It's that time of year once again, only it came a little earlier this time around. The plows are out of the fields, the sheep are getting sheared and Iowa fans are telling everybody to eat crow.    Iowa and Minnesota squared off in another battle last weekend. For the first time in a while, the Hawkeyes got the better of the Gophers with a 24-11 dual win.    Iowa dominated the dual, winning seven matches. They scored three major decision victories.    Usually these two teams square off in February, but Minnesota head coach J Robinson decided this season that he wanted a home-and-home matchup with the Hawkeyes. He got that matchup, but something he didn't plan on were injuries.    The Gophers were depleted. 184-pound All-American Damion Hahn was out with a torn ACL. Two-time All-American heavyweight Garrett Lowney was suffering neck and shoulder problems. Clearly, this was not the same Gopher team as in the past two years.    But that is part of winning championships and rebuilding. Hawkeye fans, if anyone, should know how that feels.    But are the Gophers ready to hit their downslide? Not yet.    With two NCAA champions, 149-pound Jared Lawrence and 157-pound Luke Becker, back in the lineup, this team is still tough to beat. But a couple of champions doesn't win titles anymore. Overall team performance at the NCAA Tournament does. Minnesota proved that in Iowa City, Iowa in 2001 when they had ten wrestlers earn All-American status, yet none were NCAA finalists. On the other hand, Iowa had four NCAA finalists and two NCAA champions, but fell short to the Gophers in the team standings.    Robinson has developed Minnesota into the top program of the 21st century. Of course, being the only team to win a title in this century will do that to you. Hint to Hawkeye fans: the year 2000 is not included in the 21st century.    And if you think Gopher fans are going to start eating crow, then you have a lot of things to learn.    First off, this is still the top team in the country. They return seven starters from a team that actually struggled somewhat in last year's NCAA Tournament. LeRoy Vega, who didn't provide much help in the postseason last year, is gone. Those are points this team won't miss this season (though his leadership will be sorely missed). They also bring back Lawrence, Becker and Ryan Lewis, an NCAA finalist at 133 pounds.    Second, this coaching staff may be the best in the nation. Starting with the assistants, Marty Morgan, Joe Russell and Mark Schwab are some of the best teachers in the sport. With guys like Tim Hartung, Brandon Eggum, LeRoy Vega and Doug Schwab also in the room on a regular basis, this team doesn't need to recruit the best talent in the nation every year, because they can develop it in-house.    Third, speaking of recruiting, did anyone notice what Minnesota did this year? They not only won some major recruiting battles, they nuked the entire sport of wrestling. To bring in top recruits Roger Kish, C.P. Schlatter, Mack Reiter, Matt Koz and Mitch Kuhlman is an impressive accomplishment. These five alone may be enough to win an NCAA title for the Gophers in a few years.    And you better believe Kish is looking for that when he returns to Michigan for the 2007 NCAA Tournament.    This is similar to the Fab Five basketball team that the Univ. of Michigan had a few years back. Of course, Minnesota coaches may want to stay away from the whole boosters giving thousands of dollars to the top recruits thing that has Michigan in so much trouble right now. C-Webb, where are you when we need your advice?    Finally, J Robinson is still the top marketing executive in this sport. Nobody can find a way to pack an arena like Robinson can. Whether it be using Border Brawl or some sort of promotional tool, and yes I still have my Goldy bobblehead doll, Robinson just simply finds a way to market his team.    It will be tough for him to ever out-market Iowa, since they are still the program known nationwide by all sports fans, even homer Tom Arnold. But with only two titles, Robinson has helped push Minnesota wrestling ahead of such storied programs as Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in the minds of many general sports fans.    Let's face it, the music world has J Lo. We have J Rob.    Add up all of these reasons, and you can see how the Gophers are not done yet. Not this year, not next year, and with that recruiting class, not in the future either.    So Hawkeye fans, make sure you show the Gophers some love on your Valentine's Day matchup in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Be careful. With a full and healthy Gopher lineup, it may be you who is eating crow.    Note: The Center Circle will appear on TheMat.com on Thursdays.