With Iowa’s football team being blitzed at Michigan State, with Iowa State not even getting on TV and losing at Northern Illinois, and with the Lovable Losers threatening to win something for the first time since about the time of the Revolutionary War, my channel-surfing was definitely one-sided over the weekend.

Especially Saturday.

That was the day the Chicago Cubs somehow wrapped up the National League Central Division title by sweeping a doubleheader from Pittsburgh. And, oh, yes they got a big assist from Milwaukee, which ended Houston’s chances.

Thank you, Milwaukee.

With Iowa falling behind quickly and looking nothing like it did against Iowa State and Arizona State earlier in the season, it was a bit easier to tune out the Big Ten game as it wore on.

While I had the Cubs-Pirates’ games on the tube, I listened to Iowa and Iowa State on the radio.

All in all, of course, not a pretty day for the Hawkeyes and Cyclones.

Now things get even more interesting. Iowa (ranked No. 19 by the coaches and No. 23 by the AP) faces Michigan at Iowa City on Saturday in a game that will be televised regionally by ABC.

This is a game the Hawkeyes can—and, in my opinion—will win.

It’s homecoming at Kinnick Stadium. That always helps. But Lloyd Carr is coaching Michigan. That helps Iowa even more.

Iowa State plays No. 1-ranked Oklahoma at Ames in a game that will be televised nationally by TBS.

The Cyclones (2-2), plagued by some major injuries, likely won’t be favored to win another game this season—but that doesn’t mean they won’t upset a couple of teams. However, one of them won’t be Oklahoma (4-0).

Not with Bob Stoops zeroing in on a national championship.

Cyclone tailback Hiawatha Rutland sustained a career-ending knee injury in the loss at Northern Illinois. Rutland can’t qualify for a medical redshirt.

"We’ll miss him dearly," said McCarney, adding that Stevie Hicks is now the No. 2 tailback and will see his playing time increased. Hicks was overmatched earlier in the season.

McCarney, who normally is as upbeat as any collegiate coach can be, is having difficulty taking the rash of injuries—the worst in his nine seasons at Iowa State.

"As bad as the loss last week felt, I felt worse about the injuries to the players," McCarney said. "Every coach is the same—you get so attached to the players and you have so much compassion for them. They give us so much, we appreciate them so much, we respect them so much.

"Injuries are one of the few things I dislike about coaching football. We still love the players, we still support them and we’ll help them any way we can."

In addition to Rutland, outstanding defensive tackle Jordan Carstens injured a leg and was termed "very doubtful" for this week’s game.

Austin Flynn, their redshirt freshman quarterback, leads all freshmen in Division I-A passing yardage with 831 and total offense with 1,062.

About Iowa State, Stoops said, "Anytime you’re on the road, in this conference especially, you’ve got to be prepared. Dan McCarney and his staff do an excellent job. They’ve had a couple of disappointing losses, but I also understand it’s a team that’s been to multiple bowl games the last several years."

On today’s Big 12 coaches’ teleconference, McCarney was asked an idiotic question by someone who said he worked for the Daily Nebraskan, which I assume is a student newspaper.

The questioner wanted to know if McCarney had any advice for Kansas’ players because their 4-1 record is mirroring the 6-1 start Iowa State had in 2002.

McCarney just laughed.

"I promise you they don’t need my advice," he said. "Mark Mangino (Kansas’ coach) is doing a fabulous job."

"Last evening I came home, after two meetings, and sat down in my favorite chair to find out how the Huskers were doing. It was the start of halftime and Nebraska was ahead 17-7. Not bad.

"Somewhere around the end of the half, I must have dozed off. What happened next surely is impossible. All I can figure is, it must have been the bratwurst I ate for supper.

"I woke up in a cold sweat, the kind that happens when a dream is too vivid, too alive, too real to be just a dream. In my dream, Jammal Lord had run the typical Nebraska option play. But rather than giving, pitching, running or throwing for a 5-yard gain, he unleashed a 40-plus yard pass play. And, to make it even more unbelievable, he hit the receiver between the numbers, and a touchdown was the result.

"I shook myself and thought this must be the brat. Things like this don’t happen in Nebraska games. But then I looked at the TV—24-7. Could it be—not with Frank Solich (I’m a clone of Tom Osborne) coaching?

"Soon I drifted off to sleep again. And here is the real shock, and the part that requires your help. The dream repeated itself. A different receiver, but the same result. I jumped as I awakened, and almost called 911, thinking it must be my heart.

"But then I remembered the brat soaked in Milwaukee’s Best and I knew it just couldn’t be real. But the TV said 31-7. They must have used their muscle-and-run game, I thought.

"Two long passes, completed for touchdowns, by Nebraska in the same game—it’s just too much to believe, even for a loyal Nebraska fan.

"So please tell me this wasn’t a dream. Tell me it wasn’t the brat."