The Iowa Hawkeyes put on their best showing of the year and the rankings are rewarding them. Iowa is seeing upward climbs in all rankings and it proves this team is figuring it out at the exact right time.
With an 8-2 record and one win away from locking up the Big Ten West, the Iowa Hawkeyes have done the improbable amid a myriad of injuries and news storylines swirling around them all season. This team is sticking together and proving everyone wrong.
Two rankings that review all 133 FBS teams have rewarded the Hawkeyes this week and boosted them up in their rankings. The USA TODAY Sports Re-Rank has Iowa sitting at No. 24, a four-spot climb from last week.
CBS Sports likewise bumped the Hawkeyes up even more this week. They come in at No. 24 in the CBS Sports 133 Rankings, a nine-spot climb week-over-week. That jump has them among the biggest movers this week.
No. 24 Iowa (+9): The Hawkeyes continue to climb, slowly but surely, both towards another Big Ten West title and in our CBS 133 rankings. The team is one called-back punt return away from 9-1, but even with that bad break, Iowa is 8-2 overall after a 22-0 win over Rutgers. – Chip Patterson, CBS Sports
Iowa’s upcoming opponent, the Illinois Fighting Illini enter this week coming off a thrilling 48-45 overtime win against the Indiana Hoosiers to get them to 5-5 with a bowl game just one win away.
USA TODAY Sports has Illinois sitting at No. 74 with no change in their ranking. CBS Sports 133 puts the Fighting Illini much higher at No. 58 in their rankings and rewarded them with a four-spot climb.
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