Washington Makes the Big Ten Dean’s List : Rose Bowl: After seeing Huskies on film, Iowa Coach Fry says they appear to be faster, better than Miami.

With the retirement of Michigan’s Bo Schembechler, Iowa’s Hayden Fry became the dean of Big Ten football Coaches.

As such, he’s taking a new tack in public relations. Schembechler and the late Woody Hayes of Ohio State were often waspish, suspicious and reclusive when they brought teams here for Rose Bowl games.

Fry was charming on his arrival with the Iowa team that will play Washington in the Rose Bowl game Jan. 1. He said he wanted to cooperate with the media, seemed genuinely glad that he is out of snowy Iowa for a few weeks and fired the first shot in the psychological warfare that precedes any important game.

Washington probably would be the nation’s No. 1-ranked team if it hadn’t been upset by UCLA on Nov. 10 in Seattle, 25-22. The Huskies were No. 2, behind Notre Dame, which lost its No. 1 status by losing to Penn State Nov. 17.

Asked if he has any regrets because Iowa is not playing the nation’s No. 1 team in the Rose Bowl, providing additional motivation for his team, Fry said:

“I’m not so sure that Washington is not the No. 1 team in the nation. On film, they’re without question the finest football team we’ve seen.”

Including Miami, which beat Iowa earlier in the season, 48-21?

“Including Miami,” Fry said without hesitation. “They have more speed than Miami, and we didn’t think that was possible.”

So, by Fry’s reckoning, Iowa is playing the nation’s No. 1 team after all.

“Washington has so many weapons that you can’t key on any one thing,” Fry added. “Their punt return man (Beno Bryant) is No. 2 in the nation. They’re very diversified, and they play the most aggressive, dominating defense that I’ve seen in college football for years and years.”

Iowa’s arrival here Monday was one of the earliest for a Big Ten team since the Rose Bowl pact with the Pacific 10 began in 1947.

“You might say my bubble burst,” said Fry good-naturedly, referring to the vinyl, inflated roof that covers Iowa’s indoor practice facility.

“So much snow got on the roof that it collapsed. That’s kind of a blessing because it gave us an excuse to come out here early.”

Although not projected to contend for the Big Ten title after a 5-6 season in 1989, Iowa finished in a four-way tie for first in the conference with Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois, all of which had 6-2 records.

It has been suggested that the Hawkeyes backed into the Rose Bowl when Ohio State lost to Michigan Nov. 24 in a game that preceded Iowa’s final regular-season game against Minnesota by a few hours. The Hawkeyes lost but no matter, they were Rose Bowl-bound. Had Ohio State won, Fry wouldn’t be reveling in the California sunshine.

“We defeated the teams we tied with for the championship and we did it on the road,” Fry said. “You can argue it any way you want to. (But) if they were so good this year, they should have beaten us.”

Nonetheless, Iowa (8-3) lost two of its final three regular-season games, one a final second, 27-26 loss to Ohio State.

Asked to assess his team now, Fry said: “We’re getting well. That’s the most encouraging thing. The last few ballgames we were beaten up pretty good. The Big Ten is a very physical conference.

“We were very fortunate up to the Ohio State game. Then, we suffered some injuries. We’re getting healthy now.

“We weren’t ranked in the top division of the preseason Big Ten rankings and we surprised a lot of people, and I hope we can find that Cinderella slipper again on Jan. 1.”

Fry said that his team’s turnaround from a losing season last year was the result of maturity and the goal to play in a bowl game.

“Last year was the first year in nine years that we hadn’t gone to a bowl game and the players returning this year were very disappointed and embarrassed,” he said. “They got kicked around pretty good last year.

“You have to know the kids that grow up in that part of the country. And they did a heck of a job, particularly against Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois on the road. And I think we pretty well dominated all the statistics in the Big Ten. We’re for real.”

This is the third Fry-coached Iowa team to play in the Rose Bowl. The Hawkeyes lost to Washington in 1982, 28-0, and to UCLA in 1986, 45-28.

Fry, 61, said that he is superstitious and that his team won’t stay in hotels in the Southern California area where they experienced Rose Bowl defeats previously.

Instead, Iowa will be quartered in Newport Beach and will split its practice sites between Cal State Long Beach and UC Irvine.

As a superstitious sort, Fry even shaved off his mustache after the losing season in 1989.

“I grew a mustache when we first came to the Rose Bowl,” Fry said. “I thought, ‘This is really good luck. I’ll keep it,’ and, sure enough, we went to seven more bowl games.

“But last year we didn’t go, so I shaved it off and and we’ll just make our own luck.

“Anyway, my wife hated that thing and it wasn’t very good looking.”

Rose Bowl Notes

Hayden Fry said his team plans to enjoy the usual tourist sights of Southern California. “When you bring an ‘ol country boy into town, you have to look around at the sunshine and the water and the beach and a few things like that,” he said. “All these things are enjoyable and educational. It’s an experience, but by game day we’ll be ready to play.” . . . More on the Huskies: “They led the nation in rushing defense and turnovers. I don’t mean to be their chamber of commerce, but they’re a tremendous football team.”