How much does a school’s first-ever BCS bowl victory change things?

So far for Iowa: quite a bit.

Preseason hype for the Hawkeye football team has never been as plentiful, as evidenced by the already-scarce number of tickets remaining.

The media are paying the team a bit more attention, too.

“Apparently, you guys are more interested in us now,” senior defensive tackle Karl Klug joked Tuesday at the Hayden Fry Football Complex.

But local outlets aren’t the only ones noticing Iowa.

The Hawkeyes have been slotted as high as fifth in preseason national rankings — by Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples in his “Early 2010 Top 25” on Jan 14.

Quarterback Ricky Stanzi said he’s aware of the buzz surrounding the team.

“You can definitely sense that there’s a lot of anticipation for this season, and we understand we have a lot of things that we have to work on,” he said. “It could be a very good year for us if we’re willing to put in the work and do what needs to be done, especially in this summer phase and then in camp.”

Stanzi credited the coaching staff for keeping the team humble despite lofty outside expectations for the Hawkeyes, but it hasn’t been difficult.

“We’re not worried about the Orange Bowl win,” he said. “It was a great season, but it’s in the past. It’s not going to help us this year.

“We have a new team. That’s not an issue.”

The team itself isn’t the only target of preseason hype — plenty of individual Hawkeyes are also the subject of high preseason praise.

Both senior defensive end Adrian Clayborn and junior safety Tyler Sash were named to the preseason watch list for the 2010 Bronco Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation’s best defensive player.

Klug was named to the Outland Trophy watch list, awarded to the nation’s best interior lineman.
Phil Steele’s 2010 College Football Preview even lists senior Ryan Donahue as the No. 1 punter in the nation.

“People tell me ‘You’re the No. 1 punter in the nation,’ but those people don’t know how to punt,” he said. “I know how to punt, and I’m trying to work toward being the No. 1 punter in the nation, because I’m not convinced I am.”

Stanzi, like Donahue, stressed the process of working toward such goals.

When asked if he was eager for the actual season to start, the Mentor, Ohio, native replied with a simple answer: “No.”

After all, there’s still plenty of time until Iowa opens up the season against Eastern Illinois Sept. 4.

“We’re not too eager for the season,” Stanzi said. “We have to worry about the workout tomorrow.
“The season will be there. It will come in time. We just have to make sure we’re ready for it.”

Clayborn, who will undoubtedly take over as the “face” of the Hawkeye defense in 2010, demonstrated the same attitude.

The St. Louis native said ignoring the projections of websites and magazines is easy — at least for him.

“I don’t really buy magazines; I don’t like reading,” he said. “So it’s not that bad.”

But Clayborn, who chose to pass up an all-but guaranteed shot at being a first-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft and return for his senior season, also admitted his goals are still high.

After all, he said he chose to come back to Iowa City because he hadn’t yet accomplished all he wanted to do yet.

“Just going through some of the things that the seniors get to do, Senior Day and stuff like that,” Clayborn said. “I wanted to do that. I wanted to finish off what I started.

“[I want to] win a Big Ten Title and finish it off right.”