No. 16 Iowa is back in the College Football Playoff conversation, and the timing could hardly be better.
The Hawkeyes moved up to No. 16 in this week’s AP poll after beating Northwestern 24-10 on the road Saturday, giving them their second-highest ranking of the season. Iowa had climbed into the top 15 earlier in the year before falling to Ohio State.
With three regular-season games left, Iowa sits tied for fourth in the Big Ten with USC. Both teams are 7-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play. None of the Hawkeyes’ remaining opponents - Purdue, Illinois and Nebraska - are ranked in the AP top 25 or in last week’s College Football Playoff rankings.
The next CFP rankings will be released Tuesday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
The Big Ten picture around Iowa is crowded. The conference has six teams in the AP top 25, led by undefeated No.
4 UCLA and No. 6 Indiana, which is also inside the top 10.
After the first College Football Playoff rankings came out last Tuesday, the Big Ten had two teams with a clear path into the 12-team field. Iowa, USC, Ohio State and Oregon were all left on the outside.
There’s also a bigger structural shift coming. With the College Football Playoff expanding to 24 teams next year, the Big Ten announced Monday that this season’s championship game in Indianapolis will be the conference’s last football title game. Under the new CFP rules, Big Ten teams will need to play at least 10 games against Power 4 opponents, including conference matchups, and the committee will consider only one FCS game.
On Iowa’s depth chart this week, the only notable absence was center Cael Winter, who missed the Northwestern game. Michael Myslinski filled in at center and remains listed as the starter.
The Hawkeyes’ final road game of the season will be at Illinois on Nov. 21, with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network. Iowa will also finish the year with an 11 a.m. kickoff against Nebraska on CBS, and the Hawkeyes will have been on national television in eight of their 12 games this season.
Purdue, meanwhile, is still trying to steady itself under first-year head coach Barry Odom, who will face Iowa for the first time since taking over the program. The Boilermakers are 2-7, with wins over Illinois in Champaign and Minnesota at home.
Purdue also made a coaching change on defense after Saturday’s loss to Maryland, firing defensive coordinator Kevin Kane. Kane was in his second season, and Purdue’s defense is 124th nationally in scoring defense. Odom did not announce an interim defensive coordinator during Monday’s press conference, but said he and defensive analysts Neal Renna and Dave Steckel will adjust linebacker responsibilities.
There are a couple of games worth watching as Iowa’s path unfolds. Illinois faces No.
4 UCLA on Friday at 8 p.m., and No. 20 USC travels to No.
4 Indiana in a matchup that could ripple through both the Big Ten race and the playoff picture.
In Other News...
Iowas Latest Depth Chart Hints At Two Key Changes Vs Purdue
Iowas Week 11 depth chart offered a couple of notable clues ahead of the Purdue matchup, starting with the interior of the offensive line. Cael Winter was absent for the second straight week, and Michael Myslinski is again listed as the starter at center, a development that keeps the Hawkeyes protection and run-game setup in focus as they prepare for another Big Ten test.
There was also a welcome update on the defensive side, where Jaylen Watson reappeared on the depth chart after missing time in the previous game. The full release covered offense, defense and special teams, but those two changes stood out most for a Hawkeyes team still sorting through its weekly lineup and trying to settle into the right combinations before facing Purdue. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa's New Backfield Picture Changes Everything Against Purdue
A week after Kamari Moultons season-ending injury, Iowas backfield picture has already shifted for Saturdays home game against Purdue. L.J. Phillips is now listed as the starting running back, a move that comes on the heels of his busiest outing yet, when he led the Hawkeyes with 21 carries for 128 yards against Northwestern.
The changes do not stop there, either, as Michael Myslinski is expected to start on the offensive line in place of Cael Winter, who may be sidelined again. For an Iowa offense that has leaned so heavily on stability up front and in the run game, the updated Week 11 depth chart makes this a notable test of how quickly the Hawkeyes can absorb another personnel shakeup and still keep their ground game on track. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech's Fast Start Faces Its First Real Test Against Iowa
Virginia Techs opening-night win over Mercer offered an early glimpse of a team that can push the pace and protect the ball, with Amani Hansberry delivering a career-best 23 points and Ben Hammond and Jaylen Curry helping steady the offense. The Hokies looked sharp enough to make that first result feel convincing, but the next step comes quickly enough, and it comes against a Big Ten opponent that will be far less forgiving of mistakes.
Iowa enters the neutral-site matchup with a different kind of storyline, hoping to get center Andrew McKeever on the floor after he has been dealing with back issues. For the Hawkeyes, his availability matters not just for depth but for what it could mean inside against a Virginia Tech team that already showed it can score in bunches and keep turnovers down. [Read more 🡒]