Who Iowa Should Root For During Bye Week

The Iowa Hawkeyes' bye week couldn't have come at a better time. Even though No. 6 Oregon has a bye as well, head coach Kirk Ferentz is able to use this as a reset point before the final four games of the season.

Heading into its matchup at Kinnick Stadium against the Ducks, Iowa knows it's going to take a complete game to pull off the upset. This week, they'll focus on rest and recovery before ramping up practices ahead of their highly anticipated Oregon game.

In the meantime, there are a few key upsets that Hawkeyes fans should be looking out for. If these upsets happen, it creates a clear path for Iowa to win the conference, should they win out.

Penn State Defeats No. 1 Ohio State

Enjoy watching Penn State vs Ohio State this weekend. The matchup won’t happen again until 2028

PSU & OSU have played every year since 1993 pic.twitter.com/5MnasktuVe
— LandonTengwall (@LandonTengwall) October 30, 2025

While it seems unlikely, Penn State is not going down without a fight. They proved that at Kinnick Stadium against Iowa in a game that went down to the wire. Now, they've had an extra week to prepare for the Buckeyes.

Should the Nittany Lions hand OSU their first loss, it may push the No. 1 team in the nation out of the top ten. Ohio State would drop to 7-1 (4-1) with one key conference game remaining on their schedule.

Iowa Hawkeyes defensive lineman Bryce Hawthorne (96) and Iowa Hawkeyes defensive end Brian Allen (90) tackle Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) during a college football game Oct. 18, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Every year, Ohio State and Michigan end the season with a bang. The red-hot Wolverines find themselves ranked No. 21, a ranking that could increase big time if they're able to take down OSU on November 29.

Penn State has a chance to wreak havoc in this conference as they play No. 2 Indiana next week. If somehow the Nittany Lions return to form and take down the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, one could only imagine how the B1G would look.

Maryland Upsets No. 2 Indiana

The No. 2 team in the country has arrived here in Maryland. No. 2 Indiana (8-0) vs. Maryland (4-3), 3:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS. #iufb pic.twitter.com/wouT8zKXOi
— Jeff Rabjohns (@JeffRabjohns) October 31, 2025

The 4-3 (1-3) Terrapins could be the definition of a trap game for Indiana. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has done everything in his power to lead this Indiana team to the No. 1 ranking, something they're one OSU loss away from doing.

Maryland has dropped three straight, and they don't have any notable wins this season. With OSU and PSU kicking off at noon EST, Hawkeyes fans can immediately turn to CBS for this 3:30 p.m. EST kickoff. Ultimately, Penn State beating Ohio State seems more likely than Maryland taking down Indiana.

Nebraska Takes Down No. 23 USC

Nebraska has lost 28 straight games against AP ranked teams...

Will the streak end on Saturday vs. USC? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/h4KvPuPAHP
— CFB Tracker (@MatchupTracker) October 28, 2025

A second conference loss for the Trojans would all but guarantee they're out of the running. After losing to No. 23 Illinois, 34-32, on September 27, USC fell to No. 13 Notre Dame, 34-24. They've dropped two of their last three, and Nebraska has a chip on their shoulder.

The formerly No. 25-ranked Cornhuskers are 6-2 (3-2) after their shocking 24-6 loss to Minnesota a few weeks ago. For what it's worth, USC beat Michigan by 18 while Nebraska lost to them by three. Either way, a Cornhuskers win would eliminate USC from the conversation and further weaken them ahead of their game against the Hawkeyes on November 15.

On the contrary, USC winning and climbing the ranks would make Iowa beating them on the road in two weeks that much sweeter. This one could go either way, it's just a preference of Hawkeyes fans wanting an easier win or a tough road test that will build their resume.

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