Iowa offensive is a massive wildcard in early Big Ten football power rankings reveal

The Iowa Hawkeyes are an extreme dark horse in a revamped Big Ten conference in 2024. Their offensive improvement is the key to competing.

It’s never too early for a “way too early” Big Ten power ranking! Things will change. Players will hurt the portal, players will transfer in, and injuries will happen but for the most part, we have a pretty good understanding of rosters after National Signing Day and so much transfer portal movement. 

In each part of this series, we will unveil where each of the 18 teams in the new look conference begins. We started at No. 1 with the revamped Ohio State Buckeyes. Then, the Oregon Ducks come in at the second spot. Coming in at No. 3 were the defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines, who are in a bit of a transition period. 

At No. 4, we unveiled the Penn State Nittany Lions, who are returning a lot of talent from their 2023 roster. That makes way for the old reliable, the Iowa Hawkeyes. 

There is nothing flashy about the Hawkeyes, and there won’t be as long as Kirk Ferentz is their head coach. He has created a tough and physical program that is relentless. The overall talent may not stack up to some of the other programs in the Big Ten but Iowa is consistently in the top group from a record perspective because of their mentality and player development. 

On both sides of the football, Iowa brings back a good amount of experience. That includes on defense with players like linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson. As long as Phil Parker is the defensive coordinator, you can expect the team to have a stellar defensive unit. 

On offense, the Hawkeyes are in a bit of a much-needed transitional period. They welcomed former Western Michigan head coach and Green Bay Packer assistant Tim Lester as their new offensive coordinator. The team also welcomed Freshman All-American left tackle Kadyn Proctor after he transferred from Alabama this offseason. 

The quarterback position, which should be a battle between Cade McNamara, Deacon Hill, and Marco Lainez should determine whether this is your typical Iowa team that is good but not quite good enough offensively, or one that could potentially push for the conference. Offensive growth will be the key. 

Full Big Ten Rankings

  1. Ohio State Buckeyes
  2. Oregon Ducks
  3. Michigan Wolverines
  4. Penn State Nittany Lions
  5. Iowa Hawkeyes 
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