Curt Cignetti doesn’t hand out compliments casually, which is why his words about Iowa carried real weight at Big Ten Media Days.
The Indiana coach, known for saying exactly what’s on his mind, singled out the Hawkeyes in a way that stood out even for him. After facing Iowa in 2025, Cignetti made it clear he came away impressed.
“Iowa? Let me tell you: Iowa was one of the most underrated football teams in America last season,” Cignetti said at Big Ten Media Days.
Indiana had plenty of reason to know what Iowa was capable of. In a game at Kinnick, the Hawkeyes were tied with the Hoosiers 13-13 late and had Indiana on the ropes more than anyone else did during its 16-0 run to a national championship. Indiana still found a way to win late, but Iowa had shown it could stand toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country.
That wasn’t an isolated flash, either. Iowa also had Oregon down late before that one slipped away as well. Those near-misses told a bigger story: the Hawkeyes could hang with elite competition.
And what happened after those losses matters just as much. Iowa didn’t collapse.
It didn’t let the season unravel. Instead, the Hawkeyes regrouped, finished the regular season 8-4 and then closed things out by beating a good Vanderbilt team in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
So yes, Cignetti’s praise is warranted. Iowa proved it could battle the top teams and still keep itself together when those games went the other way.
At the same time, being called underrated is not the destination. It’s a sign that a team still hasn’t fully arrived. For Iowa, the next step is to stop living in that category and become a team everyone has to account for.
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Kueters path is already shifting after hip surgery cost him the 2025 football season, and he is now turning his full focus to wrestling. Smith, meanwhile, has enrolled at Iowa Western while working his way back from a health issue, leaving Iowa to monitor where things stand next. For a couple of promising names who once looked like part of the programs future, the next chapter remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]