No. 20 Iowa faced the unenviable task of traveling two time zones for Friday night’s game at Washington on short rest after a physically grueling Week 5 loss to Ohio State. Further complicating matters for the Hawkeyes was a shoulder injury that kept starting quarterback Hank Brown out.
But with backup Jeremy Hecklinski throwing the rock, Iowa quickly took a four-touchdown lead and stunned the Huskies 41-24. In the process, the Hawkeyes reinserted themselves into the college football playoff hunt. At 5-1 and 2-1 in the Big Ten, Iowa enters the second half of its schedule with a realistic path to a 10-2 record or even 11-1 if it leads the standings.
A 10-2 Iowa team would have about a 60% chance of reaching the College Football Playoff, according to the CBS Sports College Football Forecaster.
Big Ten Power Rankings: League’s Old West Division Demands Respect Ahead of Week 6
Robby Kalland
The Hawkeyes are one of the strongest Power Four programs to ever make an appearance in the CFP. Although the path ahead is not necessarily easy, it is notable for what it does not include. There’s no Indiana or Oregon on the docket. In fact, not a single team ranked in the AP Top 25 entering Week 6 remains on Iowa’s roster.
With Ohio State in the rearview mirror and Iowa’s lone trip to the West Coast in the books as a blowout victory, Hawkeyes fans can enter a bye week with honest confidence in their team’s playoff potential.
Big Ten West is ahead
The Big Ten dissolved its divisional structure after the 2023 season by welcoming four former Pac-12 programs as part of an expansion from 14 to 18 teams. But for those who remember life before realignment, the best way to explain Iowa’s remaining schedule is that it’s literally the old Big Ten West. The CBS Sports College Football Forecaster gives the Hawkeyes between a 44% and 79% chance of winning every remaining game on their schedule.
Putting it in those terms highlights the possibility of a 5-1 or 6-0 result for Iowa. The Hawkeyes won the division in 2015, 2021 and 2023 while playing the six teams remaining on their schedule.
Iowa Offensive Revitalized
Iowa appears to have a quarterback controversy on its hands. Hecklinski completed 14 of 19 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns in Friday night’s win at Washington as the Hawkeyes racked up 465 total yards, including 279 in the first half. It was the first time since 2018 that the Hawkeyes produced 465 or more yards against a Big Ten opponent. Will Hecklinski keep the job once Brown is healthy?
The Hawkeyes built their identity on a ruthless defense and elite special teams during the NIL era, but having an offense with a pulse makes Iowa a different type of challenge. Additionally, the defense racked up six sacks and nine tackles for a loss against Washington. The identity of this team is a little different than it has been in the past, but the defense remains strong.
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