When the Iowa football team swarms out of the tunnel at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, it will be doing so for the first time this season as a ranked team.

The Hawkeyes have shown noticeable strides — especially on the offensive side of the ball — but the offense’s improvement resembles the ranking: Iowa isn’t focused on it.

“We’re still going to continue to play like we’re not ranked, and that’s just the mentality,” wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette said. “Play like you’re down each and every time. That’s just my mentality — I’m going to go out there, I’m not going to act like we’re 19th in the nation. I’m going to go out there and act like we’re still 26th, 27th, 30th, last … Once you go out there and you continue to play like you’re down, you’re going to continue to keep fighting like we’ve been doing.”

RELATED: Hawkeye defense not affected by injury bug

This is something the Hawkeyes have had experience with. They have enjoyed tantalizing triumphs and heartbreaking lows.

Take Iowa’s 2014 and 2015 marks for example. In 2014, the Hawkeyes took an average 7-5 record into the Taxslayer Bowl, where they were slaughtered by Tennessee, 45-28. Then Iowa turned that around with a 12-0 regular season coupled with a Rose Bowl appearance.

Now ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll, not every player has been through it — but the coaching staff certainly has.

“I think that just comes down to the consistency in our coaching staff, just the stability that they have,” defensive end Parker Hesse said. “We know good or bad things are going to happen in football either way, and it’s going to be emotional. But the way that we’ve all been recruited by the same guys, we’ve all had the same position coaches our whole time here, pretty much everybody now. That’s something that provides consistency.”

Whether or not it’s noticeable on the field at times, team chemistry plays a key role in moving forward.

“This team, it’s just a fun team to be a part of, so that almost helps you prepare each and every day,” Hesse said. “It’s fun to be at meetings, it’s fun to be at practice just because everyone on the team gets along so well. We have a lot of talented players — there aren’t egos.”

Maryland poses a threat that Iowa hasn’t necessarily seen this season. Sure, the Hawkeyes have been tasked with slowing down some of the best running backs in the country, but the way the Terrapins run the ball is different.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz was reminded of Georgia Tech — Iowa’s 2010 Orange Bowl opponent — because of the way they shift, go into motion, and run.

With Ty Johnson and his 8.1 yards per carry in the Terrapin backfield, the Hawkeyes have their hands full with Maryland’s scheme and players.

“It’s a really important week for us mentally; it’s a different preparation than we’re used to,” Ferentz said. “[They] do a lot of shifts, a lot of motions, a lot of things to different sets to catch you off guard. The thing that jumps out at you is how many big plays come out of it. If our guys aren’t on the same page, communicating well, you open the door for some really big plays. That’s a big danger of playing these guys.”