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After being on top of the world with three consecutive top 10 finishes in 2002-2004, Iowa football embarked on a downward spiral under Kirk Ferentz. 

A see-saw 7-5 campaign in 2005 raised some red flags, but a poor 2006 season (6-7) followed by a non-bowl game mark (6-6) in 2007 caused some Hawkeye fans to question if Ferentz should remain head coach. 

There were even rumors that Ferentz would replace the retiring Lloyd Carr at Michigan, but he quickly put an end to that and stayed in Iowa City for his `10th season as head coach. 

The Hawkeyes desperately needed a redemption season in 2008, and it's safe to say that they got just that. The 9-4 campaign wasn't enough to secure a spot in a BCS bowl, but Iowa's hot finish could've landed it a berth in a 24-team College Football Playoff Field. 

With the expanded field seemingly imminent in the near future, it's worth a second look to see if 2008 would've been a playoff squad. 

The Rundown 

Considering all of the offseason questions Iowa had, it wasn't a shock to see the Hawkeyes earning little respect in the college football community entering 2008. 

Those discussion points continued after Iowa began the regular season 3-3, but the Hawkeyes did what they often do best later in the season – play their best football. 

Iowa was only 5-4 entering its Nov. 8 matchup with No. 3 Penn State, though. The Nittany Lions were well in the thick of the BCS championship race, and most thought they would have little problems in Iowa City. 

Wrong. Penn State jumped out to a 23-14 lead in the fourth quarter, but newly-entrenched starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi and star running back Shonn Greene engineered just enough offense to set up Daniel Murray's game-winning 31-yard field goal try in the final seconds. 

Murray's kick sailed right through the uprights, sending Kinnick Stadium into an unbelievable frenzy it hadn't experienced in a few years. 

Two more wins, including a 55-0 win at rival Minnesota in the regular season finale, propelled Iowa into the 2009 Outback Bowl against South Carolina on an absolute tear. 

Once again led by Greene, who finished the season with 1,850 rushing yards and earned the Doak Walker Award, the Hawkeyes throttled the Gamecocks 31-10 to finish 9-4 and No. 20 in the final AP Poll. 

The Bracket 

This entire hypothetical Iowa 24-team CFP squad series has been based on where the team landed in the pre-bowl season AP Poll, but for the first and probably only time in this series, we're going to make a push for the 2008 squad based on opinion. 

The Hawkeyes technically didn't enter bowl season ranked in any major poll, but had a 24-team CFP existed back then, a committee would've almost certainly included Iowa. 

Why? Because the Hawkeyes were playing some of the best football in the nation and had a signature victory over Penn State on their resume. The committee also probably would've loved to see Greene's incredible talents on the biggest stage, too. 

Plus, when you look at Iowa's schedule, all of its four losses (Pittsburgh, Northwestern, Michigan State, Illinois) came within one possession. Two of those teams (Northwestern, MSU) finished with nine victories as well, further helping the Hawkeyes' argument. 

It's hard to envision how Iowa would've fared in a 24-team bracket in 2008, but considering it built on 2008 with a special season in 2009, the Hawkeyes would've been a tough out. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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