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It's Not Plagiarism If You Link To It: Iowa Hawkeye Weekend Sports Roundup

A lot happened, read all about it. Oh, and there's this Big Ten expansion thing.

By PlannedSickDays
Gregory Shamus

ONLY ONE GAME LEFT FOR THE FOOTBALL TEAM. Any chance of a bowl game is now gone after Iowa lost to Michigan 42-17 in Ann Arbor. Denard Robinson started the game at tailback but it was quarterback Devin Gardner that was too much for Iowa's Swiss Cheese defense. Iowa fans are accustomed to a defense that bends but doesn't break. Saturday, it broke.

The end is near for Iowa's seniors, who will play at Kinnick Stadium one final time this Friday. They talked briefly with the media following Iowa's loss at Michigan. The last task isn't easy. Nebraska will play for the Legends Division title. Iowa versus Nebraska is a rivalry but perhaps by name alone.

LISA BLUDER'S BUNCH PLAYED FOR THE WNIT TITLE. Iowa hosted North Carolina Sunday afternoon in Carver-Hawkeye arena. The Tarheels proved to be too much for the Hawkeye ladies as they went on to win the preseason WNIT crown. North Carolina improved to (4-0) on the season and Iowa suffered their first loss (3-1). NC downed Iowa 77-64.

THE HAWKEYE MEN HAD A 19% CHANCE OF WINNING SATURDAY. That, according to Ken Pomery, after Iowa found themselves in a 20 point halftime hole. Iowa, again, struggled shooting over the zone defense but found freshman Adam Woodbury in the middle in the second half. Josh Oglesby shot himself out of his early season slump and caught fire from beyond the three point line.

Head coach Fran McCaffery said his team didn't get the "wrath of Fran" at halftime. McCaffery said,

"I didn't speak to them any louder than I'm speaking to you right now. I said, This is what we need to. We broke it down on offense; we broke it down on defense; we broke down the press, personnel, and let's go do it."

McCaffery also talked a bit about the comeback win and Oglesby following the game. He was also complimentary of Roy Dev Marble and of course, Woodbury's game.

Following the win the team got some sleep and left Iowa for Cancun early Sunday morning. The Hawkeyes will face Western Kentucky tomorrow in the Cancun Classic. The starting five is is Mike Gesell, Roy Dev, Aaron White, Zach McCabe and Adam Woodbury. Win or lose, the Hawkeyes will play again on Wednesday. Iowa will play either Depaul or Wichita State. Both Tuesday and Wednesday's games will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.

HAWKEYE WRESTLING STARTS THE SEASON WITH A SWEEP. The Hawkeyes won 25 of 30 matches in a dual meet at Tennessee-Chattanooga. Up next is the Iowa City Duals at Carver-Hawkeye this Saturday. The Hawkeyes host Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Cornell College and Iowa Central.

THIS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW! The University of Maryland Board of Regents are meeting this morning to decide if they will accept an invitation to join the Big Ten. Under Armour founder Kevin Plank is a big Maryland booster and supports the move. Maryland could be hit with a 50 million dollar exit fee from the ACC if they opt to leave. They, along with Florida State, were the only two schools to vote against the ACC's 50 million dollar exit fee decision this past summer.

If Maryland accepts the offer it is reported that Rutgers will also accept an invitation to join the Big Ten. ESPN reports that could happen as early as Tuesday. Georgia Tech is another possible option for Big Ten expansion, according to a Tech 24/7 sports message board. Another team mentioned by CBS's Dennis Dodd is North Carolina.

Maryland and Rutgers may not be the sexiest of candidates but it's obvious why Jim Delany wants them. The Big Ten Network could potentially see 200 million dollars annually if they find their way into the D.C. and New York television markets.

The move is perhaps reactionary, following Notre Dame's recent deal with the ACC. Delany could put a Big Ten presence on the East Coast and even give Notre Dame the middle finger by grabbing three ACC teams out from under their new deal. Super conferences are real, it's happening. The Big Ten could be 16 teams before the end of 2012.

For Iowa, that could mean the new Big Ten would look more like the old Big Ten. With addition comes divisional realignment. The "Legends" and "Leaders" could become the "East" and the "West". Adding Maryland and Rutgers may mean adding Illinois and Wisconsin into Iowa's current division. It's a long way to travel out East but those trips, if cross-divisional, happen only once every couple of years. How it shakes out is certainly due a lengthy discussion and with the Big Ten's (and Iowa's) irrelevance this football season there's plenty of time for it.

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