The final AP rankings of the 2025-26 college football season sparked more than a few raised eyebrows - and not just in Iowa City. Despite closing out the year with a gritty 34-27 win over No.
14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the Hawkeyes still found themselves ranked below the Commodores in the final poll. That curious decision didn’t just catch the attention of fans - it drew a sharp response from one of Iowa’s Big Ten rivals.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema didn’t hold back.
In a post on social media, Bielema took aim at the AP voters, highlighting the inconsistency in the final rankings. “I’m sure all voters knew that Iowa beat Vandy even though ranking is opposite… TCU beat USC and again rankings are opposite,” he wrote, capping the message with a sarcastic suggestion that the voters should “do a story on each other’s voting logic.”
It’s not every day that a Big Ten coach goes to bat for another program - especially one he’ll face next season - but Bielema’s message wasn’t about conference loyalty. It was about logic. When head-to-head results don’t match the final rankings, it raises fair questions about the criteria voters are using.
And Bielema would know a thing or two about Iowa - he’s an alum, a former Hawkeye player who suited up under Hayden Fry in the early ‘90s. That connection may have added a personal touch to his comments, but the core of his argument stands on its own: if the scoreboard matters, it should matter in the rankings too.
For Iowa, though, the focus isn’t on the slight. The Hawkeyes wrapped up a 9-4 campaign (6-3 in Big Ten play), capped by that bowl win over a top-15 opponent. Finishing at No. 17 is a respectable landing spot, even if it feels a bit off given how the season ended.
More importantly, there’s real optimism building in Iowa City for 2026. The Hawkeyes have been active in the transfer portal and signed a strong recruiting class - moves that could position them as a serious contender in a reshaped Big Ten landscape.
If they can build on the momentum from this season’s finish, they won’t have to worry about where the voters place them next time around. The results will speak for themselves.