Iowa football team is unranked and unrecognized by AP voters. But not all of them.

Iowa wasn’t ranked in Associated Press’ college football Top 25 this week.

That isn’t the Crime of the Century, or even the Misdemeanor of the Minute. I did think the Hawkeyes might get into the rankings after their 41-3 obliteration of Minnesota last Saturday. So I asked an AP voter why he voted the way he did. Here are excerpts from an exclusive interview I had this week with Mike Hlas of The Gazette.

You had Iowa No. 19 on your AP ballot this week. Why?

Because I’m a homer and panderer.

Be that as it may, please give a serious answer.

Because I’ve seen the Hawkeyes play. They took apart Wisconsin and Minnesota the same way Ohio State did before them. They’re third in the nation in total defense, seventh in scoring defense. They’ve only punted 3.1 times per game, after 6.7 just two years ago. They’ve been as dangerous on kick returns and have committed fewer penalties than any team in the nation. That’s called soundness.

And, their 20-15 loss to Indiana in late September was the toughest game the now-No. 2 Hoosiers have had this season, including their game at Oregon. We can always wonder what would have happened had quarterback Mark Gronowski not been injured in the fourth quarter.

Iowa is No. 16 at TeamRankings.com and No. 17 in the Sagarin Ratings. They take emotion and bias out of things. They don’t consider reputations and preseason rankings that make it easier for some teams to stay ranked while others travel up the polls slower than they should.

Human voters are too hesitant to believe in a new winning team like Indiana and too hard to accept a traditional power like LSU or Clemson is ordinary.

Before getting back to Iowa, why did you move Indiana ahead of Ohio State to No. 1 this week?

Because the Hoosiers have beaten Iowa and Oregon on the road. Ohio State’s two best wins are Texas at home and Washington on the road. Washington’s very good and the Buckeyes are dynamic and thorough, but those two road wins plus a 63-10 home win over Illinois give Indiana the best resume right now.

After Notre Dame, is Iowa the best two-loss team in the nation?

Maybe. But that doesn’t really matter right now. Not becoming a three-loss team does, and that’s more than possible in the Hawkeyes’ next game, next week against Oregon.

No. 6 Oregon lost 30-20 at home to Indiana and wasn’t overwhelming last Saturday in its 21-7 home win over Wisconsin. Is it a wee bit of a pretender?

Well, I have the Ducks No. 4. That’s only because I don’t know who I’d put ahead of them besides Indiana, Ohio State and Texas A&M. Their loss is to Indiana. No. 4 Alabama lost at Florida State, which has dropped its last four games. No. 5 Georgia fell to Alabama at home.

I told you about Iowa’s defense. Oregon’s has been as good. It’s third nationally in total defense, at 243.1 yards allowed per game, third in scoring defense, second in rushing defense. It has allowed three fewer pass completions per game than any other team.

On offense, the Ducks are 11th with 483.9 yards per game. Quarterback Dante Moore is one of the nation’s best. Oregon has outscored its opponents by an average of 25 points. They only punt 2.4 times per contest.

So yeah, good team.

Can Iowa make the playoffs?

Of course. Just win out. Beat Oregon, win at USC, beat Michigan State, win at Nebraska. No big whoop, you’re in.

Would you bet on that happening?

Not with my money or yours. Someone else’s, sure.

You voted unbeaten Navy No. 25. Do you really think it’s a Top 25 team?

Under oath, no. But unlike many people who say it without doing anything to prove it, I support the troops.

Are you always ahead of the curve with your votes?

It’s quite amazing, really. I saw what was going on with Indiana, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and Cincinnati well before the majority of my 65 voting brothers and sisters.

I break down game tapes, study all the algorithms and metrics, call football savants in every region of the nation weekly. It’s an incredible amount of work and detail for an unpaid task, but if you’re going to do something, do it right.

You’re quite full of it, aren’t you?

You know me too well.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com