Hawkeyes look to start anew among the hype
The Hawkeyes want to forget one of their best seasons ever.
They want to forget the two blocked field goals against Northern Iowa, Marvin McNutt's game-winner to beat the Spartans, Tyler Sash's 86-yard interception for touchdown against Indiana, and hoisting an Orange Bowl trophy.
All of it — history.
"We're trying to come out and really erase what happened last year, because we don't have the same guys," said McNutt, who caught 34 passes for 674 yards last season. "This isn't the same season, and other teams have gained and lost guys, as well."
Having a short-term memory is easier said than done when the hype surrounds this squad like bees on honey.
ESPN "College GameDay" analyst Lee Corso picked the Hawkeyes to win the Big Ten title, and ESPN.com college football senior writer Ivan Maisel went a step further, predicting Iowa will play Alabama in this year's BCS national-championship game.
But there's no one to blame for the hype and expectations except the Hawkeyes, who established themselves as one of the best teams in college football last season.
Iowa heads into 2010 with its highest preseason ranking since Hayden Fry's 1988 squad. The Black and Gold also returns 16 starters from the Orange Bowl champion team that finished 11-2 last season — including the entire defensive line and nearly all of the skill positions.
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Combine that with what many consider a favorable schedule that includes home contests against Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State, and it's no wonder the hype is what it is.
But the Hawkeyes are trying to stay grounded and humble, because Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz knows high expectations have nothing to do with the results on the field.
"None of us can predict what's going to happen," Ferentz said at the team's media day on Aug. 6. "You never know what the course of action is going to be, and all we can do is try to do the best with the things that we control."
In 1988, Iowa was also ranked No. 9 in the preseason AP poll. That edition of the Hawkeyes was upset in the season-opener against Hawaii. Iowa didn't stay in the national spotlight for long, falling out of the top 25 rankings after the third week of the season and managing only six victories.
And in 2006, Ferentz's Iowa squad had high hopes when it opened the season with four-straight victories but closed out the campaign losing seven of its last nine games.
As the Hawkeyes begin one of the most anticipated football seasons in school history, the players will try their best to ignore the whirlwind of attention that engulfs Iowa City and let their performance on game day speak for itself.
"I want to be explosive. I want Ricky [Stanzi] to be explosive. I want Marvin [McNutt] to be explosive — have 1,000 yards. Me have 1,000 yards. Ricky throw for 4,000 yards," said wideout Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who has led the Hawkeyes in receiving the past three seasons. "The reality is that probably won't happen, but those are our goals as individuals and collectively if we strive for that, we'll achieve some great things."
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