Iowa football narrowly makes first top 25 coaches poll of the preseason

The US LBM Coaches Poll released their preseason rankings and Iowa was able to just barely make the top 25 after finishing just barely in the top 25 at the end of the 2023 season.

The Hawkeyes come in at No. 25 in the rankings and come in as the sixth and final Big Ten team in the rankings, even though they are projected to finish fifth in the conference. However, any sort of ranking before or early in the season is a sign that things must look good for your program.

The reason for Iowa's lower ranking is probably due to the uncertainties with the Hawkeyes this season. Iowa has not historically had one of the best offenses in the Big Ten, however, last season the Hawkeyes had the worst offense in the conference averaging just 235.4 yards a game, almost 54 yards less than the next team.

The injury to Cade McNamara did affect the team last season, but in order to move up the rankings, McNamara and the rest of the Hawkeye offense will need to step up their game. The running back position is currently a battle, but it is currently one of the best-looking offensive positions.

McNamara is set to be the starter at the beginning of the season, but he will have to compete each game to keep his spot as Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan is waiting in the wings ready to take over if he needs to.

Iowa has the potential with their lethal defense to just hold teams long enough for the offense to catch up, but against teams like Michigan and Ohio State, they need more than just hopes of their defense getting it done.

If Iowa wants to work its way up the rankings, it will need to perform in all phases of the game because the Big Ten just got a lot harder with the addition of Washington, USC, UCLA, and Oregon.