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While the story of the day and night on Saturday was the stunning success of the Mid-American Conference, what really got my attention was the 21-2 victory by the Iowa Hawkeyes over an Arizona State squad that a number of observers, including yours truly, had figured to be the eventual Pac-10 champions this season.

Keep in mind; Iowa was operating without its top offensive and defensive players, as blue-chip senior wide-out Maurice Brown and all-american-caliber senior safety and team leader Bob Sanders were sidelined due to injury.

This was also a Hawkeye squad that lost Heisman-candidate quarterback Brad Banks and four starters on the offensive line to graduation, including second-round NFL draft choices such as Eric Steinbach and Bruce Nelson, as well as TE Dallas Clark (first-round pick of the Colts), an integral part of the pass offense.

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