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Here is my current Iowa bowl crystal ball.

If Iowa is 12-0: Best case would be the BCS National Championship game, worst case would be the Rose Bowl.  Both game will be played in the facility called The Rose Bowl.  Texas beating Oklahoma State puts a big damper on Iowa’s National Title hopes, as the Longhorns schedule the rest of the way is very, very favorable.  The title game looks like the SEC winner vs Texas right now, no matter if Iowa, TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati win out.

If Iowa is 11-1 and Ohio State loses one if its final three Big Ten games:  In this instance, it would not matter which team Iowa loses to, because the Buckeyes would have two losses in conference play and the only team that could tie Iowa in the Big Ten standings would be Penn State.  Iowa beat Penn State and therefor owns the tie-breaker and would go to the Rose Bowl

If Iowa is 11-1 and Ohio State wins out:  In this instance, Ohio State would go to the Rose Bowl.  It would then come down to which teams play in the BCS title game.  One of those teams will likely be the SEC Champion who would be ranked #1 in the final BCS poll, which means the Sugar Bowl would have the first at large selection from the BCS at large pool.  They would likely select the SEC title game loser.  If the #2 team in the BCS is Texas, that means the Fiesta gets the next selection.  Someone close to the bowl selection process told me last week that he has had conversations with the Fiesta Bowl powers that be and has been told the Fiesta would love an opportunity to host the Hawkeyes.  They feel Iowa fans would buy 45,000 to 50,000 tickets to that game, due to Iowa’s large snowbird population in that state as well as 30,000+ fans that would travel into the game.  That is a perfect situation for the Fiesta.  However, if the Fiesta would take a pass, the Orange would likely select Iowa, as the Hawkeyes sent nearly 50,000 fans to that bowl game back in 2003.

There are more scenarios for three-way ties for the Big Ten title, but for Iowa to be in a three-way tie for the title, they would have to lose two of their last three games.  There are also too many combinations regarding Ohio State and Penn State at this point in time, so we will be able to narrow this down after next week’s games.  By 6:30pm on Saturday November 7th, we will have a clear picture.

Here is a simple ‘who to root for’ scenario for Iowa to make it to at least one of the two games played in Pasadena:  Get to 10-0, which means beating Northwestern.  Also, root for Penn State to beat Ohio State next week.  If those things happen, Iowa’s game against Ohio State would have more significance related to the National Title picture than it would the Rose Bowl.  How is that?  If Iowa would lose to Ohio State, with the Buckeyes having lost to Penn State, Iowa would only need to beat Minnesota in the season’s final game to clinch the Rose Bowl bid.

Of course, if the Hawks win them all, you don’t have to worry about anything.

Be sure to check this item every Sunday morning between now and the end of the season.  We will keep it pinned to the front page for the next six weeks with updated bowl scenarios.

Many of you have been emailing and calling with questions related to HawkeyeNation’s bowl charter flight service for this year’s bowl game.  First, I greatly appreciate the interest.  I am going to share a few things with you, all that I can at this early juncture, and help direct you as best I can to be certain you remain as informed on this process as possible.

First, HawkeyeNation.com has taken thousands of Iowa fans to the last six Hawkeye bowl games.  That includes trips to the Alamo, three Outback Bowls, the Cap One as well as the Orange Bowl.  We aren’t rookies when it come to bowl travel, nor is our longtime travel partner, Premiere Sports Travel.  The level of service we have been able to provide has helped us become one of the most significant names in Hawkeye bowl travel in a short amount of time and we have surpassed many of the organizations that have been taking Iowa fans to bowl game since the early 1980′s.

The good news is that our relationship with Premiere will continue this year, as well as down the road.

The REALLY good news is that HawkeyeNation.com and the University of Iowa Alumni Association have teamed up and will be offering Iowa fans several different travel options this year and into the future.  I met with the Alumni Association back in late July while I was in Chicago for the annual Big Ten Kickoff luncheon.  Each of us wants to offer the absolute best for Hawkeye fans, and we felt that if we teamed up, with each of us doing the things we do best, we could present offerings to Iowa fans that are unmatched.  I look forward to this relationship for years to come.

What will this mean for you?  It means there will be more price points and package offerings than any bowl trip provider has ever offered before.  It means there will be three locations for you to fly out of; Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Moline.  It means there will be more ‘perks’ such as ‘Chalk Talk Sessions’ where we will break down Iowa’s bowl game and take questions from the members of the audience.  It just means the best.

It also means that HawkeyeNation.com travellers are now a part of the OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY OF IOWA BOWL TRIP.  Last year, our travelers stayed at the Iowa team hotel.  That was a first for us, and those that went with us felt it added incredible value to our trip.  That’s going to be the norm now, no matter Iowa’s bowl destination, since we are partnered with the University of Iowa.  Tickets have never been a concern for us before, but now, you will be smack dab in the middle of the largest Iowa fan sections at every bowl game if you choose to add tickets through our packages.  For those of you that want every bell and whistle possible when it comes to bowl travel, we will have those premium packages as well.

So what can you do right now to ensure that you stay informed and are notified the second we have more information?

Click here to fill out our 2009 Bowl survey.  It will only take a couple of minutes, and by giving us your email address, you will be added to our information list so that you don’t miss any updates or package offerings when they become available.  Also, your email will not be used for anything other than information related to the bowl trip.

A lot of people have been asking me about pricing, or locations if Iowa goes to the Rose Bowl.  I can tell you that one of the properties we have in reserve is the official team hotel, but we do not have an endless supply of rooms at that property.  So your best chance to reserve a room at that hotel is to make sure you are informed up to the second; filling out this brief email survey will help you accomplish that objective.

Tags: BCS, bowl charter, bowl projections, charter, hawkeye football, Hawkeye Nation, hawkeyenation.com, Iowa football, iowa hawkeyes, Rose Bowl