Iowa Football continues to prepare for the 2025-2026 season. The Hawkeyes are coming off an 8-5 (6-3 Big Ten) season, including a season-ending loss to the Missouri Tigers in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
The Hawkeyes were successful at Kinnick Stadium (6-1), losing only one game to rival Iowa State in heart-breaking fashion.
Iowa was also 3-1 in trophy games, picking up wins against Minnesota (Floyd of Rosedale), Wisconsin (Heartland), and Nebraska (Heroes).
The Hawkeyes were competitive in almost every game last season, excluding back-to-back bad performances against Ohio State (35-7 loss) and Washington (40-16 loss), and they lost three games by a combined seven points.
The Hawkeyes will look to make adjustments, especially on offense, to turn those close losses into wins this season.
Before the season kicks off in late August, two Big Ten Network (BTN) analysts released their projections for the top finishers in the Big Ten Conference.
Here are your top half #B1GFootball finishers in 2025, according to @Jbooty88 and @AdamBreneman81 👀 🏈 Who do you agree with? pic.twitter.com/THDpImhp9F
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) June 6, 2025
BTN college football analysts Jake Butt (left) and Adam Brenneman (right) projected the Hawkeyes to finish at No. 8 or 9 in the conference this season. They have the Hawkeyes behind four 2024 College Football Playoff teams (Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, and Indiana), Michigan, and Illinois.
Iowa rarely receives love from analysts in these rankings, and while their season projections for Iowa are low, they are just about right. If the Hawkeyes can fix their middling offense and make subtle improvements on defense, they will blow these projections out of the water.
The newly divisionless Big Ten Conference and Iowa's demanding schedule could contribute to the projections. For the first time, the Big Ten will no longer be split into the East and West Divisions, and the top two teams will compete for the Big Ten Title.
After the season's first three games against UAlbany, Iowa State, and Massachusetts, the Hawkeyes have seven consecutive challenging games, including three against 2024 CFP teams (Indiana, Oregon, and Penn State) and two rivalry games (Wisconsin and Minnesota).
The Hawkeyes hope South Dakota State transfer and former FCS Heisman winner Mark Gronowski can drastically improve their offense and help their defense. If Gronowski can successfully transition from FCS to FBS competition, the Hawkeyes will be dangerous.
The Hawkeyes are flying under the radar to start the season, and that is the way they like it.