The Iowa Hawkeyes dropped another closed game to a ranked opponent at home last weekend.
After losing 18-16 to No. 9 Oregon last weekend, the Hawkeyes now have three losses this season, which all but eliminates them from the final College Football Playoff (CFP) bracket.
All three of Iowa's losses have come to ranked teams (then No. 14 Iowa State, No. 11 Indiana, No. 9 Oregon) by a combined 10 points.
Iowa has struggled to find a win against a ranked opponent, losing its last 12 games against ranked teams.
The Hawkeyes have been plagued by uncharacteristic miscues in big games this season, leaving many people who watch the team every week baffled.
Another disturbing statistic for the Iowa defense is that they have held a lead in all three of those losses with two minutes or less to go, and have not been able to hold on.
Before the loss to Oregon, Iowa was starting to gain attention as an underappreciated team, and at 6-2 (4-1 Big Ten), many were questioning why it was not ranked.
Iowa shocked the college football world when the program soared into the first CFP Rankings last Tuesday, but with three losses, there was no way the Hawkeyes could stay in the Week Two CFP Rankings, right?
WRONG!
2️⃣1️⃣ ➡️ @CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/Fim3YZLYme
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) November 12, 2025
The CFP Committee must have valued Iowa's loss to Oregon as a "quality loss," because they only bumped them down one spot from last week.
Oregon moved up one spot to No. 8 this week, and Iowa remained in the rankings at No. 21, giving the Hawkeyes a CFP lifeline.
With three losses, there is little to no chance Iowa makes it as one of the final 12 teams in the CFP bracket, but if they can handle business against No. 17 USC, things could get interesting.
The Big Ten and SEC are constantly vying for more playoff spots each year, but no team has ever made the field with three losses unless teams from other conferences knock each other out of contention.
If Iowa wins out against No. 17 USC, Michigan State, and Nebraska in their final three games, and the Big 12 and ACC can cancel each other out, we could be talking about a three-loss SEC or Big Ten team having an argument to make the field.