Iowa Football Receiving Votes in Preseason AP Poll, Six Big Ten Teams Ranked

Iowa is unranked in the preseason AP poll, but the Hawkeyes aren’t too far out of the rankings.

The Hawkeyes received five votes in the poll, released on Monday. They are one of three Big Ten teams receiving votes in the rankings, while six squads in the conference ranked in the top 25.

Texas is No. 1 in the poll, receiving 1,552 points and 25 first-place votes. Just behind the Longhorns is Penn State at No. 2. The Nittany Lions had just five fewer (1,547) points and 23 first-place votes.

Ohio State — the defending national champion — is No. 3 in the preseason poll with 1,472 points and 11 first-place votes.

Oregon is the Big Ten’s final team ranked in the top 10 at No. 7. The next-highest ranked team is Illinois at No. 12.

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Michigan and Indiana round out the last two teams ranked in the top 25 at Nos. 14 and 20, respectively. In addition to the Hawkeyes, USC (64) and Nebraska (23) received votes for the poll.

The Big Ten has the second most teams ranked of any conference behind only the SEC, which has 10.

Iowa is coming off an 8-5 season where the Hawkeyes went 6-3 in Big Ten play. Their 8-4 regular-season finish earned them a spot in the Music City Bowl, where they lost 27-24 to Missouri.

The Hawkeyes are without star running back Kaleb Johnson entering 2025, as he now plays for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers. Kamari Moulton, a redshirt sophomore, will look to be similarly productive for them on the ground.

Iowa also brings in a new quarterback in Mark Gronowski. A transfer from South Dakota State, Gronowski led the Jackrabbits to two FCS national championships — in 2022 and 2023 — and won the Walter Payton Award, given to the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS, in 2023.

A year ago, the Big Ten saw four of its members reach the College Football Playoff.

Indiana made the CFP after an 11-1 regular season but lost to Notre Dame in the first round, hosted in South Bend. Oregon earned the No. 1 overall seed and entered the playoff with a 13-0 record but lost to Ohio State in the quarterfinals (Rose Bowl). Penn State made it to the semifinals after beating SMU and Boise State but lost to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.

The Buckeyes clinched the national title with their 34-23 win over the Fighting Irish. They defeated Tennessee, Oregon and Texas en route to the title game.