The Big Ten has officially stamped its dominance on college football - again. For the third straight year, the conference walks away with the national title, and this time, it’s Indiana planting the flag. After Michigan and Ohio State took turns hoisting the trophy the last two seasons, the Hoosiers now join the party, turning what used to be a two-team narrative into a full-blown Big Ten takeover.
And while Indiana’s undefeated run to the top is the headline, there’s another Big Ten squad that deserves a tip of the cap: the Iowa Hawkeyes. No team pushed the national champs harder this season than Iowa did.
In a gritty, low-scoring battle, the Hawkeyes came within a late field goal of pulling off what would’ve been the upset of the year. Indiana escaped with a 20-15 win, but it was one of their biggest scares all season - and Iowa made sure of that.
Now, moral victories don’t show up in the win column, but they do show up in the rankings. The final AP Top 25 has Iowa sitting at No. 17 in the nation, capping off a 9-4 campaign. That’s not just a nod to their record - it’s recognition of how battle-tested and competitive this team was down the stretch.
What really turns heads, though, is Iowa’s bowl game performance. They took on No.
15 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl and came out on top, 34-27. That win wasn’t just about bragging rights - it was a statement.
And yet, despite the head-to-head victory, the Hawkeyes find themselves two spots behind the Commodores in the final rankings. That’s the kind of thing that gets fans talking, and probably a few coaches too.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, the power is spread far and wide. Indiana finishes the season as the undisputed No. 1 with a perfect 16-0 record.
Oregon, now a Big Ten member, checks in at No. 4.
Ohio State lands at No. 5, while USC and Michigan round out the group at No. 20 and No. 21, respectively. That’s six teams in the final Top 25 - and four in the top five.
It’s no longer just the SEC that can claim dominance; the Big Ten isn’t just in the conversation - it’s leading it.
For Iowa, this season might not have ended with confetti, but it ended with respect. They went toe-to-toe with the best team in the country and nearly came out on top.
That kind of performance doesn’t go unnoticed - not by voters, not by opponents, and certainly not by fans who know how hard it is to hang with a team like Indiana. The Big Ten is loaded, and the Hawkeyes proved they belong in the thick of it.