Hawks to be featured on cover of Sports Illustrated

IOWA CITY (MCT) — The Iowa Hawkeyes have made the big time, and it just might be not a good thing.

The Hawkeyes are featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week in the Midwest.

The cover features receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos leaping over teammate Wade Leppert with the headline “Still Perfect” and a subheadline reading “Iowa Stays in the Title Chase After Another Close Call.”

Coach Kirk Ferentz was shocked Iowa beat out another sport going on at the moment.

“You’ve got to be kidding me? We’re on the cover?” said Ferentz, incredulously. “Isn’t the World Series going on right now?”

While the rest of the country will likely see the World Series between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, the Hawkeyes are the star of the Midwest.

It is a bit of recognition as many football “experts” and fans across the country are still questioning Iowa after its latest come-from-behind victory, 42-24 over Indiana last week at Kinnick Stadium.

The Hawkeyes host Northwestern Saturday at 11:02 a.m.

Despite the victory last weekend, Iowa fell a spot to No. 8 in the Associated Press poll. It remains No. 4 in the BCS.

Neither ranking is on Ferentz’s mind right now. He — and his team — are focused on the Wildcats.

“I don’t even know who is in the top 25. I was just asking (sports information director) Phil (Haddy) that as we were walking down the hall,” Ferentz said. “I really don’t look at that stuff. I assume we’re in there right now. I know that we are.

“And, you know, I’ll say the same thing, we still have three conference games to go, a little more focused on that right now. Then we’ll all be a lot smarter here in three weeks, I know that, as far as who belongs where.”

Even with a 9-0 record and lofty rankings, Ferentz regularly talks his team down, saying they are not the prettiest or most athletic.

Could that be hurting the Hawkeyes’ chances with the national media and pollsters?

Ferentz does not think so.

“I am so uninterested in that right now. I’m just so uninterested in that,” he said. “We’ll probably end up where we belong at the end of the day. The drama and the suspense is not killing me. ... And, you know, the suspense about this week, that’s a little more prominent in my thought right now, in my thought process.”