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There's a lot of "What If?" moments in Iowa football history. 

Blowing a 24-7 halftime lead to Iowa State in 2002, Ricky Stanzi's injury against Northwestern in 2009, and the 2015 Big Ten Championship Game heartbreak are just a few of these instances that come to mind, but could the 2025 season soon join the "What If?" category? 

It's certainly possible. 

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 12 months, the story of the 2025 Hawkeyes is all-too-familiar. Iowa finished the regular season with a traditional 8-4 record, but the season was anything but that. 

The Hawkeyes lost four games by a combined 14 points – all to top 20 opponents (Iowa State, Indiana, Oregon, and USC). 

Iowa's 8-4 mark was nowhere near enough to qualify for a 12-team College Football Playoff, but had a 24-team field existed, it would've been in the bracket. 

With a 24-team CFP possibly coming in the not-so-distant future, we're concluding our hypothetical Hawkeye 24-team playoff squads with the 2025 team. 

The Rundown 

After featuring a less-offensive offense in 2024, things were finally looking up for Iowa's offense. Second-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester showed a ton of promise with his creativity in 2024, but he lacked a quarterback that could execute his robust West Coast offensive scheme. 

Those quarterback problems were solved when the Hawkeyes landed South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski. Though he struggled mightily in the first two games of the year (Albany and Iowa State), the former Walter Payton Award honoree eventually became the quarterback Iowa desperately needed. 

A third loss in four years to Iowa State was a difficult early-season blow for the Hawkeyes, but they had a chance to respond a few weeks later against then-No. 11 Indiana. 

Iowa gave the eventual national champion Hoosiers all it could handle, but Gronowski's injury in the fourth quarter destroyed any hopes of an upset victory, and the Hawks fell by five. 

These two September losses foreshadowed the theme of the entire season – so agonizingly close to beating good teams.

Iowa entered November still very much alive in the CFP race – ranked No. 20 and 6-2 overall – but another gut-wrenching defeat at home, this time to No. 9 Oregon, knocked the Hawkeyes out of playoff contention. 

The Hawkeyes followed this up with an equally-frustrating loss to USC, but wins over Michigan State and rival Nebraska wrapped up an 8-4 regular season.

Gronowski finished the regular season with an average 1,529 passing yards, but it's hard not to wonder what he could've done if he was healthy for the entire year. Those speculations increased when he tossed 212 passing yards and two touchdowns to help Iowa secure a 34-27 win over No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl. 

Wide receiver and return specialist Kaden Wetjen also had a spectacular season, becoming the only player in the country to score a rushing, receiving, kickoff return, and punt return touchdown in the same season. His three punt return touchdowns were also a Big Ten record. 

The Hawkeyes finished 9-4 overall and No. 17 in the final polls. 

The Bracket 

Using the final CFP rankings, Iowa would've been the No. 23 seed in this bracket and the final Power Four team to qualify. 

Playing Miami, the national runner-up, in the first round would've been very difficult for the Hawkeyes, but if they get past the Hurricanes, a winnable second round clash against Texas A&M (who Miami beat in the first round in the real tournament).

Ohio State would likely be waiting in the quarterfinals, which would've been fun to see. 

Iowa didn't have an explosive or flashy offense, but when you have an experienced quarterback, offensive line, and a weapon like Wetjen (on special teams, too) you've got a great shot to make a run in a 24-team field. 

Only time will tell to see if the 2025 team blazed the path for a successful 2026 season, but as the years go by, 2025 will always go down as a "What If?" year in the Kirk Ferentz era. 

You Can Win FREE Tickets To Iowa's Season Opener! 

HawkeyeRoundtable is giving away TWO tickets to Iowa's season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5! 

This is easily the biggest giveaway we've ever done on this site, and it's a great opportunity for two lucky fans to experience the joy of attending a Hawkeye football game at Kinnick Stadium. 

Click here to automatically become a member to enter the contest! Additional contest details can be found in our community section, too! 

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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