Big Ten Division

If the chatter on Twitter is any indication, by the end of Wednesday night we will know how the new Big Ten will be divided. Rumors have been circulating with different scenarios, with many splitting up rivalries, or adjusting the way they are played. It hasn't been an easy job deciding up who goes where, but we will finally have closure to the issue allowing us to move on. So for one last time, an attempt as to how the divisions will be set up:

Great Lakes-Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, Purdue, Indiana

Heartland - Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern, Illinois

First, I know Iowa doesn't border a Great Lake, but it will be still called the Big Ten with 12 members. More evidence we don't care about the labeling. Second, there are some scenarios I see happening. The most natural rival with Nebraska will be Iowa. Penn State has a similar relationship with Ohio State. Geography will play a role in keeping those teams together as I don't see any benefits of pairing Penn State with Nebraska. Iowa's border / trophy rivalries will take a hit. Wisconsin and Minnesota has the longest rivalry in Division I football. The Big Ten won't jeopardize that. It is sad Floyd of Rosedale will not be played for annually, but Minnesota and Michigan will also not play for the Old Brown Jug on a yearly basis.

There are a couple of rivalries kept intact. The Little Brown Jug, which is played for between Indiana and Purdue will continue as well as the Land of Lincoln Trophy between Northwestern and Illinois. All four of these programs have the least football tradition and it is important they continue to fight for them.

Alright, there are my last thoughts on the issue before the conference announces their decision. Do you agree? How do you think it will be broken down?

Doin' the Hokey Pokey

Becoming a tradition associated with the start of the Iowa Football season, the Iowa City / Coralville Convention and Visitor's Bureau has created "Fry Fest," the best of anything Hawkeye. A year ago at the first, Hall of Fame Iowa Football Coach, Hayden Fry came back to see First Avenue in Coralville renamed, "Hayden Fry Way." To honor the coach who put the Hawkeyes back on the national map, Fry is coming back to Coralville to lead Hawkeye fans in another one of his traditions, the Hokey Pokey.

After wins under Fry the team would come together in the locker room afterwards to perform the dance in a celebratory way. The Hokey Pokey is Friday night at the Coralville River Landing, and a big crowd is anticipated. Over 4000 people will be needed as they are looking to break the World's Record for the most people to collectively dance the Hokey Pokey.

At last Friday's practice, Freshmen of the Iowa Football team re-lived the tradition in front of their older teammates.

College Football Preview

The adjacent picture is the right way to start of the season. ESPN College Football analyst, Kirk Herbstreit is joined by members of the Alabama Crimson Tide Cheerleading squad as the 2010 season gets underway this Thursday night. Although not a premier weekend to get it started, a few good games will garner the interest of the fans nation wide. Of course the ESPN Thursday night broadcast will once again present South Carolina, this year taking on Southern Mississippi. From one USC to another, the Trojans of Southern California follow with a trip to Hawaii. On Friday another Pac-10 team, Arizona travels to a non-BCS school, Toledo. Saturday brings a very intriguing match-up as Randy Edsall's UConn Huskies travel to the Big House to face Michigan. Then two games round out the weekend with major BCS implications. Saturday night Oregon State takes on TCU in the Horned Frogs back yard of Arlington. On Monday Boise State takes on Virginia Tech in Washington D.C.

A few observations as we enter week 1:

• There is much pressure on Virginia Tech to prove Boise State does not belong among the nation's elite. When Boise State defeated Oklahoma in the 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the Broncos had over a month to prepare. This time BSU has had over seven months to come up with a few new wrinkles for the Hokies.
• Rich Rodriguez would definitely like to start the 2010 season with an opponent easier than that of UConn. The Huskies played the end of 2009 determined and focused. Will that carry over to the season opener? Meanwhile if there is a must-win for the Wolverines, this would be it. Michigan cannot afford to travel to Notre Dame in a week looking for their first win.
• How different will the Big Ten look in one year when Nebraska joins? There are two names that consistently appear on every one's "Hot Seat" lists. They are Rich Rodriguez and Illinois' Ron Zook. However how safe are Minnesota's Tim Brewster and Indiana's Bill Lynch? The Big Ten has eight bowl tie-ins entering 2010. Will making a lower-tier bowl game be enough to keep any of these coaches from leaving their school?
• Texas has already named Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp as the Head Coach in waiting--waiting for Mack Brown to step down. It seems Brown has spent more time in ESPN's Bristol's studios this off-season than on the recruiting trail. Has he been auditioning for the ESPN Game Day job currently held by Lee Corso? Corso suffered a mild stroke prior in the spring of 2009, causing his workload to be lessened. I believe it is a matter of when, rather than if.
• Finally, what is the likelihood the popular ESPN College Game Day makes an early visit to Iowa City? The Hawkeye's game with Penn State has already been slated for 7pm. However there are a list of quality games on the schedule that day. Among them are Oklahoma - Texas, Florida - Alabama, and Stanford - Oregon. ESPN likes to schedule its pre game shows at games of teams with near perfect records. With Penn State making a trip to Alabama in week two, ESPN may find themselves sending Fowler, Corso and Herbstreit elsewhere. But Iowa fans shouldn't be frustrated as it may mean more to have the show on the shadows of the Pentacrest when Ohio State travels to Iowa City on November 20.

