Unbeaten Iowa quietly crafts argument in Playoff debate
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...Rss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomsports-topstories
IOWA CITY — Like with every football program, the clichés at Iowa are familiar: One week at a time. Nothing matters but the next game. Or the next play. Or the next practice rep. Or whatever. Which is why it was more than a little startling when Kirk Ferentz gave his players permission not long ago to go off-script.
Think big, the coach told the Hawkeyes during their bye week. At least for a few days, feel free to dream about what might be possible.
“Just take a step back,” says Boone Myers, a sophomore offensive lineman. “Look at the big picture and say, ‘Hey, we’re 7-0. We could do some crazy stuff right now. This could be special.’ ”
That latitude is long gone now. Ask the Hawkeyes, after Saturday’s 31-15 victory against Maryland, what it means to be undefeated, and there’s no talk of a conference championship or the College Football Playoff. As sophomore running back Akram Wadley puts it: “We’re just gonna try to get to 9-0 next week.”
Which is fine — and in this case, probably essential — because as the calendar turns to November, Iowa is perhaps the unlikeliest unbeaten. Even here, no one is really sure what to make of this bunch.
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But that’s how it is in college football. It’s why Barta cautions, “There’s a long way to go.” Anything can happen. But ask the Hawkeyes — get past the clichés for a moment — and they’ll tell you anything can happen.
“We believe that we can play with everybody,” junior tight end George Kittle says. “We’re just playing really good football right now.”
And Myers adds, referring to Tuesday’s initial Playoff top 25: “They’ll put us up there wherever they put us, and we’ll just try to prove to them that we’re up there. … We’ve just got to prove it on the field, if we can finish out these next four games.”
How long can they keep going? Who knows? Despite the favorable schedule, they don’t have much margin for error. Starting 8-0 is nice, but as Ferentz says, “November is when it all counts.”
“The bottom line is, we’re not really gonna know for another five weeks,” he says. “There’s not a team out there that isn’t capable of beating us, but conversely, we’ve got a chance to beat them all, too.
“I don’t know if we’re good enough, but we’ll give ourselves a chance.”
For Iowa, for now, that’s more than enough.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...Rss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomsports-topstories
IOWA CITY — Like with every football program, the clichés at Iowa are familiar: One week at a time. Nothing matters but the next game. Or the next play. Or the next practice rep. Or whatever. Which is why it was more than a little startling when Kirk Ferentz gave his players permission not long ago to go off-script.
Think big, the coach told the Hawkeyes during their bye week. At least for a few days, feel free to dream about what might be possible.
“Just take a step back,” says Boone Myers, a sophomore offensive lineman. “Look at the big picture and say, ‘Hey, we’re 7-0. We could do some crazy stuff right now. This could be special.’ ”
That latitude is long gone now. Ask the Hawkeyes, after Saturday’s 31-15 victory against Maryland, what it means to be undefeated, and there’s no talk of a conference championship or the College Football Playoff. As sophomore running back Akram Wadley puts it: “We’re just gonna try to get to 9-0 next week.”
Which is fine — and in this case, probably essential — because as the calendar turns to November, Iowa is perhaps the unlikeliest unbeaten. Even here, no one is really sure what to make of this bunch.
..................................................................................................
But that’s how it is in college football. It’s why Barta cautions, “There’s a long way to go.” Anything can happen. But ask the Hawkeyes — get past the clichés for a moment — and they’ll tell you anything can happen.
“We believe that we can play with everybody,” junior tight end George Kittle says. “We’re just playing really good football right now.”
And Myers adds, referring to Tuesday’s initial Playoff top 25: “They’ll put us up there wherever they put us, and we’ll just try to prove to them that we’re up there. … We’ve just got to prove it on the field, if we can finish out these next four games.”
How long can they keep going? Who knows? Despite the favorable schedule, they don’t have much margin for error. Starting 8-0 is nice, but as Ferentz says, “November is when it all counts.”
“The bottom line is, we’re not really gonna know for another five weeks,” he says. “There’s not a team out there that isn’t capable of beating us, but conversely, we’ve got a chance to beat them all, too.
“I don’t know if we’re good enough, but we’ll give ourselves a chance.”
For Iowa, for now, that’s more than enough.
