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This is Iowa football. This is November. This game Saturday against Oregon is all Hawkeyeville can reasonably want.

It kind of crept up on us. The picture got sharper Tuesday when the College Football Playoff committee ranked Iowa No. 20, knowing losses by a late 54-yard field goal at Iowa State and by one score to Indiana weren’t disqualifiers.

Now, November. To get from 20th in the CFP to the promised land of the final top 11 — 12th won’t get it done this year — requires a month without a scratch.

A tall order, that one. After facing the CFP’s ninth-ranked Oregon, the Hawkeyes go to CFP No. 19 USC next Saturday. Then there’s still Nebraska at Lincoln to close the regular-season.

The only

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