In most college football polls, the Iowa Hawkeyes are either slightly within the top 25 or one of the first teams to fall.
In its most recent post-spring top 25 rankings, ESPN ranked Iowa as the nation’s No. 23 team entering the 2024 college football season.
While most people consider Iowa to be a top 25 or fringe top 25 team, few people around the country expect the Hawkeyes to make their first appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Tone Digz, an ESPN “Pat McAfee Show” contributor, argued that Iowa could be going to the College Football Playoff. It was part of his favorite College Football Playoff for long.
shot bets.
“I’m starting in the Big Ten with Ty Schmit’s Iowa Hawkeyes. They are +700 to make the College Football Playoffs. They are sixth in the Big Ten to win the Big Ten. What was their record last year? 10-4? Is that a good record? Yes, it is. OK, they return 18 starters off of that 10-4 team. Nine on offense, nine on defense.
“They had the 130th-ranked offense in college football last year. Can it get worse? It could get slightly worse. It could get three teams worse, but they brought in a new OC, they have Cade McNamara who was the Michigan transfer who is coming back. They have both of their running backs returning. They have four of five O-linemen returning and then their defense ranked fourth last year, so they have nine guys coming back on that defense. So, I (love that),” Digz said.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN..
IT IS TIME FOR Tone's CFB Long Shot with @ToneDigz 👏 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/hMXlztfzpn
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 13, 2024
Digz, real name Anthony DiGuilio, also loves the way the schedule sets up for Iowa. “OK, they were good last year. Their schedule, they have to play Ohio State. OK, Ohio State is the cream of the crop this year in the Big Ten, but four of the other top five teams they do not have to play. They do not have to play Oregon, they do not have to play at Penn State, they do not have to play Michigan and they do not have to play USC. That sets up nice.
"I'm starting in the Big Ten with the Iowa Hawkeyes..
They're returning eighteen starters from last year and they've brought in a new OC" ~ @ToneDigz#PMSLive https://t.co/ba1Zc8e0gF pic.twitter.com/9nbLOVaHNm
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 13, 2024
“And then all of the other tougher games—Iowa State, Washington, Wisconsin—they’re all at home. They all get them at Kinnick. They have the second-easiest schedule in the Big Ten. They made the Big Ten Championship game last year with their schedule and with that team last year. So, if they have a similar record… guess what, Big Ten’s getting three or four teams in. Let’s be honest. So, +700 to make the College Football Playoffs, that is my first bet,” Digz said.
According to ESPN’s FPI schedule rankings, Iowa has the second-easiest schedule among Big Ten teams. The Hawkeyes’ schedule is classified as the 44th most challenging in the country.
Perhaps Iowa can use its combination of returnees and a more manageable schedule to proceed to the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance.
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