Iowa’s bye week arrived at a good moment, and the timing lined up with a small reward in the polls. On Sunday morning, the Hawkeyes climbed to No. 15 in the latest AP Poll, moving up two spots from the previous week.
The ranking drop-in also came with the broader Big Ten picture taking shape around them. Ohio State checked in at No.
3, Indiana at No. 6, UCLA at No.
9, USC at No. 16 and Northwestern at No. 24.
Back in Iowa City, the bigger question still hanging over the Hawkeyes is who takes snaps at quarterback. Hank Brown has been throwing in practice after sitting out last week’s game against Washington, while Jeremy Hecklinski comes in after going 14-of-19 for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
Offensive coordinator Tim Lester wasn’t about to tip his hand when he spoke with reporters last week.
"I think it's safe to say they're both going to play meaningful snaps in the second half of this season to help us win games. One of the things that I'm most proud of is Hank did everything in his power to be available for our football team last Friday night.
That was not easy. He was banged up and did everything.
He probably knew the best thing he could be is the emergency, but he did, and he was available. That was an impressive thing.
On the other side, Heck, I don't know which one of you asked him the question after the game, but started to ask about this, that."
Iowa’s spot in the rankings comes during a season that has already thrown plenty of curveballs across college football, and the Big Ten has not exactly moved in a straight line either. The Hawkeyes, though, have put themselves in position with a 5-1 start, and their remaining ranked opponent gives them a clear reference point as the second half begins. That matchup also comes with some built-in familiarity from the old Big Ten West days.
"I'm proud of the way they've handled the first half. Obviously, we're 5-1, we're in a good position.
We have to continue to get better, continue to find our identity and the things we do well, and then I got to make sure I put us in those situations as much as possible. So far so good, a lot of work to do, and excited for the second half of the season."
The first College Football Playoff Rankings will come out Tuesday, November 3, and that will provide the first real look at how the selection committee is viewing the field. It will also offer the clearest sign yet of whether Iowa can absorb another loss and still remain in the playoff conversation.
In Other News...
Iowas Minnesota Trip Suddenly Carries Much Bigger Stakes
The annual Floyd of Rosedale trip to Minnesota already matters, but this one has a little extra weight behind it for Iowa. The Hawkeyes come in off a bye week, and a wild stretch around college football has nudged their playoff outlook into a better place than it was not long ago. In a league where every stumble gets magnified, rivalry games can do more than shape a record, and this one is sitting right in the middle of Iowas season.
Minnesota is still Minnesota, though, and the Gophers have a way of making this series feel like more than just another Big Ten date. Iowa has built a reputation for handling rivalry games well, and keeping that edge matters now with so much still on the line. For a team trying to turn a strong start into something bigger, the path forward may look simple enough: protect the trophy, protect the momentum, and keep the playoff conversation alive a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Iowas Remaining Schedule Suddenly Feels Bigger Than Anyone Expected
With Iowa on a bye week at 5-1, the bigger picture around the Hawkeyes has taken on a different look. A wave of upsets and near-misses elsewhere in college football has shaken up the national conversation, and some of the teams sitting ahead of Iowa in the rankings have suddenly made the path a little more interesting than it seemed a week ago.
The Hawkeyes still have work to do, of course, but the remaining schedule now carries more weight because the field around them has become so unsettled. If Iowa handles its own business, those chaotic results could leave the door open to postseason possibilities that felt far less realistic before the latest round of turbulence. [Read more 🡒]
Tim Lester Is Changing What Iowa Fans Expect From This Offense
When Tim Lester arrived as Iowas offensive coordinator before the 2024 season, he inherited a unit that had become synonymous with frustration after Brian Ferentzs firing. Since then, the Hawkeyes have looked far more like a balanced operation, with the offense averaging 31.0 points and 403.2 yards per game in 2026 and routinely giving the program a chance to win without leaning entirely on the defense.
The bigger shift is in expectation. Under Lester, Iowa has had 12 games with 38 or more points in 32 games, a pace that would have sounded unthinkable during the three years before his arrival, when the Hawkeyes reached that mark only twice. The defense is still the bedrock of the program, but the offense is no longer just trying to avoid mistakes, and the question now is how far that new standard can carry the Hawkeyes. [Read more 🡒]