Iowa's Road To College Football Playoff Begins vs. Oregon

Sitting at No. 20, the Iowa Hawkeyes know they have a straightforward path to the College Football Playoffs. Their loss earlier this season to Iowa State hurt their chances originally, but they have two massive games on the horizon that could change everything.

At the end of the day, the committe isn't going to punish them for losing by five points to No. 2 Indiana. The Hoosiers were ranked No. 11 at the time, and it was really only a three point loss because of the last second safety.

Iowa begins their quest for a CFP appearance when No. 9 Oregon comes to town. A win over the Ducks would immediately catch everyone's attention, and Iowa has another chance to do so next week. Should they beat Oregon, they'll see a huge jump in the rankings ahead of facing No. 19 USC. For what it's worth, USC already won this week as they took down Northwestern on November 7, 38-17.

Crucial Back-To-Back Games

GAMEDAY 😤 pic.twitter.com/RzWo0ugqcW
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) November 8, 2025

At this stage in the season, Iowa wouldn't have wanted it any other way. With Oregon coming to town, Kinnick Stadium is sold out and should deliver one of the best atmospheres in all of college football. The weather could work in Iowa's favor as they do everything in their power to fight past being a one-touchdown underdog.

Many analysts and national media personalities have been picking Iowa in this game. Beating Oregon would be step one in their quest as next week they have to fly across the country to play at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

USC may have lost to now-unranked Illinois, 34-32, but their other loss was to No. 10 Notre Dame, 34-24. They only beat Nebraska by four, but that was a huge win to help Iowa's chances. Had the Trojans lost to the Cornhuskers, they wouldn't be ranked. Iowa needs USC to look as strong as possible so these back-to-back wins would boost their resume.

Final Two Games

24 hours ⏳

Opportunity awaits. pic.twitter.com/CyeMrnq89e
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) November 7, 2025

On paper, Iowa should have no issues with Michigan State or Nebraska. The Cornhuskers put up a fight against USC, but they're now without their star quarterback Dylan Raiola. MSU has been in shambles as Jonathan Smith's squad started 3-0 but managed to drop six straight.

Iowa doesn't have the easiest schedule in the world, but the CFP committe can't deny their resume if they beat Oregon and USC in the final four weeks of the season. Knowing they are currently ranked No. 20, it's hard to fathom a scenario where winning out isn't be enough to get them into the playoffs.

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