Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa won 10 football games last season to conclude the best five-year stretch in the program’s history. But coach Kirk Ferentz says it wasn’t easy. At his postseason news conference Monday, Ferentz says there are no “easy outs.” The Hawkeyes’ three losses last season were by a combined 14 points. They finished the season with four consecutive wins including a 49-24 victory over Southern California in the Holiday Bowl. But there is a lot of work ahead for the Hawkeyes. They lose senior quarterback Nate Stanley, a three-year starter. And four players are leaving college early for a shot at the NFL. The Hawkeyes return all four of their top receivers.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs advanced to their first Super Bowl in 50 years by doing things decidedly their way. They let Patrick Mahomes and their potent offense wing the ball all over the field, never worrying for a moment that they were being too cavalier. They stuffed the line of scrimmage to take away Tennessee running back Derrick Henry, then did just enough in pass defense to ensure the Titans’ Ryan Tannehill didn’t beat them through the air. It all added up to a 35-24 victory in the AFC title game and a spot in the Chiefs’ first Super Bowl since the 1969 season.

UNDATED (AP) — Andy Reid revitalized the Kansas City Chiefs the same way he did with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s one win away from finishing the job. The only thing missing from Reid’s impressive resume is a Super Bowl title. He is seventh on the career wins list and every coach ahead of him has a championship. Reid won more games than any coach in Eagles history but lost his only Super Bowl appearance. Thanks to Patrick Mahomes, Reid gets another shot when the Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers in Miami on Feb. 2.

UNDATED (AP) — Baylor leaped over Gonzaga and into the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll to give the Top 25 its seventh team on top this season. That matches the record set in 1983 for the most No. 1s in the history of the poll that dates to the 1948-49 season. Baylor received 33 first-place votes from the 65-member media panel and had 1,591 points. Gonzaga received 31 first-place votes for 1,588 points. Kansas, undefeated San Diego State and Florida State replaced Duke, Auburn and Butler in the top five after those three schools each lost a pair of games last week.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter is hoping he can bounce back from a poor season that was interrupted by injuries. The three-time All-Star hit just .226 with 15 home runs. Carpenter hit a career-high 36 homers in 2018 and that earned him a two-year contract for $39 million. The NL Central champion Cardinals have indicated Carpenter will be their starting third baseman this season. He turned 34 in November. Carpenter spoke Monday at the team’s annual Winter Warm-Up fan event in St. Louis.