Iowa Football Bowl Projections: Hawkeyes Forcing the CFP Conversation

Iowa is on the cusp of the College Football Playoff discourse, with a chance to force the issue down the stretch. The bowl projections are split.

Oct 31, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Jack Dotzler (71) and tight end Addison Ostrenga (87) lift the Heartland Trophy after the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Iowa Hawkeyes, unsurprisingly, aren't going to go away quietly or without a fight. After a very impressive showing against Wisconsin to move to 6-2 on the year, Iowa has returned to the fringes of the College Football Playoff conversation.

Iowa isn't firmly in the field by any means, but the Hawkeyes have set themselves up with a chance to get to 10-2, which I think is a mighty strong case for inclusion in the 12-team field. The latest bowl projections have Iowa on the cusp of the CFP, if not sneaking into the field.

Iowa Football Bowl Projections

After this week, it's down to two spots for the Iowa Hawkeyes: the College Football Playoff or the Citrus Bowl, which is the most likely destination for the first Big Ten team snubbed from the field. Iowa is slotting into these two spots, setting the stage for a stretch run with everything on the line.

Sports Illustrated

The Hawkeyes are just outside of the CFP, according to Sports Illustrated's bowl projections. The Hawkeyes are headed to Orlando for a Citrus Bowl matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels.

College Football News

The Hawkeyes have a chance. College Football News likes Iowa to run the table and sneak into the field at 10-2. This would send No. 9-seeded Iowa on the road to No.8 LSU, which would be quite the scene from Death Valley.

ESPN

Both of ESPN's bowl projections are not just the same bowl, but have Iowa playing the same team. The Iowa Hawkeyes draw the LSU Tigers in the Citrus Bowl, which would set the stage for a stylistic clash.

CBS Sports

It's yet another Citrus Bowl projection, as CBS Sports follows suit with a few other projections. The only question is which SEC team Iowa could draw. CBS Sports pits Iowa against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Riley Donald's Iowa Hawkeyes Bowl Projection

I really do think Iowa's bowl outlook is going to continue to become tunnel vision with each passing week. The Hawkeyes are too good to fall into the mid-tier of bowl games, but are they good enough to win out and make the College Football Playoff?

Riley Donald's Iowa Hawkeyes Bowl Projection: No.9 Iowa at No. 8 Kentucky, College Football Playoff First Round

Every single year, the Iowa Hawkeyes seem to have one stinker on their schedule. That was the Minnesota game this year. Iowa didn't get beat. The Hawkeyes gave that game away in every single way they could. That's out of their system and was a learning moment.

Iowa is a quality football team built on fundamentals and execution. With a stretch of Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois, and Nebraska left, I think Kirk Ferentz's team doing the basics better is going to be enough.

I do think 10-2 sends Iowa on the road in the first round, but for this week's pick, I think Kentucky finds a way to get to 10-2, which gives them the home game. With all of the other possibilities, this matchup would be one that Iowa should embrace.