Kirk Ferentz took a pointed shot at ESPN on Tuesday, Nov. 4, hours before the College Football Playoff selection committee released its first top 25 of the season, suggesting the network tilts its coverage toward the conferences and sports it broadcasts.
Speaking to reporters at his weekly press conference, the longtime Iowa head coach was dripping with sarcasm as he mocked the network's promotional habits. Iowa landed at No. 19 in the committee's first rankings later that night.
Ferentz Sounds Off on ESPN's Coverage
According to Yahoo Sports, Ferentz opened fire before the rankings show even aired, joking that ESPN benefits from the SEC-heavy conversation surrounding the playoff picture.
“It's great for TV, right?” Ferentz said, per the Hawkeye Historian X account. “ESPN's loving it. Next time I look at my iPad I'm sure I'll be reading all about it and can't wait. I did notice they seem to promote the sports that they carry. Is that correct? I'm figuring that out.”
The two-time Big Ten champion did not stop at football. He pointed to the World Series, which aired on Fox, and noted how little the matchup appeared on ESPN programming until the final game.
“You couldn't find anything on the World Series, until the last game. I'm living in the same world, right? I'm like 'are they still playing the World Series or what? Oh yeah, Fox and ESPN.' We're not on ESPN, so we probably won't make the rankings. Haven't gone that far, but anyway, I'm not too worried about it,” Ferentz said.
Why Iowa's TV Partner Matters in the Rankings Conversation
The coach's jab lands on a real fault line in college football. The Big Ten's marquee games air on Fox, while ESPN holds the SEC's media rights and broadcasts the playoff itself. Fans have argued for years that the arrangement shapes how teams are discussed, ranked and promoted on the network's studio shows.
Awful Announcing reported that Ferentz joked the Hawkeyes' Fox affiliation could keep them out of the rankings entirely, a line that drew laughs in the press room but echoed a complaint many fans have voiced on social media since the playoff era began.
Iowa's No. 19 spot suggests the committee did not bury the Hawkeyes, but the margin is thin. Ferentz's team stunned Michigan at the Big House and just shut out Wisconsin at Kinnick Stadium, yet a blowout loss to Ohio State and a soft non-conference schedule leave little room for error.
What Iowa's Path to the Playoff Looks Like Now
The remaining schedule offers no ranked opponents: a trip to Northwestern, home games against Purdue and Nebraska, and a road date at Illinois. That means Iowa controls almost nothing about its own resume from here.
ClutchPoints noted that a surprise appearance in the Big Ten championship game is the Hawkeyes' only realistic route into the 12-team field. Even that would likely require chaos elsewhere in the conference standings.
Ferentz, in his 27th season leading the program, has never been one to lobby for his team in public. His willingness to call out the network that televises the playoff, and the SEC games that dominate its fall programming, won him plenty of admirers among fans who share the suspicion.
A Coach Speaking for Frustrated Fans
The comments came on the same day the committee unveiled its first rankings of the expanded playoff era's second season. Ferentz did not watch the show, according to Yahoo Sports, and he may not have reason to tune in until the 2027 rankings cycle.
For Iowa fans, the frustration is familiar. The Hawkeyes have spent years winning games that national pundits dismiss while SEC programs with similar resumes draw praise. Ferentz's sarcasm put that grievance on the record from inside the program rather than from the message boards.
Whether the committee rewards Iowa's November run remains to be seen. What is clear is that the winningest coach in program history has no intention of staying quiet about how the sport's biggest platform treats teams outside the ESPN family.
FAQ
What did Kirk Ferentz say about ESPN?
On Nov. 4, Ferentz sarcastically told reporters that ESPN promotes the sports and conferences it broadcasts, joking that Iowa's games airing on Fox could keep the Hawkeyes out of the College Football Playoff rankings.
Where did Iowa land in the first CFP rankings?
The Hawkeyes came in at No. 19 in the selection committee's first top 25 of the season, released Tuesday night.
Can Iowa still make the College Football Playoff?
Reaching the Big Ten championship game is the Hawkeyes' only realistic path, and it would likely require losses by teams ahead of them in the conference standings.