Iowa Is Climbing Again With A Bigger Test Now Ahead

Iowa's strategic bye week pays off as they climb in the AP rankings, illustrating the ever-changing landscape of college football's top contenders.

Iowa is back on the rise in the AP Top 25 after a wild weekend around college football reshuffled the entire top of the rankings.

The Hawkeyes, who were idle in Week 7, moved up two spots to No. 15 in the latest poll after losses by Texas, Mississippi State and Missouri helped clear the way. Iowa sits at 5-1 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play.

Chaos at the top dominated the weekend. Georgia’s 27-24 loss to Auburn kept the recent upheaval rolling after Oklahoma knocked off then-No.

1 Texas last week. It’s the first time since 1990 that unranked teams have beaten the No. 1 team in back-to-back weeks.

The shockwaves didn’t stop there. BYU’s 28-24 win over Notre Dame on Saturday night marked the first time since 2017 that the Nos. 1 and 2 teams both lost in the same week.

That year, No. 1 Alabama fell to Auburn and No.

2 Miami lost to Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving weekend.

With the carnage spread across the country, Miami moved into the No. 1 spot after its 43-35 double overtime win over Florida State. It’s the first time the Hurricanes have been No. 1 since 2002. BYU checks in at No. 2, its highest ranking since its 1984 national championship season.

The Big Ten is well represented in the updated rankings, with six teams in the AP Top 25. Ohio State leads the group at No. 3 after its 19-15 win over Indiana.

The Hoosiers slipped just one place to No. 6.

Behind Iowa at No. 15, the league also has UCLA at No. 9, USC at No. 16 and Northwestern at No.

  1. Oregon is the only Big Ten team outside the top 25 to receive votes, picking up 79 points.

Iowa returns to the field Saturday, Oct. 24, when it heads to Huntington Bank Stadium to face Minnesota in the annual battle for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy. Minnesota is 4-2 and 2-1 in the Big Ten.

Here is the full AP Top 25 poll:

  1. Miami (FL) 6-0
  2. BYU 6-0
  3. Ohio State 6-1
  4. Notre Dame 6-1
  5. Georgia 6-1
  6. Indiana 6-1
  7. Ole Miss 5-1
  8. Texas Tech 6-0
  9. UCLA 6-0
  10. Utah 6-0
  11. Tennessee 6-1
  12. Kentucky 6-1
  13. Alabama 5-2
  14. Houston 6-1
  15. Iowa 5-1
  16. USC 6-1
  17. Wake Forest 6-1
  18. LSU 5-2
  19. Texas 4-2
  20. Florida 5-2
  21. Boise State 5-1
  22. Missouri 5-2
  23. SMU 5-1
  24. Northwestern 5-1
  25. Arizona 5-1

Dropped from the rankings: Mississippi State, Oklahoma State.

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