How Far Did Iowa Football Fall in the AP Top 25, Coaches Poll After Loss to Minnesota?

The slide is on. Iowa's ranking took a hit in this week's rankings, but just how far did the Hawkeyes go down the polls?

Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Reece Vander Zee (2) reacts after a pass meant for him is intercepted Oct. 24, 2026 during a Big Ten football game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It was a classic scenario of everything that could have possibly gone wrong for the Iowa Hawkeyes did, in fact, go very wrong for them in their 13-10 ugly, sloppy loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers to fall to 5-2 this season.

With no point in sulking over the loss, as the Hawkeyes still have five regular-season games remaining, we can recognize it was a comedy of errors. Be it fumbles, interceptions, brutal penalties from mental lapses, or a mix of other things, Iowa did everything wrong that they normally dominate.

Iowa has to pick up the pieces in a hurry, with the Wisconsin Badgers coming to Kinnick Stadium next week for a Big Ten showdown on Halloween that looks like anything but an easy one after the Badgers took down USC. Iowa will enter that game ranked, but not without a slide in the polls.

Where are the Iowa Hawkeyes ranked this week?

A pretty severe slide in the polls felt inevitable for the Hawkeyes, who had entered the week ranked No. 14 in the Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the AP Top 25. There is now a lot of work to be done to climb in the polls as the College Football Playoff rankings approach.

Coaches Poll

As expected, the Coaches Poll hit the Iowa Hawkeyes pretty hard with a slide. Iowa slid a whopping 10 spots in the Coaches Poll this week, down to No. 24 in the country, barely remaining ranked after the lowly showing against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

AP Top 25

The AP Top 25 poll absolutely hammered the Iowa Hawkeyes for this loss. After being No. 15 in last week's poll, Iowa has fallen out of the rankings entirely. The Hawkeyes are the first team out of the polls with the most votes, with Wisconsin sneaking in ahead of them at No. 25.

Riley Donald's Quick Thoughts

Iowa hasn't made it any easier on itself the rest of the way. At 5-2, Iowa has no more wiggle room if there are dreams of a College Football Playoff trip. Even a 10-2 mark isn't a guarantee for this team, although I imagine the Hawkeyes would make the field if they can get to that mark.

It's not time to hit the panic button, though. Iowa did just about every single thing wrong it could have against Minnesota, and still almost found a way to pull out a miraculous win. Iowa has to clean up the turnovers on offense and continue to play great defense and special teams down the stretch.