T2. Iowa Hawkeyes (60 wins)
And they were so, so, so close.
The 2015 team was a defensive stop against Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship away from going to the College Football Playoff – and being annihilated by Alabama – in a rock-steady run under Kirk Ferentz.
Even after a controversy-plagued offseason, the 2020 team went 6-2 with a win over Wisconsin – losing its two games by a total of five points – coming off 19 wins over the previous two seasons.
– 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes Schedule Analysis
No, the style might not be anything scintillating, and yes, Iowa hasn’t been close to the College Football Playoff other than that 2015 season, but every once in a while it rises up and shows the world that it’s still one of the better programs going.
The 55-24 win over Ohio State changed the landscape of the 2017 college football season, and the 49-24 win over USC in the 2019 Holiday Bowl was impressive, but …
There are just enough losses to put Iowa in the land of the very, very above average.
It also doesn’t help that 2015 was the lone Big Ten title appearance while Northwestern has gone to two in the last three years, and then there’s that other program in the Big Ten West …
NEXT: Wisconsin Badgers