The Iowa Hawkeyes are on the road this weekend to take on eighth-ranked Michigan in a battle of unbeatens in Big Ten action. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says while there is a lot riding on the outcome it is not a make or break week. He says it is an important week as neither team has lost a conference game yet. Because of the Bowl Championship Series the Hawkeyes could win the remainder of their games and not go to the Rose Bowl. Ferentz says that’s not even a concern at this point. He says he is a tradionalist that likes the concept of the conference winner going to the Rose Bowl, but he says it’s not a the point where he’s thought about it. He says there are worse things that could happen, such as not going to the Rose Bowl, but going to the Sugar Bowl like Illinois did last year when the Rose Bowl hosted the BCS Championship game. The Hawks are ranked 13th in the first B-C-S poll but Ferentz says it is not somethging he is watching closely.Iowa State coach Dan McCarney says the Cyclones will find out how well they handle adversity this week heading into Saturday’s game at seventh-ranked Texas. McCarney says while Texas poses some problems his main concern is how the Cyclones respond after a lopsided loss at Oklahoma.McCarney says the Cyclones need a better ground game if they hope to finish the season strong this season. He says every guy on offense has to take the challenge to improve.McCarney says after a rough outing, Seneca Wallace should bounce back.
