Perspective Piece: Ohio State-Iowa

The way a pollster views this game will be completely different from the way a college football fan approaches it.

The predictable intrigue among poll voters will concern the ability of the No. 1 team in the country to pass its first major road test in Big Ten play. No surprise there. The Ohio State Buckeyes will be grabbing the big headlines going into this game, with Troy Smith getting the expected--but nevertheless excessive--Heisman hype. Tell us something we don't know. That's the boring and bland pollster-related side of this collision in the heartland of America.

But once you get past the voter's view of Ohio State-Iowa, you're able to look at this game through a much more attractive window: the world of the Iowa Hawkeyes... at night in Kinnick Stadium. The deliciousness, the romance, the spectacle of this affair will be determined by the extent to which the Hawks, their fans, and their stadium make a difference. Indeed, while Ohio State will have that prestigious "(1)" listed next to its place in write-ups and previews all week long, the real drama of this game comes entirely from the Iowa side of things.

First of all, it's been a long time since Kinnick Stadium--the toughest place to play in the Big Ten--hosted a true night game with this much stature and significance. Yes, the Hawks beat Wisconsin under the lights a few years ago to grab a share of the Big Ten, but that was a game with a 3:40 p.m. start time in Iowa City. This is a real man's night game: 7:15 local time on the big network (ABC) broadcast, with the No. 1 team in the United States rolling onto the family farms for a college football equivalent of "Field of Dreams." They built Kinnick Stadium, and they'll definitely come--fans, cameras, and major media personalities--for this top-tier tilt at the tailend of September.

But as much as the attraction of "conference kinfolk kickin' it at Kinnick" makes this game interesting, the night's events will only become truly memorable if the home team brings its A-game. This is, plainly put, the ultimate moment of reckoning for the Iowa program, the supreme stage for a school that's gotten a piece of the Big Ten pie in recent years, but which has never been able to win the league outright and return to Pasadena for the Granddaddy since the Hayden Fry era (when the Hawks made the 1991 Rose Bowl against Washington). Head coach Kirk Ferentz, his acclaimed pair of coordinators--offensive whiz Ken O'Keefe and defensive dynamo Norm Parker--quarterback Drew Tate, and the rest of the Hawkeye family need to win this kind of game to take the one step they've yet to take in this decade. It is virtually impossible to overstate the importance of this game for Iowa, and the Hawks will need to play as though it's the biggest game of their lives... which (in keeping with the theme of something impossible to overstate) it in fact is.

Ohio State's bringing Troy Smith, James Laurinaitis, Coach Sweater Vest & Tie, and a "(1)" to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday. It's up to Iowa to bring a level of technical excellence to the dance, so that the homefolks' roars will become a factor when the fourth quarter arrives. The eyes of America are on the eyes of Buck and Hawk, and it's up to the home team to make the proceedings--and the week of pregame buildup--worth everyone's time, money and attention.