Iowa's expected drop in the AP Top-25 rankings raises the stakes for week six

Ohio State is a good team, as it proved with a commanding 31-14 victory at Kinnick Stadium in week five.

A ton of hype surrounded the Hawkeyes after a last-second victory over Michigan, and they were a popular underdog pick in week five. Ohio State quickly shut that down and proved why they are one of the best teams in college football. In Iowa's first top-15 matchup of the season, the offense struggled, the defense was lit up, and the game was essentially over by the fourth quarter. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, it's still early, and they have a perfect chance to get back on track with a road win in week six. The loss caused a significant drop in the rankings and gave the program all the motivation it could need.

Iowa dropped six spots in this week's AP Top-25 rankings

This week's top-25 had some shuffling, with Iowa falling significantly after a loss. It is unclear why Iowa dropped so far after losing to a quality opponent who is ranked in the top five, but they aren't an SEC program, so they don't get the benefit of the doubt. Iowa was one of the biggest fallers, dropping six spots, setting up an important road matchup against Washington in week six.

Iowa fell to No. 20 overall after a week five loss, now ranked as the fifth-highest-ranked Big Ten program in this week's AP Top-25 rankings. Missouri was the biggest riser this week, jumping 11 spots to No. 14 overall, taking Iowa's place. Florida was the biggest faller, dropping eight spots to No. 18, with Iowa as the second-biggest faller, down six spots from last week. Iowa isn't concerned about early-season rankings, but dropping six spots will definitely get its attention. The program has never made a College Football Playoff, and before the Ohio State loss, everyone was high on the Hawkeyes doing it this year.

One loss won't sink the Hawkeyes' CFP chances, but they have to play mistake-free football from here on out. Several teams on their schedule have played well early, and if Iowa takes one or more losses, it could be on the outside looking in at season's end. Two losses make it much tougher, unless it is a ranked loss, and Iowa can't afford to take two early losses. With Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Nebraska left on the schedule, the squad has to right the ship to enhance their chances.

No one on the coaching staff or on the team will say they are focused on rankings, but they cannot be avoided. If Iowa plays poorly on a short week of preparation and drops another game for the second straight week, they are backing itself into a corner that it doesn't want to be in. Dropping to No. 20 sets up a pivotal week-six game against the Huskies in Seattle, and the Hawkeyes must take care of business.

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