Iowa Football Bowl Projections Hinge On 3 Letters: CFP or SEC

Sitting idly, the Iowa Hawkeyes are some of college football's biggest beneficiaries of the chaos that this sport always seems to drum up. Iowa is 5-1 and has a six-game stretch of tough but very winnable games against the old Big Ten West.

That's what stands between Iowa and the College Football Playoff. The Hawkeyes are going to be going bowling this year. The question is which three-letter acronym it is associated with: the CFP or the SEC?

Sports Illustrated

The latest projections from Sports Illustrated keep Iowa in the CFP field as the fourth Big Ten team after Indiana, Ohio State, and UCLA. Iowa is the No. 11 seed, heading on the road to No. 6 Ole Miss in these projections.

College Football News

Pete Fiutak of College Football News is high on Iowa. Not only is Iowa in the field, but the Hawkeyes are hosting the first game of the CFP at home inside Kinnick Stadium, as the No. 8 seed hosts No. 9 Tennessee.

ESPN

The projections from ESPN aren't giving Iowa the nod yet. They need to see more. Iowa is settled into the Citrus Bowl in both projections, drawing either the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Kentucky Wildcats, which would be the third bowl matchup between these two since 2021.

CBS Sports

Like ESPN, CBS Sports is putting the Hawkeyes against another SEC program in the Citrus Bowl. This time, Iowa is taking on the Florida Gators, who would have quite the home-field advantage coming to Orlando from Gainesville.

Riley Donald's Iowa Hawkeyes Bowl Projection

Last week, I finally put the Iowa Hawkeyes into the College Football Playoff after toying around with the Citrus Bowl and Reliaquest Bowl. I feel even more confident in that pick after seeing last weekend turn the college football world upside down. Iowa has as much of a shot as anyone to make the CFP.

Riley Donald's Iowa Hawkeyes Bowl Projection: Iowa vs. Tennessee, College Football Playoff First Round

If Iowa goes 11-1, the Hawkeyes are hosting a College Football Playoff game at Kinnick Stadium in December. I firmly believe that. At 10-2, Iowa's best hope is going on the road after sneaking in as the No. 10 or No. 11 seed.

This week, I swap out Ole Miss for Tennessee, which just dominated Alabama. The Vols, currently 6-1, can get in at 10-2, which is what I think will happen, as they still have South Carolina, Kentucky, Texas A&M, LSU, and Vanderbilt.

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