There have been several firsts this year in the BCS:

1. The BCS actually got a national champion game everyone agrees with.

2. The BCS actually has fair matchups among all the games.

3. The first team ever has complained about their pairing when a national title for them is not on the line. What?

That’s right, for those that haven’t heard, Iowa will be playing USC in the Orange Bowl. And Hawkeye fans are pissed.

These fans have been whining for the last three weeks about the injustice that Notre Dame was going to be picked over them in a BCS bowl, and I do have to agree with them. Iowa had a fantastic season, Big Ten champion and they deserve a good bowl.

Then I’m watching ESPN on Sunday and learned that Iowa was to go to the Orange Bowl. I kind of got excited because I grew up in Davenport, which is half an hour away from the University of Iowa, so I grew up an Iowa fan and am still one when they’re not playing Iowa State.

I then talk to one of my friends online (who is a big Iowa fan) to congratulate him, and he says, “I know and I’m pissed.”

I then decided to flip on the Iowa—Iowa State wrestling meet, where they announce the Iowa-USC Orange Bowl matchup, and the entire crowd starts booing. What is wrong with this picture?

I have learned over the years how ungrateful Iowa fans can be. For example, two years ago, when Iowa had a crappy regular season and only got into the tournament due to winning the Big 10, they got the No. 7 seed and whined it wasn’t high enough.

Considering how the Orange and Rose Bowls could have easily picked Notre Dame, K-State, or Texas, I think Iowa should be grateful to be going to Miami.

And just think if they didn’t land in the BCS. Where would they have gone? All of the good and mediocre bowls were already tied up by lesser teams. They would have been in a worse bowl than the Humanitarian Bowl.

So, to all the Hawkeyes — if you’re not satisfied with the Orange Bowl, we’ll gladly trade. I think most Cyclones would gladly take the trip to Miami.

Jason Tkatch

Senior

Journalism and Mass Communication