IOWA CITY --- Most of the Iowa Hawkeyes are too young to know about the Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Some don't even care.

"Uh, I don't care," linebacker Pat Angerer said Tuesday.

Some Hawkeyes aren't superstitious.

"Like the Madden cover and that stuff?" offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga said, referring to the jinx that supposedly dogged NFL players who appeared on the cover of the EA Sports John Madden NFL video game. "I don't really believe in that kind of stuff. If you lose the game, you lose the game. It doesn't have anything to do with being on the cover of a magazine."

A few have heard of the SI cover jinx, which is really a sports urban legend more than anything else. Michael Jordan won six NBA titles despite being on the cover of SI 56 times. Tiger Woods has 30 SI covers. The New York Yankees have 66 SI covers and are probably looking at another if they win the World Series.

"That's a cool thing," quarterback Ricky Stanzi said. "It means I guess we're doing something right. I guess you could do something wrong and still get on the cover. I don't know what it means."

The No. 8 Hawkeyes (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) are on an SI regional cover this week. Wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos is prominently featured, hurdling fullback Wade Leppert on a kick return during the Indiana game last Saturday.

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