August 7, 2026
Iowa Enters 2026 With CFP Buzz, but Special Teams and QB Uncertainty Loom
ESPN gives Iowa an 11.8% CFP probability while multiple outlets flag a quarterback battle and the loss of every specialist as the Hawkeyes' biggest hurdles.
Iowa football arrived at the start of fall camp on Friday generating genuine College Football Playoff conversation, with ESPN listing the Hawkeyes among 31 programs it believes can reach the CFP field and USA TODAY Sports identifying a cluster of question marks the program must answer before the season opener.
ESPN analytics assigned Iowa an 11.8% probability of making the CFP, the highest-profile acknowledgment yet of the program's upside entering 2026. ESPN's Heather Dinich pointed to early road trips at Michigan on Sept. 26 and at Washington on Oct. 9 — the latter falling just six days after Iowa hosts Ohio State — as the likeliest path to catching the selection committee's attention. Iowa is also ranked No. 22 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, joining Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, USC, Michigan, Penn State and Washington as Big Ten programs that opened the year ranked.
Early road wins. Iowa's best chance to start high in the committee's weekly rankings is with wins at Michigan and Washington. That's a tall task, considering the Washington game is on a Friday night, just six days after Iowa hosts the Buckeyes.
— Heather Dinich, ESPN
Special Teams Overhaul Draws Scrutiny
USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg flagged special teams as Iowa's most pressing lingering question. The Hawkeyes lost four-year starting kicker Drew Stevens and All-America returner Kaden Wetjen to graduation, while longtime special teams coordinator LeVar Woods departed for Michigan State, taking starting punter Rhys Dakin with him as a transfer. Iowa promoted defensive analyst Chris Polizzi to special teams coordinator to fill the void. Replacing the specialists, Iowa added kicker Eli Ozick from North Dakota State — who connected on 16 of 18 field goals last season, including a 54-yarder — along with D-III All-American punter Tanner Philpott from Simpson College and Australian punter Boston Everitt, a 6-foot-1 Melbourne native.
Probably the most significant portion of our football team that is going to bear watch, our special teams phase, point being there that we lost every specialist that we had. Some of the advantages we gained through special teams over the last couple years, we're going to have to ride the train a little bit this year and exhibit some patience.
— Kirk Ferentz, at Big Ten media days on July 28
On offense, Iowa is also navigating a quarterback battle between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski following the departure of Mark Gronowski, a competition Ferentz acknowledged at Big Ten media days could extend into the regular season. The Hawkeyes return just five offensive starters — running back Kamari Moulton, wide receiver Reece Vander Zee, tight end DJ Vonnahme and offensive linemen Trevor Lauck and Kade Pieper — and three defensive starters: linebacker Jayden Montgomery and defensive backs Deshaun Lee and Zach Lutmer. On3 Iowa published position-group previews of both the offensive and defensive lines on Friday, with the defensive front identified as carrying the largest remaining question marks on that side of the ball.
