COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Kirk Ferentz had already fielded every question at his postgame press conference after Iowa trounced Maryland 51-14 on Friday, but he had an anecdote to finish before leaving the stadium.

Iowa’s 23rd-year head coach recalled leading Maine’s football program in the early 1990s, and how the stadium would sit empty during hunting season because that was more important to the community than his team’s games. The contrast ahead of the imminent Iowa-Penn State top-four matchup next Saturday had Ferentz in a nostalgic mood, apparently.

“If you’re in ‘big games,’ the circus will come to town,” Ferentz said. “We’ve got to deal with that this week. It’s a helluva lot better than playing the fifth game at Maine in 1991, you know? It wasn’t a circus, I know that.”

The “circus” in this case happens to be the biggest game being played inside Kinnick Stadium in 36 years. And its trip to Iowa City couldn’t have come at a better time for the Hawkeyes.

This is the game basically everyone has been looking ahead to for weeks — No. 3 Iowa hosting No. 4 Penn State. It’s the type of game that could join the top-ranked 1985 team’s walk-off win over No. 2 Michigan in Iowa City in the Big Ten Network Iowa classic rotation one day.

Iowa (5-0) is coming off a 37-point road win against Maryland, a previously undefeated conference foe — its largest win in the AP Poll era against a team entering the game 4-0 or better. The Hawkeyes forced seven turnovers, scored six touchdowns, and put on a performance in prime time that should have assured a national audience that they are contenders this season.

It was the type of game Iowa needed after relatively shaky wins over Kent State and Colorado State the two prior weeks.

“This game gives us a lot of momentum,” running back Tyler Goodson said. “We’re not worried about being top five in the country. We’re just worried about who’s next.”

That would be Penn State. And the stage is set perfectly for a matchup against the Nittany Lions.

The last 11 months or so have assured that.

Iowa has now won 11 straight games dating back to last season. The Hawkeyes are outscoring opponents 380-141 in that stretch, averaging 34.5 points per game and allowing 12.8 in those games. This is the third 5-0 start in the Ferentz era (2009 and 2015).

Those seasons were pretty good, if you recall. This one could be just as good. If you’re an optimistic Iowa fan, it could be better. But that starts with the result of the Penn State matchup.

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Saturday’s game is going to be the first top-four matchup in Kinnick since the No. 1 vs. No. 2 game in 1985. This game is bigger than the 2004 win over Wisconsin to clinch a share of the Big Ten, or when Iowa hosted No. 1 Ohio State in 2006, because winning this game would make Iowa’s case for the college football playoff indisputable (assuming it keeps winning).

“If we keep winning, it’s going to be more and more hype and more and more buzz,” quarterback Spencer Petras said. “But it’s all about winning.”

The circus coming to a sold-out Kinnick Stadium this week includes FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show. And the festivities will culminate in one of the most anticipated games of the college football season.

The eyes of college football are on Iowa City this weekend. The Hawkeyes already handled the attention they received from being in the country’s marquee game once this season (the Cy-Hawk game).

Can Iowa handle the spotlight again this week?

“We’re going to find out,” Ferentz said postgame. “Today was a good indicator.

“When it’s all said and done, we’re a 5-0 team that still has a lot of work to do. I think our guys understand that. They’ve also seen, though, that if we work hard, maybe some good things can happen.”

Just in case you need a translator for coach-speak, that means they can handle it. Now it’s time to prove it.

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