Night Out on the Town - Orlando Ale House

A popular in-season feature returns for a third year. "Night Out on the Town" returns and starts out with a long-time favorite. I visited the Orlando Ale House close to a decade ago while on a business trip. Located in the shadow of Disney, this is a good place to get some good food and watch your favorite sporting event. That first trip was my first time eating lobster out of the shell, and to this day the menu continues to have local favorites, although it has migrated to more bar fare.

The Ale House is a restaurant that is divided into halves by the central bar. On one side pool tables, dart boards, and video games are surrounded by high tables with bar stools. But the other half are private booths with a good view of the televisions.

The beer flows freely, and stays open late. But the best part is this family restaurant gives mom and dad to escape the Magic Kingdom. However the only time Iowa fans should be visiting the Orlando Ale House is on vacation, not for a potential bowl trip.

This Saturday

Although it has been the shortest off-season in Iowa Football season, the time Hawkeye fans have waited since the January 5 Fed Ex Orange Bowl has seemed like decades. Anticipation for the 2011 season has been at an all time high. And now we can finally say the season starts, "This Saturday!"

This Saturday, this Kinnick Stadium Parking lot will be full of anxious tailgaters.

This Saturday, fans will be lining Melrose Avenue for not only tailgating parties, but to welcome the Iowa Football team. At this spot, the team depart their buses and make their way through the black and gold clad crowd to their game-day locker room.

This Saturday, fans will crowd these Kinnick Stadium concourses to either buy a soda or find their seat...a highly sought over seat for the best home schedule in years. Teams such as Iowa State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State play the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

This Saturday, Gary Dolphin and Ed Podolak will broadcast on the Learfield Network from this booth high atop Kinnick Stadium. Dolphin and Podolak have teamed up every year since 1997.

This Saturday, members of the print and electronic media will take their seats to blog, tweet, chat and report on this Top Ten football team.

And this Saturday, Kirk Ferentz will lead his 2010 Football team onto the Kinnick Stadium turf to begin the season with Eastern Illinois.

Classes Underway

Iowa City became a college town once again as the University of Iowa opened up the 2010-11 school year on a beautiful sunny day.

Big Ten Network Rolls into Iowa City

Every year the Big Ten Network crew travels the midwest reporting on the progress of its member institution football teams. With a little over half way through this year tour the Big Ten Network bus stopped in Iowa City for an evening practice with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

This year the show was shot on the 19th of August, but will not be shown until the 26th. Since everything was shot to tape, it gave the Big Ten Network football analysts a great chance to see how the Hawkeyes were preparing for a run at the conference title. Gerry DiNardo, Howard Griffith, and Dave Revsine spent time getting the low down on the team from Iowa Head Coach, Kirk Ferentz.

DiNardo has spent some of his coaching career in the Big Ten with a stop in Bloomington, Indiana as head coach. He has been with the network since its inception in 2006. Above he is finding out the latest on the Hawkeye Wide Receivers from Iowa position coach, Erik Campbell.

For the show, which will be seen August 26th at 9pm, the studio analysts sat down with a few of the Hawkeye players. Above Chirsitan Ballard tried to get his interview out of the way pre-practice, but audio difficulties placed the interview later.

But by the end of practice the audio glitches were out of the way and the focus was on the players. Adrian Clayborn sat down with the BTN crew.

 The final interview was saved for the head coach of the Iowa Football team, Kirk Ferentz. All segments were taped and will be packaged into an hour special a week from tonight on the Big Ten Network.

After a night in Iowa City, the bus rolls north to Minneapolis. This crew will not be at TCF Bank stadium tomorrow, but will be on Saturday.