Iowa May Have Legitimate College Football Playoff Hopes

The College Football Playoff rankings came out on Tuesday, and for many pundits the biggest bombshell was the inclusion of the Iowa Hawkeyes in the top five. Proponents for the team have stated that Iowa is consistent on both offense and defense and has one of the most difficult schedules. The question is, can Iowa win out? If so, will the Big 10 still be included in the playoff? It might be a feasible scenario, and here is why.

The CFP committee looks at several factors, one of them being strength of schedule. As far as SoS goes, the Hawkeyes have the sixth strongest record, right after Notre Dame and ahead of fellow Big 10 contender Ohio State. Iowa has had two solid wins against the CFP’s top 25 teams — at Northwestern and Wisconsin. Conversely, as reigning national champions, the Buckeyes also have a respectable chance to repeat should they finish the season undefeated.

Nonetheless, if Iowa remains undefeated and survives a Big 10 showdown at the championship game they should have a shot at the title. The metrics are tricky. It could be that the committee decides to leave the Big 10 out of the playoff picture altogether if Iowa wins. It could also mean that the upstart Hawkeyes make it into the CFP and bring some new blood.

Iowa has not been truly tested yet, and the script for the Big 10 is still largely unwritten. Thus far Ohio State is far from the indomitable force they were in 2014. No team is bulletproof. While the Hawkeyes may not have the showy explosiveness of their other Big 10 counterparts, they have been reliable on both sides of the ball. If they do indeed finish the season undefeated there is a likelihood that we could see Iowa in the playoff.