Iowa Football's Spot in Big Ten Preseason Media Poll Creates More Questions

Iowa Football's Spot in Big Ten Preseason Media Poll Creates More Questions

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Iowa Football's Spot in Big Ten Preseason Media Poll Creates More Questions
Dec 30, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz watches from the sideline against the Missouri Tige
Dec 30, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz watches from the sideline against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

You can smell it. It's in the air. It's almost here.

College football season is just around the corner, and that means preseason polls, predictions, and the overanalysis of every inch of every team as we try to glean any info we can ahead of this season.

With that come questions and thoughts before the football is even kicked off, and that is what the recent Big Ten Preseason Media Poll has done.

BIg Ten Preseason Media Poll

Are the Iowa Hawkeyes placed where they are out of a true belief that is where they sit in the Big Ten? Or is it out of an abundance of caution to anticipate yet another middle-of-the-road year for the Hawkeyes?

In the Cleveland.Com Big Ten Preseason Media Poll, the Hawkeyes are slotted in at No. 8 in the conference, a spot that Iowa and Kirk Ferentz are all too familiar with.

At the top of the conference are no surprises. Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana, three teams all in contention for the national title, start things off. From there, the questions begin as every team ahead of Iowa has something to prove.

That doesn't mean Iowa doesn't have things of its own to prove, but it raises more questions than before based on who is ahead of the Hawkeyes.

Big Ten Question Marks

Even the top of the conference has its question marks for 2026. Can Ohio State be as dominant on defense once again? Will Oregon finally break through for the elusive championship? Can Josh Hoover replace Fernando Mendoza at Indiana?

Those are the questions for the heavy hitters, but the teams ahead of Iowa have question marks that are even louder.

USC Trojans

Let's not forget that Iowa had this USC team dead in the water last year before an uncharacteristic second-half collapse. This team has weaknesses.

It really comes down to when and if Lincoln Riley is going to prove it or not at USC. The pieces have been there, but the Trojans have fallen short often. Is the hype and potential better than Iowa's proven and consistent success?

Michigan Wolverines

The biggest unknown in the Big Ten, in my opinion, is how Michigan bounces back with Kyle Whittingham taking over after a tumultuous offseason.

It starts with Bryce Young. He was just fine last year, which is a bit rich to say after watching Iowa quarterbacks. Does he take the next step and become as good as the hype says he can be?

If not, is Michigan just a maize and blue version of Iowa that runs the ball and plays great defense?

Penn State

Matt Campbell, who is intimately familiar with Iowa, takes over in Happy Valley with high expectations for success to happen fast. That's a lot to walk into.

He is taking quarterback Rocco Becht with him and a slew of other Iowa State talents. That talent went 8-4 (5-4 Big 12) last year and now joins an objectively tougher conference. Are we sure this team is better than Iowa on paper, the way these polls are made?

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/iowa as Iowa Football's Spot in Big Ten Preseason Media Poll Creates More Questions.

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