IOWA CITY - It's a big, big game.

Is it Iowa-Michigan 1985 big? Don't ask Hawkeye defensive tackle Mitch King.

"I was born in 1986, so I don't know," deadpanned King when asked if 13th-ranked Iowa's game today on national television with top-ranked Ohio State compares to the No. 1 vs. No. 2 meeting of the Hawkeyes and Wolverines.

It might not be as big a game as the 1985 affair, but today's 7:13 p.m. kickoff is possibly the most hyped in Hawkeye history. More than 500 media representatives will converge on Iowa City for the battle of unbeatens.

ESPN's GameDay crew of Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will begin hyping the game Friday night near the Iowa Memorial Union in Hubbard Park and, by game time, 70,000-plus fans will be in a frenzy.

"It is a huge game for us, this state, for everyone involved with this program," said quarterback Drew Tate. "It's a huge game for them. They're No.1, and they're trying to stay No. 1"

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has no plans to circle the wagons and insulate his players from the electricity surrounding the game.

"How many times do you get to play in a game like this?" Ferentz asked.

Plus Ferentz knows his players are smart enough to enjoy the atmosphere, while also understanding the big picture and how they need to prepare themselves to have a shot at victory.

While hype is one thing, beating the Buckeyes is another story.

Fresh in Ferentz's mind is last year's 31-6 thrashing the Hawkeyes suffered in Columbus. Little went right as Ohio State racked up 26 first downs and 530 yards of total offense while limiting Iowa to a minus 9 yards rushing and 137 total yards.

"The memory we have right now is pretty vivid from a year ago," said Ferentz. "(Defensively) we couldn't slow them down no matter what we did. They dominated us from that standpoint. (Offensively) they were extraordinarily tough to play against last year.

"The way I look at it, they did have their way totally with us last season."

Iowa's players agree to a man with Ferentz's assessment.

"They beat our butts last year," said safety Miguel Merrick. "There's nothing more you can say about it. They executed a lot more than us. They just outplayed us."

Quarterback Drew Tate said, "They knew how to beat us, and they beat us in every possible way you could be beaten."

For several days now, Ferentz and his staff have been searching for Ohio State's weak link. He hasn't found one.

Initially, he believed a weakness could be found on the defensive side of the ball, where the Buckeyes graduated nine players, including six NFL draft picks. Three of those selections were taken in the first round of the draft.

"Four games into it they are giving up eight points a game and they are way ahead on turnovers," said Ferentz. "It is a different group of guys, but the way they are playing, it's really not a heck of a lot different. It is very impressive."

With players like quarterback Troy Smith, receiver Ted Ginn Jr.., running back Antonio Pittman and receiver Anthony Gonzalez on offense, Ferentz gets further perplexed.

Smith is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Ginn will be the fastest man on the field and is a dangerous return threat. Pittman is the go-to guy in the backfield, while Ferentz calls Gonzalez the most underrated receiver in college football.

"I don't even know where you start … they are extremely explosive and dangerous," said Ferentz.

In Columbus, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is equally as impressed with the Hawkeyes.

"I don't think they've started 5-0 since 1995," said Tressel. "And being 4-0, beating their in-state rivals, which is a big victory, and winning a tough overtime game at Syracuse without their quarterback is a big one. And, of course, they've started out 1-0 in the Big Ten.

"So I'd say their momentum is as good as it could possibly be. They're going to have a tremendous atmosphere at Kinnick Stadium, and there is not anyone in our building that doesn't understand what a great challenge it's going to be."

Contact Jim Nelson at (319) 291-1521 or jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com

Statistically speaking:

- Over the last 10 meetings between Ohio State and Iowa, the average margin of victory by either team is 22.3 points. OSU has won nine of those games, with the closest win in Columbus in 2003, 19-10. The average score of those 10 games: Ohio State 33.6, Iowa 16.7.

- Iowa has played eight games against top-ranked opponents in its history, holding a 0-7-1 record in those games. Today's game is the first since the Hawkeyes lost to Nebraska, 42-13, in 2000.

- The last top-ranked team to play at Kinnick Stadium was Miami in 1992. The Hurricanes won, 24-7.

- Ohio State has lost three of its last four prime-time in-season games on the road: At Wisconsin (2003), at Northwestern (2004) and at Penn State (2005). They beat No. 2 Texas on the road this year at night.

- The Hawkeyes have nine players from the state of Ohio on their roster: Bradley Fletcher, Anton Narinskiy, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Arvell Nelson, Derrick Smith, Richard Stanzi, Chris Rowell, Trey Stross and B.J. Travers.

- Iowa is seeking its first 5-0 start under Kirk Ferentz and first since the 1995.

- The Hawkeyes are 20-1 since the start of the 2003 season in Kinnick Stadium.

- Today will be the last time Iowa plays Ohio State until 2009. Additionally, this year marks the last time the Hawkeyes play Michigan until 2009.