Major B1G Upset Opens Door for Iowa

In the aftermath of the Iowa Hawkeyes' home loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, in grueling, "this close" fashion, many onlookers took the team's second loss as a sign that this year, like many others, wouldn't be the outlier in either conference or national competition. The Hawkeyes, once again, appeared bound to the middle of the road.

Yet, after yesterday, a breath of fresh air may have hit the program right when they needed it. The seventh-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions - a B1G juggernaut that Iowa is set to host in two short weeks - took their second loss at the hands of the winless UCLA Bruins on the road. All the sudden, the Hawkeyes, given a few key wins, could be back in the upper echelon of their conference.

The Nittany Lions' defeat was by far and away the most shocking on the college football landscape this past weekend, entering the expected "gimme game" favored by a whopping 24.5 points. They'd ultimately lose by five points, 42-37. A gap that looks measly yet, given the context, feels mountainous from the outside looking in.

Through a black and gold lens specifically, few teams are set to benefit from the Bruins' big win as much as the Hawkeyes potentially could, given their own ability to produce. Not only does this scenario poke holes in the Nittany Lions' legendary conference armor, potentially opening the door for an Iowa win in their matchup, but it brings a B1G favorite down from their top-spot throne.

Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski | Emma Calabro

To boot, Iowa, in light of Penn State's tumble, received some crucial good news regarding their starting quarterback Mark Gronowski. After the primary signal caller suffered an injury late in the Indiana loss, exiting the game and thereafter being shadowed by unclear news around his health, CBS Sports has now reported that his hampering isn't considered "long-term" or "season-ending."

While the ultimate nature of his knee issue remains unclear, clouding the projection of any actual return timeline, the news that he should at some point be back under center for Iowa couldn't come at a better time. If the team can survive next week's road bout against the Wisconsin Badgers (2-3) presumably behind backup quarterback Hank Brown, who knows what might come in the week following before the Hawkeyes line up against the Nittany Lions.

For the time, at 3-2 (1-1) Iowa is in the B1G conversation, at the very least. Given this seson's ample theatrics thus far, can you really ask for much more?

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