Iowa’s College Football Playoff push has reached the point where there’s no room for drift, and Kirk Ferentz isn’t interested in letting his team wander even a step ahead of itself.
The Hawkeyes sit at 7-2 and No. 15 in the CFP rankings, which puts them in position to make a run at the 12-team field if they can keep stacking wins. But the next hurdle is Purdue, and that’s exactly the kind of game that can sneak up on a team if its attention starts wandering toward bigger things.
Ferentz made it clear that won’t be happening inside Iowa’s building. His message is the same one he leans on every week: keep the focus narrow, keep the eyes forward, and don’t waste energy on anything beyond the opponent in front of you.
“But the bottom line is this: This is all entertainment, and I'm all for entertainment. Love to be entertained. Not this time of year necessarily, but I love to be entertained.
“It shows you, it's all week-to-week, and if you look beyond what's in front of you, you're really going to miss an opportunity. At least, chances are you will.
“With college guys, they have a lot more going on outside in their lives, so the better we can be focused football-wise. Plus, not many teams are that good.
I know we're not. We need to be 100% wired into what's in front of us.
We've won 7 games right now. Our goal is to win 12.
“We didn't make that, and that's not going to happen. So what's the next best number?
It's double digits. You can't get there until you win 8,” Ferentz said, emphasizing the need to focus on one game at a time.
“You can't skip steps. You just can't do it.
The better everybody understands that, the better chances we'll have at being successful. I do know this.
If you start thinking about things that aren't pertinent to what's in front of you, you reduce the chances of being successful.
“There are still no guarantees, even if you're 100% locked in. That's just what we all need to understand. When I say "we," I'm talking about people in this building,” added Ferentz.
For Iowa, the playoff chase is already in full swing, and every week from here on out carries the feel of a must-win. The next one comes Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. CT, when the Hawkeyes host Purdue at Kinnick Stadium.
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Now Iowa turns to Northern Iowa to open its in-state stretch, with the Hawkeyes looking to clean up the issues that showed up against one of the nations top programs. There was also some off-court news for the program, as Iowa announced national letters of intent from 2027 recruits Jada Seubert and Khalia Hartwell, a reminder that the staff is still building for the future even as it tries to steady the present. [Read more 🡒]