Mumble, Grumble, Rumble ... IOWA

I am hearing it everywhere ... on the streets, around the water-cooler and at the student union [that's right, I have my finger on the pulse of the younger generation]. 

It is shaping up to be a BIG weekend in Happy Valley.

• The Game Day crew is going to be here.  I hope that Corso will have the guts to pull on the Herky head in front of the Nittany Lion faithful.

• I will of course be sporting my IOWA gear to the office tomorrow.  Not sure how that is gonna go over with the new boss ... so it goes.

• In case you were unaware, the Hawkeyes ruined Penn State's chance at a perfect season last year ... by one point.  While the great minds of State College certainly recognize the favor that IOWA did them [saving them from a national championship game that would certainly have been even more embarrassing than their Rose Bowl flop] the remainder of the community is less forgiving and out for revenge.

• There are some big name players from both squads that are questionable for Saturday's prime time showdown.  Penn State linebackers Bowman and Lee will likely be game day decisions.  IOWA could be without the services of such impact players as offensive lineman Bulaga, receiver DJK [Derrell Johnson-Koulianos] and tight end Moeaki.

• I strongly believe that IOWA has a great chance to once again slay Goliath.  During pre-conference play, the Hawks have displayed a tendency to start out slowly and build momentum as the game progresses.  Penn State shows opposite signs, coming out of the gate strong and tailing off in the second half.  It will be interesting to see if these trends continue and if so, how IOWA will fare.

Oh yeah ... Wisconsin hosts Michigan State, Indiana will try for win number four at Michigan and Purdue entertains the Fighting Irish [ESPN - 8pm EST].