Hlas Gameday column: Is respect overrated or are Hawkeyes underrated?

A simple question to you Iowa Hawkeyes football fans in the readership: Does your team get the national respect it deserves?

That's called getting cheap heat, baiting those who are quick to take such bait. Of course a lot of you think the Hawkeyes are disrespected. You're fans.

Florida Gators fans don't feel their guys get the respect they deserve. They share the same sentiment at Texas, USC, and anywhere else a team is winning.

Early this week, I posted a poll question on the Hlog at www.gazetteonline.com. Simply, it asked if Iowa gets enough national respect. Of the first 432 votes cast, 59 percent said no, 24 percent yes, and 17 percent checked “don't know or care.”

The comments that followed all seemed rational. Some gave reasons why they thought Iowa didn't attract such “respect,” like the Big Ten being perceived as weak and Iowa having a small population.

One poster said remarks like the Hawkeyes “play smart” and “play disciplined” are actually swipes at their perceived lack of athleticism, disproved by the number of Iowa players in the NFL.

Others said Iowa doesn't need such respect, and typically performs better without it.

If you didn't want the praise, ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd was happy to oblige you this week.

“I don't want to see Iowa play anybody,” Cowherd said, talking about the Hawkeyes possibly going 12-0 and advancing to the BCS title game. “I've seen it. It's a bad movie. Thirty minutes in, you know the ending.

“They're a nice Big Ten team. But they are not Florida material. They are not USC material. They're not Alabama material. They're just not.

“Four straight years, I've seen the Big Ten go to the Rose Bowl and get crushed. And this Iowa team isn't as good as the other four. They're disciplined. They're not very good.”

Whoa. No respect.

Then again, why would there be? Since the Hawkeyes played in the Orange Bowl seven seasons ago, 26 other teams have played in BCS bowls. Iowa hasn't been in the final Top 15 of the national rankings since 2004.

What that means is Iowa is just a face in the national football crowd. Boise State, with a 104-17 record this decade including an unforgettable BCS bowl win, doesn't think it gets its just due. If it doesn't, why should the Hawkeyes?

More importantly, why should anyone crave it? Iowa's players and head coach say they don't.

“It's nice to be respected in the national media,” said Hawkeye running back Adam Robinson, “but more important is winning games and the respect of your teammates, your fans, and your family members, the people who support you.”

Kirk Ferentz's stance on the respect issue is simple and sound.

“Winning takes care of itself,” he said. “You usually get what you deserve in sports. It's really how it works.

“And where we end up at the end of the year, that's probably where we belong. But we've got a lot of football ahead. That's what we need to worry about now.”

Iowa has its hands full tonight at Michigan State. The Hawkeyes can swim in national attention if they take that step to 8-0.

Hlog commenter MetsFanVI said it very well.

“My advice to Hawk fans is to enjoy this ride while it lasts,” he wrote. “For, they will lose some day and it will hurt, like all losses do.”