Iowa Hawkeyes Named One of the 'Cleanest' College Football Teams Entering 2026

Rarely are the Iowa Hawkeyes creating headlines for anything else but on-field play. The culture of Kirk Ferentz's program is so deeply rooted that the discipline is woven into everything the players and coaches do.

For as good as Iowa is with being disciplined, that can't be said about every other team within the FBS ranks. Some struggle to stay on track and can't help but make life harder on themselves.

As the 2026 season approaches, Iowa's discipline should be on full display, which is evidenced by the Action Network putting them as the No. 3 "cleanest" team in college football.

For context, Action Network is defining this metric by looking at how many penalties per game, penalty yards per game, penalties per play, and penalties resulting in a first down each team commits.

How does Iowa compare?

With a "dirty score" of just 2.21, out of a maximum 100, which was achieved by only UAB, the Hawkeyes are a squeaky-clean team that avoids committing penalties and giving away first downs.

Ahead of the Hawkeyes are just two teams, which comes as no surprise. It is a pair of service academies, Army and Air Force, where discipline is a top priority.

Coming in right behind Iowa and No. 4 are the Michigan Wolverines. Remember, it's on-field cleanliness. On the field, Michigan is very clean. Off the field, they would be off the charts in this system.

Behind Michigan, at No. 5, is Minnesota, which is followed in close order by two more of Iowa's 2026 opponents, Northwestern at No. 7, and Iowa State at No. 8.

The Big Ten's "cleanest" teams

Iowa - 2.21 (3 - overall ranking)
Michigan - 2.94 (4)
Minnesota - 3.68 (5)
Northwestern - 5.15 (7)
Penn State - 7.35 (10)
Wisconsin - 10.29 (14)
Indiana - 11.30 (15)
Ohio State - 19.12 (26)
Rutgers - 22.06 (30)
Nebraska - 27.94 (38)
Purdue - 32.35 (44)
Illinois - 36.03 (49)
Washington - 41.18 (56)
Oregon - 52.94 (72)
Michigan State - 81.62 (111)
Maryland - 83.09 (113)
UCLA - 91.18 (124)
USC - 92.65 (126)

Can talent make up for penalties? In a way, I think so. Ohio State and Indiana are in the top quarter of teams staying clean, but Oregon makes its fair share of mistakes.

Could it be that talent wipes away penalties until those penalties come against a cleaner team of the same talent caliber? That's likely the case.

Riley Donald's Quick Thoughts

This might be the least surprising Kirk Ferentz stat of all-time. I mean, Iowa is known for feasting on opponents' mistakes and rarely making its own boneheaded play.

It's what helps Iowa win close games, put away bad teams, and continue to stack eight-win seasons on top of each other.

I think there's something to be said about Iowa's ability to stay disciplined. That doesn't just happen. It's something that is ingrained into the roster from top to bottom in practice, drills, film, and really, the day-to-day monotony of the college football grind.

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