Tonight the Iowa Hawkeyes have an opportunity to prove themselves to be the real deal. They have an opportunity to make the rest of the country take notice that the Big Ten is a serious football conference. Forget the lofty rankings of Iowa #9, Wisconsin #12 and Michigan #20. Forget about Ohio State they are a staple in college football having been ranked in the top ten poll since Troy Smith was a junior in college. The rest of the Big Ten needs to prove themselves and tonight's game against Arizona on the road is not really a launching pad for the Iowa program but more of a not stumble block for Iowa.
The Hawkeyes are supposed to win according to the early forecasts which had Iowa as a -1.5 favorite heading into Tucson to face a potential ambush by the Wildcats. Iowa is a more physical team but not so much that they will just run over Arizona. Both teams have experienced strong quarterbacks in Nick Foles and Ricky Stanzi. Both teams possess solid position players and Iowa has a slight edge on the offensive line. Defensively Iowa has the star power but the Wildcats have experience on defense that is every bit as prolific than Iowa with the exception that they play a lot of night games on the West Coast after the bed time for east coast media voters.
On paper this game is as about as evenly matched as two teams could be. The difference is Iowa has the media support and the polls behind them as a top ten team. Arizona has something far more important when it comes to intangibles. They are playing at home. If I were a betting man, which I am I am betting on the Wildcats. So if Iowa is going to solidify their #9 ranking they will have to play over and above their own expectations because the talent is even, the home field is on the Cats side and it's time for Iowa to prove they are worthy of national attention on the gridiron.
Another factor to think about 2009. Iowa defeated the Wildcats 27-17 in Iowa City in a tough physical battle. This time there will be no corn on the menu in Tucson with home cooking in favor of Arizona.
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