More photos » Charlie Neibergall - AP

Browse more photos »

You know what's nice about being the top team in the Big Ten? The fact that we've got our very own network, and that network is completely down with carrying our water, no questions asked.

Witness the BTN's Mike Hall, who just penned a spirited defense that--ahem--may, just may, cover some of the same ground as the UI's press release.from earlier this week. For example:

I think what matters is what you know, not what you think.

And that is why I know that Iowa is not getting the respect its deserves.

This is the great Pat Forde's latest column. He writes: "Seven teams (the six remaining FBS undefeateds and Oregon) deserve to be ranked ahead of (Iowa)." Pat is the best writer in college sports. But in this instance he is dead wrong.

He then goes through the four main schedule-based points, all of which are, admittedly, firmly in Iowa's favor. All that stuff about losing eight of the nine games this season, though? Losing to UNI, PSU, MSU, and Indiana in the 4th quarter? BAH! One karate slap away from irrelevance:

I know people are skeptical of Iowa because of their late escapes against decent or good opponents and slim wins over bad ones. But everybody has bad games. If you're unbeaten, I'm more concerned with your good wins than your bad ones. And are those good wins better than the other unbeatens'?

Everyone has bad games! Iowa just, y'know, always has them for at least two quarters per game. Problem solved.

Now, we don't think Mike Hall is a liar; far from it, he's talented at what he does and everything that he says in this article is true. It's just debatable whether he'd afford, say, Arizona State the same luxury if they were in Iowa's position and the Hawkeyes were putting together a season like Florida's.

Indeed, coverage without bias--complete objectivity--is a myth, and as long as a media organization stays away from out-and-out lies (it's not like Fox News says Obama drives spaceships and zaps churches, after all), then a little pro-base editorializing is not only inevitable, but preferable to the charade of abject objectivity. Plus, it's not like there isn't a mammoth conflict of interest between the BXI and BTN to begin with.

But hey, you know what? If it levels the playing field--or, at the very least, helps get the rest of the BXI on the "Iowa deserves this" message, so much the better, right? After all, when participation in the title game can come down to the kneejerk opinions of 60-odd coaches' assistants and the weird Skull-and-Bonesy "Harris Poll," political posturing is key, and having an entire media organization to do so is pretty enjoyable.

Does it make us feel dirty? Sure, but college football stopped being clean decades ago. Just carry that water and we can sort out the good feelings later.

[By the way, BHGP endorses no political views. Further, BHGP thinks your political views are stupid, inaccurate, and certain to lead to world destruction. If all you gathered from this article was that it's okay to talk about politics here, we will shoot you into the sun.