From the corner chair

Nothing official ... yet, but

It looks like Terry Brands WILL be joining his twin brother, Tom, in Iowa City.

A source with ties to the program said Terry Brands will not take a "expanded role" with USA Wrestling (see previous blog) and will join the University of Iowa wrestling staff.

Phone calls to Terry have not been returned, but this sounds pretty solid now.

That should fill the Iowa staff with Tom Brands getting assistance from Terry, Doug Schwab, Jared Frayer and Mike Zadick. The roles are not defined yet.

Brands staying in Colorado?

Here is the latest from USA Wrestling:

"Zeke Jones, one of the best lightweight wrestlers in U.S. history, is prepared to make a king-sized impact as the leader of the American freestyle program.

"Jones, a past World champion, Olympic silver medalist and Olympic Team coach, has been named the new National Freestyle Coach by USA Wrestling.

"Jones replaces Kevin Jackson, who resigned his position on Friday to become head coach with the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club."

The release goes on to say that that "Terry Brands will have an expanded role with the U.S. freestyle program. Brands will continue as USA Wrestling's Freestyle Resident Coach and will work closely with Jones in Brands' new role as Assistant National Coach."

I have not heard from Terry yet, but will keep trying to get this confirmed.

If it's true, he won't be joining brother, Tom, in Iowa City, obviously.

Go to www.themat.com for the full release.

Brands: USA or Iowa?

Terry Brands, apparently, is deciding between USA Wrestling and his alma mater for his next career step.

Brands'twin brother Tom, I'm sure you know, is the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. Terry interviewed for a position on Iowa's staff and was ready to make the move back to Iowa City. But USA Wrestling may be making a change on its coaching staff and Terry could be in line for a promotion in Colorado Springs.

This is all speculation at this point because those involved are not talking, including Terry. I talked to Terry last week and he thought he would have a decision by Sunday, but is not answering his phone now.

But a couple of sources close to the program have confirmed all of the above.

If Terry returns to Iowa City the Iowa coaching staff could look something like this - Tom Brands, Terry Brands, Doug Schwab, Jared Frayer and Mike Zadick. No big man, right? Steve Mocco apparently still is in the picture as a volunteer assistant.

At this point, it remains up in the air. Once Terry makes his decision, all the other dominoes will fall.

Week 4 already?

Can this really be Week 4 of the prep football season? It's nearly half over and, thanks to the new playoff system, a team could take a big step toward a postseason berth with a fourth win Friday.

Hey, that's crazy, but it's also reality. The playoff field will double this year, although first-round games aren't really first-round games. You figure that out.

Anyhow, we've got another busy weekend here at The Gazette with the prep football games on Thursday and Friday and, of course, colleges on Saturday.

Our high school plans this week include Linn-Mar at Washington on Thursday, Prairie and Jefferson, Kennedy and Xavier and, of course, the battle for the boot on Friday - City High at West.

We'll also be at games in Vinton, Manchester, Solon and Washington (Iowa, that is, not the school).

Once again, if you think your team deserves a little coverage or you have a big game coming up you're afraid we'll overlook, let me know. You can reach me at jr.ogden@gazcomm.com or (319) 368-8696.

There's also a couple of big college football games this Saturday - including Coe at Cornell. Look for the Kohawks to win that one. The Rams didn't look too good during my visit in Week 1 and, although Coe is winless, too, appears to be in better shape.

Iowa travels to Pittsburgh and ISU is off to Las Vegas. UNI hosts South Dakota. I'd like to say I see a state sweep, but the Cyclones will have a tough time in the desert. Iowa will win. I'm not a big Dave Wannstedt fan. He ruined my Chicago Bears. UNI has a tough game, but look for tons of improvement during that off week.

Have a great weekend!

And the winner is ...

Heck, I don't know.

It's Iowa-Iowa State weekend, with the Cyclones invading Kinnick Stadium for another shot at the Hawkeyes.

