The Good and the Bad of Iowa Football Bowl Projections

Bowl projections? In July? Before training camp has even begun? You bet.

That's college football, baby. Predicting where teams are finishing and how successful a season they are going to have is nearly as much fun as playing the actual games.

And bowls? Despite the recent College Football Playoff expansion, bowl games still rock. Being an avid bowl game fan myself, the ones leaning into the chaos are the ones standing out, and the Iowa Hawkeyes may be headed for chaos.

Iowa is going bowling... but at a price

You never want to guarantee a bowl game appearance, but the Iowa Hawkeyes going bowling under Kirk Ferentz is one of the more sure bets you can make in college football.

The Hawkeyes have made a bowl game for 13 straight seasons, with the 2020 Music City Bowl canceled due to COVID-19 complications. That's a strong run that is unlikely to end in 2026.

The latest 2026 bowl projections from Athlon Sports see Iowa bowling, but with a bit of a step back in 2026. Iowa is destined for the Duke's Mayo Bowl to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies and former Big Ten head coach James Franklin.

This bowl would clearly mean Iowa wasn't in play for the CFP, as the last few years of the Duke's Mayo Bowl have seen the likes of Wake Forest, Minnesota, West Virginia, and Maryland. It would mean Iowa is finishing in the vicinity of 7-5.

The good and the bad of the Duke's Mayo Bowl

Let's start with the bad. Heading to Charlotte for this bowl would leave some fans a bit underwhelmed. Iowa has some excitement entering 2026 after a strong ReliaQuest Bowl win over Vanderbilt last year.

Turning around and heading to the Duke's Mayo Bowl would feel empty, considering how this program wants to be viewed.

Now, for the good, which might even be great. There are two parts. First, it's still a bowl game, and I am a big believer in bowl games mattering. I don't subscribe to the whole "make the playoff or the year is a bust" mentality.

Iowa rarely sees players opt out of bowl games. It clearly means something to this program, which is the way it should be in college football.

Secondly, and even better, this prediction has given me an image I need to see become a reality. That image is Iowa winning this game 19-15 by the weirdest path to get there and a mayonnaise shower on top of Kirk Ferentz.

It may not check off the College Football Playoff for Ferentz's remaining tasks in his career, but it would be another feather, or mayo, in his cap.

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