes? Check.  Defense unable to stop a long drive and gives up the go-ahead score? Check. Offense can't mount an effective two minute attack? Check. Iowa loses by 7 points or less? Check.

Iowa played that script out in losing by 7 to Arizona, 1 to Wisconsin, 4 to Northwestern, 3 to Ohio State, and 3 to Minnesota. Only a dropped touchdown pass by Indiana and a tremendous pick-six by Micah Hyde prevented the same story from occurring against Indiana and Missouri as well.

Is 8-5 a good record? It depends. If you were hoping to be a bowl eligible team, it's great. If you were hoping to be BCS Bowl eligible, it's disappointing. And more than any other, disappointing is the word that I think of when I look back at the 2010 Hawkeyes  

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Some years are just messy. This was one of them. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Michigan State all went 6-2 in the league. What was weird about this multi-team tie, was that the conference didn't have to go deep into the tiebreakers to sort out the mess. Iowa won at Michigan State. It won at Michigan. It pounded Illinois in Iowa City. So who did the Hawkeyes lose to? There was a one point loss to Ohio State. And then, an inexplicable 31-24 loss at 6-5 Minnesota. It was a head-scratcher then. It still is today.

But, Iowa got back to Pasadena for the third time in ten years. The Hawkeyes then lost by double digits, also for the third time in ten years.

I don't want to talk about it.

We're still 30 days from reaching the Thursday night kickoff of the Big Ten season. In the meantime, we're going to be looking back at the last 30 years. That starts us in 1981, and there is no better place to begin.

ESPN may begin the history of all sports with its birth in 1979, but it makes a lot of sense to begin Big Ten history two years later. After the decade of tyranny imposed by Michigan and Ohio State, finally, one of the other eight schools got to head to Pasadena.  After stunning #7 Nebraska in their opener, Iowa fought to an 8-3 (6-2) season and finished tied with the Buckeyes atop the Big Ten standings. Iowa would win the tiebreaker and head to California for its first Rose Bowl in 23 seasons. The gates had been opened, and within 14 years, every Big Ten team not located in Minnesota or Indiana would find their way to the Rose Bowl.

How About Them Hawkeyes.

Holy smokes, look at this. It's Iowa week and most of B1G country doesn't care.

Seems reasonable.

It's almost like some kind of utopia for a guy like me... a Gopher fan.  Everyone only wants to talk about what's going on at OSU. In reality, it's pretty perfect.

I mean, let's be honest, of all the teams in the B1G who has a bigger inferiority complex than Iowa? Every Hawkeye fan is constantly preoccupied with wondering what fan of some other B1G team is going to figure out a way to make them feel inferior. Don't tell me I'm wrong: I work with these people. And once they feel inferior they will venomously scream and shout about it.

It's quite apropos. Here we are with Iowa week being preempted by something else more important in the conference... one more piece of the inferiority puzzle.

What's fantastic about this week... or wait, I guess the same could be said about last week, because LAST week was really supposed to be Iowa week here at OTE... is that somehow, inexplicably, the B1G figured out another way to preempt the Hawkeyes. Even in the off-season.

There we were, ready to jump into Hawkeye week, and then suddenly Ohio State was the center of attention.

What a shame.

For a Gopher fan it was an amazing dose of poetic justice. For a Hawkeye fan... more realization that you're playing second fiddle to the flavor-of-the-week.

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