| Depleted Iowa faces Ohio St with Rose on line

Depleted-Iowa-faces-Ohio-St.-with-Rose-on-line IOWA CITY, Iowa - All the talk about how lucky Iowa was to win its first nine games brought back memories for Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.

His 2002 team was subjected to the same putdowns. Some even called that squad, which won seven games by seven or fewer points, the Luckeyes.

And all it did was win the national championship.

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“I kind of enjoyed the discussion there about how they were comparing them to the 2002 Buckeyes,” Tressel said. “To me that was a compliment. They were talking about a team that figured out how you win — and they know how to win.”

Now 15th-ranked Iowa and No. 10 Ohio State will square off on Saturday before 105,000 on senior day at Ohio Stadium with the winner guaranteed a spot in the Rose Bowl. No matter what happens a week later in the regular-season finales, the victory would still win all Big Ten tiebreakers.

In addition, the winner also will grab at least a share of the conference title. For Ohio State, that would be a fifth championship in a row, while for the Hawkeyes it would be their first title since 2004. Another win a week later at home against Minnesota could give them their first outright Big Ten crown in 24 years.

“Being on the road with these kinds of implications on this game, yeah it’s about as big as it can get,” said Iowa offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga.

The Hawkyes are coming off a woeful 17-10 home loss to Northwestern that spoiled their perfect season. They’ve struggled against FCS opponents Northern Iowa and Arkansas State and won two conference games by two points each. But say this much for the Hawkeyes — nine times out of 10 so far this season they’ve left the field with a victory.

“Everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing and when that happens, the ball is going to bounce your way,” Tressel said of the Hawkeyes. “When hits off a guy’s helmet and lands in your zone, well if you’re supposed to be there then that wasn’t luck, you were in the right place.”

Tressel, who seldom expresses emotion one way or the other, said he’s extremely nervous heading into the showdown, in large part because of the Hawkeyes’ will to win.

“They’re well prepared, they find a way to win,” he said. “People want to call them lucky, let them call them lucky. But they’re a good football team.”

Still, the Hawkeyes must make do without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who badly sprained an ankle in the loss last week and underwent surgery on Monday. He’ll be replaced by unproven and untested redshirt freshman James Vandenberg, who will likely face heat from Ohio State’s active and effective defense unlike anything he’s ever seen.

“It’s a great situation to walk into, actually,” Vandenberg said. “What more could I ask for? Chances are, you could never be in this situation again, so I just plan on making the most of it.”

Ohio State is listed as a 16½-point favorite by the oddsmakers. Ferentz doesn’t look at the point spread.

“I don’t know that we’ve been underdogs by this much, but that seems to be our lot in life at least when we go on the road,” he said. “So we’re on the road. We’re underdogs. We’ve got them right where we want them, that’s the way I’m looking at it. So it’s perfect.”

getCSSVideo  Iowa - Ohio State preview
  Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz and freshman QB James Vandenberg look at their upcoming matchup with the Buckeyes, while Jim Tressel prepares for Iowas best.

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The defenses for both teams are stout, each is ranked among the top 15 in the country in terms of points allowed and yards allowed. Whichever offense can get untracked will be a huge factor.

“Whatever you can do to keep a team guessing, we’ll take it because we have a lot of athletes,” quarterback Terrelle Pryor said. “We use them very well and we’ll continue doing it.”

The Buckeyes have had an erratic season, particular on offense, but have won three in a row including last week’s impressive 24-7 victory at Penn State .

“You want your team to continue to build and build and build,” safety Kurt Coleman said. “And right now we’re getting better and I think we’re almost to our peak.”

Pryor has been coming on, tailbacks Dan Herron and Brandon Saine have been piling up yardage and a much-maligned line has been limiting sacks and negative plays.

“Every game I feel I get more comfortable,” said Pryor, a sophomore.

On what forecasters are saying will be a balmy, 70-degree November day, both teams will be battling for a Rose Bowl berth. This is what it used to be like in the Big Ten before the advent of the Bowl Championship Series.

“You come to Ohio State to win Big Ten championships and to get the opportunity to go to the national championship. But if that doesn’t quite work out, the Rose Bowl is definitely up there,” tight end Jake Ballard said. “It’s something that Ohio State hasn’t been to in a while.”

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} - | Depleted Iowa faces Ohio St with Rose on line |