Iowa Football earned a unique preseason distinction that proves what fans already know

College football fans would be hard-pressed to find a more consistent program than the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa has not had a losing season since 2012 and has won five bowl games, the most recent against Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl in December 2025. Ferentz has established the program as one of the best developmental programs in the country, and one that will consistently fight above their weight class. One key component of Iowa's success is its ability to finish the season strong, often playing its best football in October and November. Despite their recent success, the AP Poll has consistently undervalued them, making them one of the most underrated teams in college football.

The Hawkeyes have been one of the top underrated football programs for over a decade

The Hawkeyes have been ranked in the preseason top 25 six times since 2014 and have finished ranked higher than their preseason ranking in half of those. Iowa has been ranked in the preseason top 25 11 times under Kirk Ferentz, and the program consistently finishes ranked higher than they started. While the ranking criteria will always be a topic of fierce debate, regardless of how you slice it, Iowa is one of the most underrated teams every year.

According to a deeper dive by On3 Sports' Brett McMurphy, Iowa checks in as the No. 4 most underrated team in college football behind Northwestern and just ahead of Boise State. BYU tops the list after being unranked to start the season in the previous two seasons, but finished ranked No. 13 (2024) and No. 11 (2025). The criteria for being underrated was based on teams that started the season either unranked and jumped into the final rankings, or significantly outperformed their ranking. Iowa falls into the second category.

While the program hasn't been a fixture in the preseason rankings, the Hawkeyes play their best football when it matters most and finish higher in the Big Ten and nationally than most people originally predicted. Iowa snuck into the AP Preseason Top 25 rankings before this season at No. 22, and has a golden opportunity to outplay that ranking once again. Despite a brutal stretch to start Big Ten play, the back half of Iowa's schedule is very favorable, and a College Football Playoff berth could be closer than we think. Iowa starts the Big Ten with Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington before the schedule cools off. We can't underestimate back-to-back rivalry games against Minnesota and Wisconsin, but the schedule gets significantly easier after that.

The biggest challenge to Iowa's CFP hopes and outplaying its ranking lies within those first three games, and if they can knock off at least one, there is no question they could finish the season at 10-2. Nebraska always presents a challenge, but Iowa has had their number, and the annual Heroes game is in Iowa City this year, so Iowa has a good chance to come out on top. If Iowa falters in their first three games, they could still go 9-3, but that makes their CFP hopes more difficult. Iowa has a prome opportunity to outplay their preseason ranking again this season, but all the pieces have to fall into place for Iowa to be one of the most underrated teams in CFB again this season.

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