1. Where will the Gophers' heads be?
New coaches take a hit. Kirk Ferentz took his in 1999, when the Hawkeyes went 1-10 in his first season. Notre Dame's Charlie Weis? He's taking his now. He ran with Ty Willingham's recruits and now his team is young and taking its lumps. UM's first-year coach Tim Brewster is obviously taking the hit now. There are 14 frosh/sophs starting for the Gophers. That has to cause friction with some of the upperclassmen. Will the Gophers just want to get this over?
2. Hawkeyes secondary vs. Gophers receivers.
The 6-5, 215-pound Ernie Wheelwright smoked the Hawkeyes for a 64-yard touchdown last year in the Gophers’ 34-24 victory at the Metrodome. He's seventh in the conference in receiving with 53 catches for 656 yards and nine touchdowns. WR Eric Decker is fourth in the league with 59 catches for 756 yards and six touchdowns. Iowa's secondary has played well. Bradley Fletcher has settled in at corner for the injured Adam Shada and free safety Brett Greenwood has gotten better every game since stepping in for injured Devan Moylan.
3. Freshman QB Adam Weber.
His numbers aren't bad. He's a dual-threat. He's the Gophers' second-leading rusher. He's gone through some of the same slings and arrows that Iowa QB Jake Christensen has gone through in his first season as starter. Will this be something for him to build on or forget?
4. Iowa's O-line.
Lost in the thrill of last week's rabbit-out-of-the-hat at Northwestern was the fact the Hawkeyes gave up six sacks to a team that had only seven coming into the game. NU didn't blitz a lot, either. These were one-on-one matchups that went bust on Iowa. The next two games, and a possible bowl, have to be looked at as auditions for next season for all five of these guys. Seth Olsen, OK, he's safe. But after him? Next year's O-line is going to be very, very deep. You want to claim your spot now.
5. History, and not the kind you want to be attached to.
Minnesota allows 549 yards a game. The Gophers have a shot at the highest yards-per-game average in NCAA, potentially taking the 1993 Maryland defense off the record books. The Terrapins allowed 553 yards per game. That'd be a tough one to live down.
Bonus thing
If the Hawkeyes win today, watch and see if the Hawkeyes rush UM's sideline for the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz seemed to question that practice earlier this week. Let's see if the Iowa coach, who's one of the most detailed around, has a gameplan for this. The sideline run is likely here to stay. It's a great tradition -- until there's a Miami (Fla.) and Florida International deal.