Three Key Losses Open Window for Iowa to Be Ranked

Last week, the Iowa Hawkeyes received AP votes for the first time this season. The Hawkeyes didn't crack the AP Top 25, but were instead the fourth highest team to receive votes. With 27 votes, Iowa only was behind Washington, Tulane, and Navy.

For what it's worth, Iowa and Washington both had Byes. Neither team played the weekend of November 1, but a few key losses may have been enough for the Hawkeyes to find themselves ranked ahead of their biggest game of the season.

West Virginia def. No. 22 Houston, 45-35

🎶 𝗖𝗨𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗬 𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗗𝗦!!!

Heading home with a ranked win!! pic.twitter.com/sb58sOeUA8
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) November 1, 2025

Houston's defense decided not to show up in Week 10 which costed their team a spot in the rankings. It's going to be extremely hard for them to fight their way back into the AP Top 25, especially after losing to a team that sits at 3-6.

Their loss immediately drops them out of the rankings, meaning a new team has to fill their void. One would've expected that Tulane or Navy would be the next team up, but things didn't exactly shake out that way.

UTSA def. Tulane, 48-26

UTSA QB Owen McCown was near perfect last night in a 48-26 win vs Tulane

• (31-33) 94% Completion Percentage

• 370 Passing yards 4 Touchdowns pic.twitter.com/4tiwNnXWnC
— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) October 31, 2025

Once again, a defense went radio silent. Tulane had been phenomenal all year long, and they were looking to head into their game against Memphis with some momentum. Instead, the Green Wave fell to UTSA in a shocking defeat. What could've been a ranked Tulane vs. Memphis game turned into the Green Wave now trying to play spoiler.

North Texas def. Navy, 31-17

North Texas knocks undefeated Navy 31-17 to improve to 8-1 👀

The Mean Green keep their American title and CFP hopes alive. pic.twitter.com/flKOxvLbB5
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) November 1, 2025

The talk of the town was why 7-0 Navy wasn't ranked, but North Texas proved exactly why they weren't. This game was dominated by the Mean Green, as their 14 point first quarter lead proved to be too much to overcome for the Midshipmen. Navy's loss likely ends their chances of being ranked this season, though college football fans still have the critically acclaimed Army vs. Navy game to look forward to.

No. 23-25 All Won

Iowa fans were rooting for Nebraska to upset the Trojans, but the Cornhuskers fell short, 21-17. USC winning does help Iowa in a way, even if it prevented them from being ranked this week. Should Iowa take down both Oregon at home and USC on the road, their resume would be undeniable.

No. 24 Utah ran through No. 17 Cincinnati, 45-14. The Bearcats horrific loss may have dropped them out of the Top 25 entirely, something that would fall right into Iowa's hand. After seeing how poorly they played against a team that was barely ranked, it's hard to justify Cincy's spot in the rankings.

Finally, No. 25 Memphis took care of Rice, 38-14. There was never a doubt that the Tigers were going to win that game as they led 31-7 at halftime.

Knowing the current landscape after these losses, it's hard to imagine either Washington or Iowa finding their way into the Top 25. While neither team played, they've proven enough in the regular season to justify being ranked.

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