Biggest Unknowns About Iowa Football Entering Big Ten Play

The nonconference slate is over, and it's officially time for the Iowa Hawkeyes to enter the Big Ten gauntlet, which, to be quite honest, begins as one of the most serious gauntlets of any schedule in college football.

Iowa opens up on the road against the Michigan Wolverines next weekend, in a game that is going to tell us a whole lot about both of these 3-0 teams kickoff off conference play. The Hawkeyes looked strong against Northern Iowa, but they were supposed to. We still have a few questions that are going to be answered one way or another this weekend.

How good is Iowa's defensive line?

Through three games, Iowa's defensive line has held up extremely well after entering the year with question marks about depth and who would step up. The Hawkeyes have allowed just 198 rushing yards through three games, at an average of 2.2 yards per carry.

Michigan is going to be Iowa's biggest test. The Wolverines are the biggest and strongest offensive line and ground game Iowa will have seen up to this point in the season.

The Wolverine ground game is going to come from three players. Quarterback Bryce Underwood is the leading rusher with 156 yards, but running backs Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter each have big-play ability. Iowa's defensive line is going to be tested this week to hold up.

Can Hank Brown stay clean?

There are multiple layers to Hank Brown staying clean. The first, and most obvious, is whether Iowa can protect him against Michigan's pass rush, which will be the best the Hawkeyes have seen. Michigan sees John Henry Daley, Nate Marshall, and Dom Nichols all with at least two sacks.

The other part of this question is seeing if Hank Brown can continue to complete 72% of his passes while avoiding interceptions. He has yet to throw an interception this season, and against Michigan, turnovers are even more detrimental.

Is Iowa ready to take the next step?

I think this is the question Iowa fans and Big Ten viewers have been asking about the Hawkeyes for quite some time. No one is going to argue that Iowa is a strong program that wins a lot of games.

The issue is in the next step after simply getting to eight or nine wins every year. That next step is taking down ranked teams and the upper echelon of the conference.

Michigan presents Iowa with that opportunity when things get underway from Ann Arbor, and it's an opportunity Iowa needs to seize. Michigan is a ranked team, but they aren't without a fair share of weaknesses, as the first three weeks have shown.

With a schedule putting Ohio State and Washington on the heels of this game, a win over the Wolverines doesn't just get Iowa to 4-0. It is the first step for the Hawkeyes in putting themselves among the top of the Big Ten.

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