Iowa Girl

I am an Iowa girl in more ways than one. I wasn’t just born there. I don’t just still love the state. I don’t just pine for it on a regular basis. I am also in love with Iowa sports.

Don't Mess With Herkey

Not just any team, though…. the University of Iowa Hawkeyes is where my allegiance lies.

Iowa girl through and through

I know, I know, there are two other teams to cheer for in the realm of Iowa state schools, the Iowa State Cyclones and University of Northern Iowa Panthers. The Panthers are in Cedar Falls, which borders my hometown, so they get a free pass. I do back ISU, especially when it comes to playing one of my least favorite teams. the Nebraska Cornhuskers. But still, my Hawkeyes are where its at. After all , Iowa is the Hawkeye State for a reason, yes?

My Hawkeye fanaticism is hard to maintain out here in the Mountain West football, where people in Salt Lake City have the “Holy War” rivalry with BYU and Utah (by the way, GO UTES!) Big 10 teams take a back seat. Iowa is one of the smaller Big 10 teams, so they don’t get as much attention as teams like Michigan or Ohio State and are rarely widely televised. I could catch their games on ESPN or ESPN-2 from time to time… but I don’t have cable.The devastating fact of the matter is… I have not seen an Iowa game in two eyars. I know, shame! So to keep up with the games, I have score updates sent to me from ESPN by text message and look up the highlights later.

Until today.

The sad streak of not watching my team play ends tonight. Tonight…. I get to watch my beloved Hawks play my least favorite team…. the Michigan Wolverines.. because it will be nationally broadcast on ABC. I didn’t think it could get any better, oh, but it does!! The game is at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes home stadium. So I can see the Hawkeyes? At Home? Playing my least favorite team? Sign me up!

Kinnick Stadium

This game is so in the bag!  Why, do you ask? Well, the Hawks are undefeated so far (YEAH!!!) and there is something akin to magic when they play at Kinnick with one of the “scary teams”… they usually win. Michigan is historically a “scary team” but I think they are now just a bunch of punks resting on the laurels of old success. Need some help? Check out this record. On top of that, last week they were schooled by their in-state rival Michigan State and one of their golden boys is injured. Michigan? YOU ARE IN FOR A SPANKING!

Bring. It. ON!