Iowa is a big favorite, according to the oddsmakers, but that's never stopped the Cyclones from playing well, well enough to win - more often than not in recent years.

But with the Hawkeyes at home Saturday morning and playing well against weak opponents, I think Iowa will take this game. It will be close, like 21-17, but the Hawkeyes seem to have new focus after last season's off-field issues and Ferentz seems determined to get this one.

There's also some big high school games Friday night and we'll be at a bunch.

Marion hosts DeWitt Central in a key early district matchup, Xavier will try to derail unbeaten City High in Iowa City, Solon travels to Wilton in another big early district game, and Cascade hosts Dyersville Beckman.

And don't forget Dubuque Senior at Linn-Mar, a real shot for the Lions to end their long losing streak.

Once again, let me know if you have a big game coming up in Eastern Iowa. I'd love to hear about your favorite game and team. E-mail me at jr.ogden@gazcomm.com

Weekend thoughts

What a great weekend for football. What a fantastic ending for Bears fans like me.

My weekend of football, like a lot of you, started Friday night, working in the office here, reading stories from our outstanding staff and taking calls from area coaches. There were some great high school games on Friday.

On Saturday, it was watching Iowa on the Big Ten Network. The Hawks looked great against a weak opponent and, like a lot of folks, it looks like Coach Kirk Ferentz has found a starting quarterback in Ricky Stanzi and a solid No. 2 in Jake Christensen. I can't say the same for the BTN broadcast. The production seemed mediocre at best and, at one point, the caption under Ferentz's name had his record with the "Buckeyes." We all make mistakes, but this is a network trying to build a new audience. Let's hope it gets better.

My football weekend ended Sunday night, watching the Bears beat up on the Indianapolis Colts. That was a great start to a season that had many questions marks, including at quarterback and running back. Matt Forte, the first rookie to start at running back for the Bears since Walter Payton in 1975, ended the latter fears and Iowan Kyle Orton had a solid start.

There's a lot of football left on all fronts, but to a life-long Bears fan, what a great end to a wonderful weekend.

Another big weekend

It's Week 2 for prep and college football and, once again, it's going to be a big and busy weekend.

This week's prep coverage schedule includes games in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, of course, and big games at Solon and West Branch. We'll also try to get some coverage of the first game in Parkersburg, with help from our friends from the Waterloo Courier.

The small-colleges join the action this Saturday with Cornell hosting Grinnell. Let's hope the Rams can get things turned around this fall.

Iowa hosts Florida International, Iowa State gets a shot at revenge against Kent State and UNI hosts South Dakota.

Saturday night will be interesting in this office.

Speaking of UNI, the Panther sports information office just released the following on chances to catch the football team on TV:

"The additional television appearances will begin this weekend as Cedar Falls Utilities will broadcast the South Dakota-UNI game beginning at 4:05 p.m. in the UNI-Dome.

"CFU will also broadcast the Sept. 20 game vs. South Dakota State, Oct. 11 game vs. Illinois State and the Nov. 8 game vs. Missouri State.

"Mediacom has added three games to its schedule to give it four Panther football broadcasts this fall. Mediacom will broadcast the Sept. 20 game vs. South Dakota State, the Sept. 27 game at Southern Illinois, the Oct. 11 game vs. Illinois State and the Nov. 8 game vs. Missouri State.

"KFXA-TV (Fox 28) will broadcast the Oct. 18 Missouri Valley Football Television game against North Dakota State live at 4:05 p.m.

"As a result of all the additional clearances the Panther football team will have eight of its 12 games broadcast live in the Cedar Valley during the 2008 season, including a national television appearance Oct. 2 on ESPNU against Nicholls State in the UNI-Dome."

See what happens when your team is a national title contender.

Please e-mail me at jr.ogden@gazcomm.com if you have any thoughts or suggestions about the games we cover or, more importantly, the games we should cover.