Curt Cignetti didn’t need long at Big Ten Media Days to make his point about Iowa.
The Indiana coach, fresh off a national championship, was asked about the usual SEC-Big Ten debate and used the moment to single out the Hawkeyes. His view was blunt and complimentary: “Iowa was one of the most underrated football teams in America last year.”
That’s not just idle praise, either. Cignetti ranked Iowa No. 11 on his final Coaches Poll ballot last season.
And there was plenty in Iowa’s 2025 season to support that kind of respect. The Hawkeyes spent the year living on the edge, stacking up close calls and heartbreaking finishes while staying in the mix for a College Football Playoff push.
Four losses defined the margins: three points to Iowa State, five to Indiana, two to Oregon and five to USC. In three of those games, Iowa was either tied or ahead with less than two minutes left.
The Indiana game stood out as one of the season’s biggest “what ifs.” Iowa was tied with the Hoosiers at 13 when quarterback Mark Gronowski left with a knee injury, forcing Hank Brown into a brutal spot.
With just over two minutes left, Drew Stevens missed a 42-yard field goal attempt, and Indiana answered with a go-ahead touchdown on a 49-yard pass with 1:28 remaining. That capped a five-play, 76-yard drive and handed Iowa another gut punch.
Kirk Ferentz, meanwhile, was asked to weigh in on the broader Big Ten-SEC conversation as he talked about the season ahead. He didn’t take a swipe at the SEC, saying he has never dealt with “conference envy” and pointing to programs that once looked untouchable before eventually sliding back toward the pack.
He also made clear how he felt about last year’s Iowa team.
“I know this: we play in a great conference, and with our team last year, I would have felt comfortable playing against anybody, anywhere, any time,” he said. “That was the kind of team we had.
That doesn't happen every year, but that's how I felt. We'll see where it is this year.”
Ferentz revisited the season again on CBS Sports’ Cover 3 podcast, where he described the difference between the 2024 and 2025 teams. He said the losses were all tight and could have swung the other way, but stressed that the bigger lesson was about preparation and execution during the week.
“It was one of those years where we lost some tough games in the fourth quarter. All four of our losses could've gone either way, but it is what it is.
The biggest thing is our approach has been pretty simple. You have to show up, be ready during the week, and be ready to go.
A year before that, we were maybe guilty of underestimating our opponent a little bit, or not doing what we needed to do. Last year, I felt like the guys maximized every opportunity, but we came up a bit short against some teams who were a little bit better than us.”
Iowa’s path into the new season won’t give it much room to ease in. The Big Ten schedule opens with a brutal stretch: a trip to Michigan, then a home game against Ohio State, followed by a short week before Washington arrives. It’s one of the toughest three-game runs in college football.
Before that, the Hawkeyes open the season on Sept. 5 at home against Northern Illinois.
In Other News...
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Banks has shown appreciation for Iowa and coach Ben McCollum, but his future now sits in a more complicated place than it did a few days ago. His recruitment is open, and the ruling has effectively put his next move back on the table, leaving the Hawkeyes with another roster decision to monitor as the offseason unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
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Cam Buffington has put himself in the conversation with a strong spring, while Preston Ries, Landyn Van Kekerix and Derek Weisskopf remain viable options as the picture develops. Montgomery has also made clear this could be more fluid than a simple two-man race, with multiple players potentially seeing the field depending on the defensive scheme and other factors, which leaves Iowa with a decision that may not be fully settled anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Just Framed Iowas 2025 Season In A Painful Way
Curt Cignetti did Iowa a favor and a disservice at the same time when he called the Hawkeyes one of the most underrated teams in the country last season. It was a compliment rooted in reality, because Iowa finished 9-4, picked up major individual recognition with Logan Jones making the All-Big Ten first team, and saw its offensive line take home the Joe Moore Award. It was also a reminder that this program spent much of the year living on the edge, with close losses to ranked opponents and the kind of uneven injury luck that can tilt a season.
Mark Gronowskis injury loomed over that run, and it is part of why the conversation around Iowa now feels a little uneasy despite the hardware and respect that came in 2025. The Hawkeyes head into 2026 with only 10 returning starters and a schedule that offers little margin for error, which makes Cignettis framing sting a bit more than it should. Iowa was better than many people realized last fall, but repeating that formula may be a much tougher ask. [Read more 🡒]