Curt Cignetti didn’t just hand Iowa a compliment at Big Ten Football Media Days. He basically confirmed what Hawkeye fans have been feeling for months: last season had more left in the tank.
That’s what makes a 9-4 year sting a little. Iowa had real hardware in the individual honors column, with Logan Jones landing First-Team All-Big Ten recognition and the offensive line taking home the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s best unit.
And yet the results kept slipping away in the biggest moments. The Hawkeyes dropped all four of their losses by a combined 15 points, which is the kind of margin that turns a strong season into a what-if story.
One of those losses came against eventual national champion Indiana, and Cignetti wasn’t shy about how he viewed Iowa after that game.
Cignetti: “Iowa? laugh Let me tell you: Iowa was one of the most underrated football teams in America last season.” #iufb
That wasn’t empty flattery. Iowa pushed Indiana hard, stayed in the fight for most of the game, and had a chance to win late.
There’s still a case to be made that if quarterback Mark Gronowski doesn’t get hurt while the Hawkeyes were driving, the result could have flipped. Instead, the offense stumbled at the wrong time, a blown coverage hurt them, and Indiana escaped with a 20-15 win.
That loss was part of a rough run against ranked opponents that knocked Iowa out of playoff contention. Before the Hawkeyes finally beat Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, they were 0-13 against ranked teams, including Indiana. That’s the kind of number that makes every close call feel heavier.
Cignetti’s praise carries weight because he doesn’t hand it out casually. He’s been direct about Iowa before, too, including after narrowly escaping Kinnick Stadium last September.
He even had the Hawkeyes at No. 11 in his final rankings last season. So when he says Iowa was one of the most underrated teams in America, it lands like a genuine scouting report, not a courtesy nod.
The problem for Iowa is that recreating that kind of season won’t be simple. The Hawkeyes return only 10 total starters, and the questions are everywhere: quarterback, both lines, and a schedule that offers very little breathing room. The first five Big Ten games alone are a grind - at Michigan, home against Ohio State, at Washington, at Minnesota, and home against Wisconsin.
That leaves Iowa with a narrow path and a lot to prove. There’s enough unproven talent to imagine a surprise run, but the early conference slate says otherwise.
A 3-3 start would not be hard to picture before the trophy games with Minnesota and Wisconsin. In a loaded Big Ten, getting to the first College Football Playoff will be a climb.
Iowa usually doesn’t mind being the underdog, but this one looks steep.
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Cam Buffington has put himself in the conversation with a strong spring, while Preston Ries, Landyn Van Kekerix and Derek Weisskopf remain viable options as the picture develops. Montgomery has also made clear this could be more fluid than a simple two-man race, with multiple players potentially seeing the field depending on the defensive scheme and other factors, which leaves Iowa with a decision that may not be fully settled anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]