Iowa football is back in the national-title conversation, at least in ESPN’s eyes.
The Hawkeyes landed fourth on ESPN’s list of teams that could win their first recognized national championship in the 2026 college football season. That list only counts titles from the AP, United Press International, Coaches Poll, or BCS and College Football Playoff championships, which means Iowa’s five claimed national championships - 1921, 1922, 1956, 1958 and 1960 - don’t all carry the same weight in ESPN’s exercise.
That distinction matters because Iowa’s claimed titles in 1956, 1958 and 1960 came in seasons when the Hawkeyes were not No. 1 in the AP’s final poll. Iowa finished third in 1956, second in 1958 and third in 1960. The AP poll itself didn’t even exist until 1936.
Still, ESPN’s ranking says plenty about how the Hawkeyes are viewed heading into 2026. Bill Connelly pointed to the kind of steady foundation Kirk Ferentz has built in Iowa City, noting that the program has won between eight and 10 games in 11 of the past 13 seasons and has finished with a top-15 defense, per SP+, for 11 straight years.
Connelly also framed Iowa as a team that tends to live on the thin line between a good season and a very good one. “When the breaks go their way in close games, they win 10; when they don't, it's more like eight. Keep that up, and they'll reach the CFP pretty soon.”
The hurdle, as ESPN sees it, is what happens once Iowa gets to that level. “They'll still have to win three or four games when they get there, however, and they've lost their past seven games against top-10 teams by an average of 33-7.
Raw upside is Iowa's biggest issue; this is a high-floor, lower-ceiling program, and we'll see if it can figure out a way to bridge that gap. If Indiana can, the Hawkeyes can, right?”
Connelly wrote.
Oregon was ESPN’s No. 1 pick to break through, followed by Texas Tech and Ole Miss. Two more Big Ten teams also made the top 20: Illinois at No. 8 and Wisconsin at No. 10.
Iowa will start its 2026 path on Saturday, Sept. 5, when it hosts Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m. CT, and the game will air on the Big Ten Network.
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