Iowa-Michigan: There's No Place Like Home...

It is homecoming in Iowa City.

This brings back memories of large golden mums with a black “I” affixed in the center. It also brings back memories of dueling marching bands and Big Ten spectacle on the football field. But no spectacle can get any grander than the one faced by the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday night. 

They meet the Michigan Wolverines in prime time with the season pretty much on the line for both teams. Iowa stands undefeated in the Big Ten and on the season. 

The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 12 in the AP standings, and, what's worse, they are favored to win. According to the Iowa faithful, it is the kiss of death to any team from Iowa to be so blessed.

Superstitious Hawkeye fans are chanting, bowing, and burying dead cats in the back yard...all in an effort to avert the curse of being too visible, too confident, and too big for one’s britches. We are humble folk who balk at being ranked above the maize and blue of the mighty Michigan Wolverines. 

It is unnatural because we have not been ranked higher than the Wolverines on game day since the year of Hawks in 1985.

That was the year Hayden Fry’s boys, led by Chuck Long, Iowa’s consensus All-American quarterback, had one of the most magnificent seasons in recent Iowa football history. 

This is Michigan, which has won 42 conference championships in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are 4-1 on the season after losing last weekend on the road to the Michigan State Spartans, and they're anxious to redeem themselves. Beating Iowa on the road would do just that.

Moreover, Iowa has lost its last two Homecoming encounters: last year to Northwestern, 22-17, and in 2007 to Indiana, 38-20. This year would mean a reversal of fortunes.

Something else is changing as well this season. The Hawkeyes lost four games by a total of 12 points last year. They could not seem to win the close ones midseason. 

But in 2009, Iowa has secured two wins of three points or less. This year they are winning the close ones. That speaks well for determination and luck, both important in deciding winners and losers.

Against Northern Iowa, the Hawkeyes managed a one-point miracle (17-16) that Iowa fans will never forget, blocking two field goals in the last 25 seconds of the game. 

In last week’s contest the Hawkeyes managed to earn a three-point victory over Arkansas State (24-21). In the late going of their victory over the Red Wolves, it looked as if Iowa was going to put the final nail in the coffin, expanding a 14-point lead. 

But just when everyone got comfortable, Ricky Stanzi, Iowa’s quarterback, was intercepted with the ball returned 75 yards for a touchdown. That cut the deficit to seven points and made the conclusion of the game much tenser. 

Other than those two nail-biters, Iowa also defeated the Cyclones by 32 points at Iowa State (35-3) and had a 10-point win versus Arizona and an 11-point victory at Penn State.

The Penn State margin was considerably narrower than it appeared by looking only at the score. The game in the pouring rain was a squeaker, and Iowa only found its footing late in the contest. It is never easy to win against Penn State, but, in Happy Valley, the challenge is stiff...very stiff.

There are no guarantees in college football. On any given day, one team can knock off another. It has to do with parity, but it also has to do with the age and discipline of the football players. It is a constant challenge that coaches must acknowledge as they try to find a way to keep the prize of winning foremost in their young charges' sights.

For this game, the former hero of Iowa football, Chuck Long, has been named honorary captain, and Long will be on the sidelines during Iowa’s game against Michigan. The game has been sold out for months, and Iowa fans will be indulging in a “black out” for the contest.

Iowa is on a nine-game winning streak that began on Nov. 1, 2008, when they upset Penn State in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have never enjoyed 10 straight wins under Kirk Ferentz. It would provide a major step for the Iowa program to win this game at home under the lights on prime-time television. But it will not be easy.

Michigan has not come calling in Iowa City for some time...since 2005. In fact, Michigan and Iowa have not played each other for the last two seasons because of the Big Ten rotation. Coming into Iowa City for this contest is a huge opportunity for the Wolverines, who might be ranked once again if they pull off this upset.

Their true freshman quarterback, Tate Forcier, has proven himself to be a handful down the stretch. To date, Forcier is second in the league in passing efficiency, but the Hawkeyes are the best in passing defense the Wolverines have faced, ranked fourth in the nation. In all, Michigan has never faced a defense like the one they will face at Iowa. 

Norm Parker’s boys know how to make the opposition sweat bullets. Iowa’s suffocating defense is the primary reason that Iowa stands 5-0 on the season.

But Ricky Stanzi and his pass receiving corps must step up big on Saturday night to make their Hawkeye dreams come true.

In the meantime, in order to assure a victory, Iowa fans will wear their magic shoes and click their heels together, chanting, "There is no place like home...there is no place like home..." until the final horn announces the game over, with another win on the Iowa side of the ledger.