Why the College Football Playoff Neglect of the Iowa Hawkeyes is Overblown

I get it. It's mid-August. There are only so many things left to talk about before kickoff finally rolls around for the 2026 College Football season.

Still, some things are overblown and are simply a tired narrative. One of those narratives involves the Iowa Hawkeyes.

What's that narrative? This overblown, overused, and tired narrative that the Hawkeyes are this team without even a prayer of making the College Football Playoff.

The reputation around Iowa is outdated

It's an easy joke. Someone says the Iowa Hawkeyes can't score and that they only play defense and punt. That was funny in 2021 and 2022. Now, well, it's just old and shows a lack of in-depth analysis around the Hawkeyes.

The defense has remained as elite as any in the country, having yet to allow more than 19 points per game in the 2020s. The offense is starting to carry its own weight, too, rendering these jokes, well, not good.

Are we simply going to ignore the cold, hard facts that Iowa's offense has found life over the last two years with Tim Lester? In 2024, Iowa averaged 27.7 points per game and improved to 29.3 points per game in 2025.

Should we ignore that Iowa had both Indiana and Oregon on the ropes, if not down on one knee, last year? Tied with Indiana around the 2:00 warning and leading Oregon with just over 1:00 remaining proved this team is ready. Yes, they have to close, but are we completely dismissing the fact that they were legitimately two bounces away from making the College Football Playoff last year?

There is a path for Iowa. Saying otherwise is silly.

To say that the Iowa Hawkeyes don't even have a path to make the College Football Playoff - not win it, but simply make the 12-team field, as CBS Sports did - is quite the statement.

It's certainly bold. It feels like we are leaning on the old Iowa reputation to make that statement.

Iowa is starting a lot of new faces. That's true. Has that ever stopped the Hawkeyes' defense from being a top-10 unit under defensive coordinator Phil Parker? Why would that suddenly change?

On offense, there are question marks, but any in-depth analysis of the offense over the last two seasons shows clear change and adaptability.

Offensive coordinator Tim Lester has shown he is willing to change his scheme and play-calling to fit the offense, rather than forcing the offense to fit his scheme. That's what has elevated Iowa this year.

The schedule matters, too. Yes, Iowa has Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington all in a row. It's not easy, but just as we knock Iowa for its new faces, doesn't Michigan have a new head coach and a quarterback facing questions? Didn't Washington's quarterback try to leave via the transfer portal only to be denied? Is it that crazy to see Iowa picking one of them off?

The path is there. It may not be an easy path. But to say there's no path is tired.

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