Hawkeye Huddle was one packed, surreal scene

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Ten thousand or so people, two or three times as many beers purchased, and enough black-and-gold material to drape every fashion model who's ever prowled South Beach.

Monday's Hawkeye Huddle at the Miami Beach Convention Center was a scene, my babies.

Most of it was people standing around or sitting around with friends old and new, waiting for the Iowa band and then emcee Gary Dolphin.

The highlight, for my money, is always when players' parents are introduced. Adrian Clayborn's mother got such a long and loud ovation that she started crying. You got the distinct sense Hawkdom is glad her son decided to stay at Iowa for one more season.

Not all was emotional, though. Ray Gilmore of Iowa City got himself an orange blazer on eBay, ironed on an Orange Bowl patch, and is making the rounds as an Orange Bowl official.

He said he plans to visit Georgia Tech tailgates before Tuesday's game, then unbutton the jacket to show his Iowa colors.

"I wasn't going to wear it," Gilmore said, "but it was the only jacket I brought and it's going to be cold."

I'm here to tell you all 99 Iowa counties were represented at the Huddle. I can't prove that, but I've

 seen Iowa license plates from at least 25 of them already. People who drive this far for football ...  amazing.

In fact, "amazing" was the word former Hawkeye player Anthony Herron gave to me when I asked him what it was like to stand on the stage and see the sea of, well, humanity.

I don't know how many Iowa fans will be at Tuesday's game, but I know it will be many, many thousand more than Georgia Tech fans.

So far, it seems Tech fans could hold their own get-together here in a Miami IHOP, and have room left over for extra pancakes.

Iowa fans, on the other hand, filled a convention center. And plenty more were spread elsewhere in Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and around the area.

I'm offering you videos from the Huddle. I know the audio quality is poor. It was the convention center p.a. system's fault, not mine. Marvin McNutt Sr. talks for a bit before Dolphin speaks. I just wanted to try to give you an idea of how many people were here, but I don't think the video begins to do it justice.