The Iowa Hawkeyes fell out of the AP Top 25 on Sunday, Oct. 25, one day after a 13-10 road loss to Minnesota dropped the team to 5-2 and put its College Football Playoff hopes in serious jeopardy.
The Hawkeyes, who entered Week 8 ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the Coaches Poll, took two very different hits in the rankings released Sunday. The AP voters removed Iowa from the poll entirely, leaving the Hawkeyes as the first team out. The Coaches Poll dropped them 10 spots to No. 24, barely keeping them in the rankings,
According to Sports Illustrated, the Coaches Poll hit Iowa hard with a slide to No. 24 after what the site called a lowly showing against the Golden Gophers. The AP poll was even harsher. Wisconsin, which upset USC on Saturday, snuck in at No. 25 and knocked its next opponent out of the rankings.
What went wrong in Minneapolis
Just about everything. Iowa committed four turnovers, took a string of mental-lapse penalties, and squandered scoring chances all afternoon at Huntington Bank Stadium. The Hawkeyes did the things they normally dominate, and did all of them badly.
USA Today described it as a very strange performance that leaves head coach Kirk Ferentz with more questions than answers, noting the four turnovers, mind-numbing penalties and missed opportunities that defined the afternoon. Iowa also had a blocked kick in the loss, according to Hawk Central.
The sting is that Iowa still nearly escaped. Despite the sloppiest game of the Ferentz era's recent memory, the Hawkeyes were a play away from a miraculous road win. That near-miss cuts both ways: it suggests the talent is there, but so is the self-inflicted damage.
Why the Wisconsin game now looms so large
The schedule does Iowa no favors. Wisconsin, fresh off taking down USC, visits Kinnick Stadium on Halloween for a Big Ten showdown that will go a long way toward deciding whether the Hawkeyes' season is remembered as a contender or a cautionary tale.
At 5-2, Iowa has no margin left. USA Today's rankings coverage noted that Iowa and USC both lost to unranked teams on the road in Week 8, part of a weekend of wreckage that reshuffled the middle of both polls. The Hawkeyes now need to win out, or close to it, to have any shot at the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
Sports Illustrated's Riley Donald put it plainly: even a 10-2 finish is not a guarantee for this team, though he imagined the Hawkeyes would make the field if they get there. That is a thin path for a program that spent October in the top 15.
The path forward for the Hawkeyes
Five regular-season games remain. The formula for a turnaround is not complicated, even if executing it is. Iowa has to stop giving the ball away on offense, and it has to keep doing what it has done well all season on defense and special teams.
The defense kept Iowa in the Minnesota game despite four turnovers. The special teams units have been a strength. What has not been a strength is ball security, and that is the one flaw that can sink a season in a hurry in the Big Ten.
There is no reason to hit the panic button yet, as Sports Illustrated noted. Iowa did everything wrong against Minnesota and still nearly won. But the polls have spoken, and the message is clear: the Hawkeyes are no longer viewed as a lock for the Playoff conversation. They will have to earn their way back in, starting Saturday against a Wisconsin team that just proved it can beat anyone in the country.
FAQ
Where is Iowa football ranked now?
Iowa is No. 24 in the Coaches Poll and is unranked in the AP Top 25 as of Oct. 25, making the Hawkeyes the first team out of the AP rankings.
Who did Iowa lose to?
Iowa lost 13-10 to Minnesota on the road on Oct. 24, falling to 5-2 on the season.
Does Iowa still have a chance at the College Football Playoff?
Yes, but the margin is gone. Iowa likely needs to finish at least 10-2, and even that mark is not a guarantee, according to Sports Illustrated.