What a difference a week makes.
At this time one week ago, Iowa was ranked No. 4 by the BCS with a firm grip on first place in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes had the inside track at a Rose Bowl berth and were a legitimate threat to reach the BCS Championship Game.
Ohio State held the No. 16 ranking in the BCS standings, still reeling from a blindside clobbering from Purdue.
Iowa hosted lowly Northwestern, who needed a victory just to even its conference record.
The Buckeyes, on the other hand, traveled to State College, Pa., to face a favored Penn State squad ranked No. 11 in the nation.
After one unpredictable afternoon, the Big Ten was turned upside down.
The Wildcats pounced on Iowa’s loss of quarterback Ricky Stanzi to injury, stunning the Hawkeyes, 17-10, in Iowa City. The Buckeye offense fed off of a stout defensive performance to silence a crowd of 110,033 in Happy Valley, maiming the Nittany Lions 24-7.
Now, Iowa (9-1, 5-1) and Ohio State (8-2, 5-1) clash in Columbus, riding two polar opposite waves of momentum. And after last weekend’s results, a Rose Bowl berth now rides on Saturday’s outcome.
Stanzi, who had surgery earlier this week to hasten the recovery process from a severely sprained ankle, is expected to miss Iowa’s final two regular season games.
Still, OSU coach Jim Tressel expects the Hawkeyes to be better prepared Saturday now that they know they won’t have Stanzi under center.
“When you lose someone like that, it has to be an unusual situation for you to just shake that off,” Tressel said. “I think when you have some time to prepare and get a mind-set and so forth and say, hey, here’s the hand we’ve got, sometimes in the middle of a game that’s harder.”
After falling to Northwestern, the Hawkeyes stumbled to No. 10 in the BCS and No. 15 in the AP Top 25, a harsh drop for a team that suffered its first loss of the season.
Their record is more indicative of their talent than their ranking, Tressel said.
“They know how to win,” he said. “You can watch them on film. Everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing and when that happens, the ball is going to bounce your way.”
No matter their standing, the Hawkeyes have walked a tightrope throughout the season. In its opener against Northern Iowa, Iowa needed a pair of blocked field goals in the closing seconds to secure a 17-16 win.
A 7-yard touchdown pass as time expired lifted Iowa over Michigan State on Oct. 24. A week later, the Hawkeyes trailed lowly Indiana by 10 before four fourth-quarter touchdowns fueled Iowa to victory.
The Hawkeyes have trailed in all but one game this season, and that lone contest was a narrow three-point win over the not-so-heralded Arkansas State Red Wolves (2-6, 1-3) from the Sun Belt conference.
Still, Tressel refuses to take the Iowa escape artists lightly.
“They’re well prepared; they find a way to win,” he said. “People want to call them lucky, let them call them lucky, but they’re a good football team.”
Even without Stanzi, with a Rose Bowl berth on the line, Tressel wants his Buckeye squad expecting a dogfight.
“You don’t even need to put jersey numbers on,” Tressel said. “Doesn’t matter who it is, they’re going to be lined up where they’re supposed to be, doing what they’re supposed to do and you’re going to see if you’re good enough to compete with them.
“I know how good Iowa is and it’s not so much about how we’re going to handle whatever. The challenge we’ve got in front of us is a great challenge.”
WEEKLY FOOTBALL PICKS
Saturday’s Games:
Michigan @ No. 20 Wisconsin
No. 10 Iowa @ No. 11 Ohio State
Notre Dame @ No. 12 Pittsburgh
Quinn Pitcock
Wisconsin, Ohio State, Notre Dame
Overall: 16-5 Last week: 2-1
Pitcock played defensive tackle for OSU from 2002–06.
Justin Zwick
Wisconsin, Ohio State, Pittsburgh
Overall: 13-8 Last week: 2-1
Zwick played quarterback for OSU from 2002–06.
Malcolm Jenkins
Wisconsin, Ohio State, Pittsburgh
Overall: 13-8 Last week: 2-1
Jenkins played cornerback for OSU from 2005–08.
Marcus Freeman
Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame
Overall: 12-9 Last week: 1-2
Freeman played linebacker for OSU from 2004–08.
Zack Meisel
Wisconsin, Ohio State, Notre Dame
Overall: 10-11 Last week: 1-2
Meisel is the sports editor for The Lantern.
