Iowa finished the regular season with a 12-0 record, the outright Big Ten West Division championship and at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings, but the Hawkeyes still aren't getting much love outside the state.
Heading into the conference championship game on Saturday night (8 p.m. on FOX) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Iowa (12-0, 8-0 Big Ten) finds itself an underdog to Michigan State (11-1, 7-1), the East Division co-champion which has one loss and is No. 5 in the CFP rankings.
To the winner almost certainly will go one of four spots in the College Football Playoff semifinals in either the Orange or Cotton Bowl. The overwhelming sentiment is that the Spartans, who are making their third trip to Indianapolis in five years, will win the game based on a stronger resume.
That's fine with the Hawkeyes. It has been like that all year for a team that finished 7-6 a year ago and was picked at best for a middle-of-the-pack finish this season in the Big Ten.
"I don't listen too much to what's going on outside, but from what I can tell, there's still not a lot of (respect) there. That's fine," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "All we're trying to do is play. We're trying to win every game in front of us. Our team has done a nice job of that. They've stayed focused on the immediate challenge ahead of us. That's one of the reasons we've had a good season."
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio has plenty of respect for Iowa. When he took over as Spartans coach in 2007, he used Iowa, to some extent, as a model on which the build his program. And going into this matchup, both programs share similar tendencies. Each team is tenacious on the offensive and defensive lines, and they run a 4-3 defense and a pro-set offense that utilizes a fullback in an era where many teams spread the field and eschew a power game.
"Two programs that like to play physical football, and they're going to play the full 60 (minutes)," Iowa senior center Austin Blythe said. "And they'll take you to overtime if you have to. Two really good programs that respect each other and understand what they bring to the table and understand that it's going to be a 60-minute fight."
Iowa and Michigan State have waged some epic battles the past few years. Two games have gone to double overtime and two others were decided by a field goal or less. They did not meet during the 2015 regular season.
"We have had great games with Iowa over the past years and I'm sure this will be one of them," Dantonio said.
Two years ago, Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook won his first Big Ten game in Iowa City as a sophomore. Now a senior, Cook has become the best in the conference while fashioning a 33-4 record as a starter.
Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard is in his first year as a starter and has shown uncanny leadership ability while running the Iowa offense. Beathard is 13-0 as a starter, including one start in 2014, and has 14 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. The only other Power 5 quarterbacks to win their first 13 career starts are Cam Newton and Jameis Winston.
The two quarterbacks share a mutual respect.
"(He) protects the football, makes big-time throws in big-time moments when they need them," Cook said. "He just has that level of confidence you want in a quarterback."
But the outcome most likely will hinge on which team runs the ball better. Both teams have used four backs. Iowa senior Jordan Canzeri has the most yards with 964 after he helped seal the win last week at Nebraska with 29 and 68-yard scoring runs.
"Not too many curveballs that are going to be thrown," Iowa linebacker Cole Fisher said.
So, just how similar are these teams?
The Hawkeyes average 33.7 points per game and the Spartans are close behind at 33.2. On defense, Iowa gives up 18.7 points per game and Michigan State yields 21.1. The two teams share the Big Ten lead in turnover margin with plus-14.
"We know that in order to have a chance to beat them we're going to have to play our best football," Beathard said.
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
--QB C.J. Beathard was called a good "game manager" this week by Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio. Beathard might need to be more than that on Saturday night in the Big Ten championship game. Relying on a strong running attack, Iowa hasn't needed to go to the air that much in recent weeks. This week could be different against a stout Michigan State defensive front seven. Beathard's ability to make plays might be needed this week for Iowa to have a chance. The numbers that stand out in Beathard's first year as a starter are 14 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. He's also not afraid to take off with the ball and run.
--RB Jordan Canzeri broke two big runs last week against Nebraska, scoring from 29 and 68 yards, to help Iowa secure a win and preserve its undefeated regular season. Canzeri finished with 140 yards on 17 carries, bringing his season total to 964 rushing yards. The senior is one of four backs who share carries, but Canzeri might be featured more against Michigan State this week because of his quickness and experience. He could become the first Iowa player to reach 1,000 rushing in a season since Marcus Coker in 2011 -- and he would do it while missing nearly three games with an ankle injury.
--DB Desmond King was named first-team All-Big Ten this week after leading the conference and sharing the national lead in interceptions with eight. He also leads Iowa in passes defensed and broken up and has 61 tackles in 12 games. The Michigan native anchors an Iowa secondary that has its work cut out Saturday against Michigan State senior QB Connor Cook and a group of talented receivers. King is also one of the top punt and kickoff returners in the Big Ten.
--DE Nate Meier, a third-team All-Big Ten selection this week, is the most experienced Iowa defensive lineman. He heads the Hawkeyes in sacks with 6.5 and tackles for loss with 10.5. He'll be one of key players in the trench warfare that's expected between Iowa and Michigan State physical offensive and defensive lines. Meier is one of three defensive linemen for the Hawkeyes who played eight-man football in high school.
