Iowa Football Makes Biggest Jump in the Country in New ESPN FPI Rankings

ESPN FPI has turned a corner with the Hawkeyes, slingshotting them up the rankings this week.

Oct 31, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz arrives at Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The more data we get, the more it confuses us. That's how I am choosing to handle the new ESPN FPI rankings that have come out after this weekend's college football slate. The Iowa Hawkeyes are beneficiaries of it, but that doesn't make me understand it anymore.

After an abysmal slide in the ESPN FPI last week, Iowa has made the largest jump of any team in college football this week, with a massive jump that should hopefully support a healthy ranking in the upcoming College Football Playoff rankings.

Iowa climbs 14 spots in the ESPN FPI

After flirting with the top 25 of the ESPN FPI all year, going in and out, Iowa's well-rounded performance against Wisconsin has them firmly inside the top 25. Iowa made the biggest jump of any team in America, climbing 14 spots to No. 21 in ESPN FPI's rankings.

ESPN FPI Predictions for Iowa Football

Well, this is some serious movement in every single way. It's all good movement, too. Iowa's projected win total jumped almost a full game, going from 7.7 to 8.5, as well as firmly locking up bowl eligibility. Those were expected, though. The other jumps stand out.

Iowa's chance to win out and get to 10-2 has jumped massively. The Hawkeyes now have a 13.1% chance to run the table, compared to ESPN giving them just a 4.1% chance last week. That ties into the CFP odds. Iowa's playoff odds jumped from 4.0% to 11.0%. Iowa is very much in this thing.

Projected Record: 8.5-3.5

Chance to Win Out: 13.1%

Chance to Make a Bowl Game: 100.0%

Chance to Win the Big Ten: 0.8%

Chance to Make the College Football Playoff: 11.0%

Chance to Make the National Championship: 0.5%

Chance to Win the National Championship: 0.1%

Riley Donald's Quick Thoughts

I think the ESPN FPI rankings are going to more closely mirror what the College Football Playoff committee does with its rankings when they come out on Tuesday night. With all of the chaos and parity in college football, Iowa may be one of the biggest winners.

The up-and-down nature of the sport this year has things feeling more wide-open than ever, which is a positive for the Hawkeyes' College Football Playoff chances. Yes, the room for error is entirely gone, but the chance exists. A 10-2 Iowa team is a hard one to ignore. And even harder to leave out.