The Deck Is Stacked Against Iowa Football. Can the Hawkeyes Respond?

When the Iowa Hawkeyes saw the schedule come out earlier this year, everyone knew the three-game stretch that stood out like a sore thumb.

The Big Ten gave Iowa a road trip to Michigan to open up Big Ten play, a date at home against the national title-contending Ohio State Buckeyes, and a short-week road trip to Seattle to take on Washington. Brutal.

It always looked difficult on paper, but now that the moment is here, the reality of the situation is setting in, reminding everyone just how difficult this is for Iowa. But guess what? There isn't a soul that cares. Good teams win regardless of the situation, and Iowa has to prove it is a good team.

Iowa has to rally, respond, and rebound

Last weekend was an emotional one for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Kinnick Stadium was going crazy. ESPN College GameDay came to town. It was a lot. But it's over. It's done. Iowa has to flush it, and flush it quickly.

The Hawkeyes are a little bit wounded going to Seattle on Friday night. Ohio State handed them their first loss of the year, while also beating them up a little bit. Iowa has some bumps and bruises.

Then again, it's Week 6 of the college football season. Everyone has bumps and bruises.

The Hawkeyes have the deck stacked against them

We can't ignore everything Iowa has stacked against it going into this matchup, though. Iowa has to come off a game against Ohio State, then make its longest road trip of the season to Seattle to play on Friday night with one day less rest. That's asking a lot.

If that wasn't enough, Iowa is getting a desperate Washington team, which is looking to avoid a 0-3 start in Big Ten play. Wounded animals strike back, and Iowa has to be mighty careful of Washington, regardless of its 3-2 record. This makes them even more dangerous.

It's time for a Kirk Ferentz special

This is where Kirk Ferentz comes in, and it is why he has been so good for so long. Few teams are as good as Iowa at letting one loss remain just one loss. He has ingrained a culture of moving on from a game, win or lose, within 24 hours to get back to business.

This one is more than that. This game is going to take a team rallying together in the moment, knowing how much hinges on this game. Iowa can get to 5-1 before the bye, with full control of a College Football Playoff run in its sights.

Iowa should embrace every single ounce of that. Iowa had moments last year against Indiana and Oregon when it failed to grab hold of the opportunity. Once again, opportunity awaits Iowa. The Hawkeyes simply have to rally, respond, and rebound to run with it.

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