Could Iowa be college football’s next Indiana? The idea sounds bold, maybe even a little absurd, but it’s the kind of question worth asking after what Curt Cignetti just pulled off in Bloomington. He took what the source calls the losingest major college football program of all time and, in two years, turned Indiana into College Football Playoff champions.
That kind of leap is not normal. It is not common.
And it may be the sort of thing college football does not see again for years, maybe ever. But if there is another program with the right ingredients to chase that kind of rise, Iowa is at least in the conversation.
The first hurdle is defining the goal. Iowa says it owns five national championships - 1921, 1922, 1956, 1958 and 1960 - but when it comes to the AP Poll, Coaches Poll and College Football Playoff, the Hawkeyes are still at zero. That is the standard ESPN used in labeling teams that could be the next Indiana by winning their first national championship.
And Iowa keeps hovering around the edges of something bigger, only to fall short.
Getting from there to a breakthrough would take more than one big hire or one hot recruiting cycle. It would require Iowa’s athletic director, NIL operation and coaching staff to be pulling in the same direction. The whole thing has to work together if the Hawkeyes are going to make history.
Beth Goetz is already doing her part. Since taking over as Iowa’s athletic director, she has been described as outstanding, forward-thinking and ahead of the curve, with a clear understanding of how important NIL has become in winning. The next step, as the source frames it, is opening things up - moving Iowa football from a developmental, old-school recruiting model into a modern program where winning comes first.
Then there is the money. NIL spending is the foundation of the whole thing.
Without it, nothing else really matters. Iowa has a strong budget, but the next level means joining the world of $40 million rosters.
That is where the sport is now, and that is what winning can cost. The question hanging over Iowa is simple: is it willing to pay to play?
On-field coaching is not really the issue here. Iowa is already strong in that area, and the defense should be good.
The bigger challenge is in recruiting and in the transfer portal, where the staff has to be even more aggressive. NIL and roster building go hand in hand, especially if Iowa wants to bring in Power Four talent that can step right into starting jobs.
That does not mean Iowa should abandon what it does well. Quite the opposite.
The best version of this plan keeps the Hawkeyes developing the defense, offensive line and tight ends the way they already do, while spending the money where it matters most. The source puts it plainly: develop in some spots, then go buy the quarterback, chase the big fish and pay what it takes to win.
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For Iowa, that kind of early buzz only adds to the intrigue around a newcomer who could give the passing game a different look. Diaz will have his first chance to show what he can bring when the Hawkeyes open the 2026 season against Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium, a setting where new additions often get their first real chance to make an impression. [Read more 🡒]