College Football Week 10

It was Senior Day Saturday for the Indiana Hoosiers as it was their last game of the season at Bloomington's Memorial Stadium. Their last "home" game is against Penn State at Fed Ex Field in Washington D.C. Judging by the late arrival this past weekend, I don't foresee the home of the Redskins providing much of a home field advantage for the Hoosiers...The month of November will be full of Senior Days for the Iowa Hawkeyes. This past Saturday was the final game at Memorial Stadium for the Hoosiers. This upcoming Saturday will be the final game for the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Their final "home" game is at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs a week later. The Hawkeyes return home for their last game at Kinnick Stadium, followed by the season finale at Minnesota for both teams....And the Hawkeyes have played the most games against top 25 teams in 2010. They are 3-2 with wins over Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State; losses to Arizona and Wisconsin...

Hawkeyes Escape Bloomington

A fourth quarter touchdown and a stop on fourth down allowed the Iowa Football to leave Bloomington, Indiana with a 18-13 win.
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Friday in Bloomington

A cool cloudy windy day greeted the Iowa Football team as they visited Memorial Stadium in Bloomington Indiana. On Saturday the Hawkeyes take on the Hoosiers in a Big Ten battle at 11am on the Big Ten Network (Direct TV 612). Here Iowa Head Coach, Kirk Ferentz talks with Athletic Director Gary Barta outside the Iowa locker room.

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Iowa City Game Days

Football Saturdays are special whether you visit a college campus in the Big Ten or the Iowa Intercollegiate Conference. Alumni, boosters, students and fans come out in support of their local team. In the Midwest, the crisp Autumn afternoons with the leaves turning their colors and collecting on the grassy lawns that also collect cars and host the hot grills is a trademark of many college campuses. Iowa City is no different creating a special feel for a home Hawkeye game.

Kinnick Stadium sits off Melrose Avenue, the main artery which brings Big Ten fans to watch their top 20 team. Melrose lines a small neighborhood called University Heights consisting of many residential houses and condos as well as a church and a corner restaurant. Since my first day of attending Hawkeye Football games in the 1970s, the walk down Melrose hasn't changed to today. Fans continue to use St. Andrews Presbyterian Church for parking, tailgating and restrooms, and small souvenir shops line the final block before seeing the giant venue for the first time.

Across from Kinnick Stadium to the south is a long line of various food stands. The Iowa State Fair lasts for ten days in August, but the food booths continue every Saturday during the football season. While corn dogs on a stick may be the popular item at fair time in Des Moines, in Iowa City Hawkeye fans prefer "Meat on a Stick."

Grills constantly crank out burgers, dogs and brats with the smoke rising above the University Heights tree line. Hawkeye fans have a wide variety of meats to choose from as well as those that publicize them as the state's largest.

The long line of stands begin at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Melrose Court where the WMT Bumper Brigade grills the best home grown pork sandwiches from the local pork producers of Eastern Iowa to the Game Day Iowa clothing stand near the entrance of the Hawkeye Express.

However the most notable of tailgating fare are the "Big Ass Turkey Legs." Iowa fans proudly walk Melrose Avenue enjoying the large legs of turkey meat. Obviously Iowa fans don't buy the motto of "You are what you eat."

While the University of Iowa may not be the agricultural school in the state, the Hawkeye tailgating scene doesn't pale in comparison to the food stands found at the Iowa State Fair.

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College Football Week 9

Courtesy SportsIllustrated.com

The Oregon Football team earns it high ranking atop the College Football world, but these ladies look determined to earn a high ranking as well...After watching the Oregon - USC game last Saturday, did anyone else think what the post-season bowl ban of Southern California will do to the USC Song Girls?....If TCU wins at Utah this Saturday, are we setting up a third straight year Boises State plays the Horned Frogs in a bowl game? In 2008 the two met in the Poinsetta Bowl, and a year ago they met in the Fiesta. Assuming the BCS will pair two teams from qualifying conferences, we may see a rematch of the top two from the non-BCS conferences....Confident Hawkeye fans are cheering hard against Wisconsin every week....Can anyone tell me why the Big East and ACC automatically receive BCS bids? Winners of those two conferences should be paired against each other in the Poinsetta.

Night Out on the Town

Not necessarily thought of as a restaurant you would go for a night out, Crepes de luxe Cafe may be the ideal location for either breakfast or lunch.

Formerly a transit cart located in Iowa City's Pedestrian Mall, this little crepe shop moved to its current location of 309 E. College St in Iowa City nearly a year ago. And unless you weren't looking for it, you would pass it by as it blends in with the other specialty shops in the downtown area.

A wide variety of crepes are offered, but I went with the basic Nutella. Made to order while you wait, it had the smell and look of any one of the shops you would purchase the same crepe in Paris. But if you are willing to try something a little more daring fillings can include PB&J, Spinach, Cheese, Egg, Chicken, Ham, Turkey, and Ground Beef.

Look for them on Facebook along with the other housewives that frequent the little shop.