Iowa football moves up in ESPN Week 12 Power Rankings
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There seems to be a growing trend of outlets and rankings realizing that the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) may actually belong amongst the best teams in the country, even after the loss to the Oregon Ducks.
The USA TODAY Sports Re-Rank bumped the Hawkeyes up a spot. The CBS Sports Power Rankings have Iowa on the cusp of the top 15 teams in college football. Now, ESPN is the latest outlet to look at the Iowa Hawkeyes and realize they are right there with the best teams in college football.
The ESPN Week 12 Power Rankings have Iowa making a two-spot climb up to No. 23 this week.
23. Iowa Hawkeyes
Previous ranking: 25
The Hawkeyes were seconds away from closing out a win that would have put them on the outer edges of the CFP radar. But they couldn’t finish off Oregon in a game in which they were outplayed in areas where they normally thrive. Iowa gave up its highest rushing total (261) since 2022 and its highest yards-per-rush against average since 2014. The Hawkeyes also made an uncharacteristic special teams error, as a bad snap led to a safety and the game’s first score. Iowa can’t afford slip-ups in its areas of strength, and must be sharper this week at USC and at Nebraska on Nov. 28. The Hawkeyes also must continue to grow their downfield passing attack, which flashed at times in the Oregon game, as quarterback Mark Gronowski had completions of 40 and 38 yards. — Rittenberg
The bump is nice, but now Iowa has to do something with it and not just be close to winning games or playing competitive football. The Hawkeyes need to put together a complete game and take down a ranked team this weekend when they take on the USC Trojans, who appear at No. 17 in ESPN’s Power Rankings.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football moves up in ESPN Week 12 Power Rankings
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