If there is one thing Kirk Ferentz has done for the Iowa Hawkeyes, it is build the model of consistent success. When you take a step back and look at things, he wins a lot more than he loses and that is even truer as of lately.
Since 2015, Ferentz has led Iowa to eight wins (minus a 6-2 record in 2020 due to COVID) every year and eclipsed 10 wins three times. Since 2015, Ferentz and Iowa are 71-30. There are also four bowl wins in that period as well. Want more? Iowa has been ranked in seven of those seasons.
So, due to that, one would think that most colleges in America would take that sort of success from their football program. Apparently, CBS Sports does not believe so. In their recent 2023 Power 5 coaches rankings, they ranked Kirk Ferentz at No. 30, a 17-spot slide from 2021, despite another year of eight victories.
Kirk Ferentz: Man, somebody out there really hates Ferentz. I had him at No. 12 on my ballot, so he had to be quite low on others to drop to 30. I have no idea what Ferentz did to warrant a drop of 17 places. The Hawkeyes went 8-5 last year, which is basically the same thing they’ve done the last 20 years. That kind of consistency had Ferentz ranked high in the first place. Another coach in our top 25 went from 10 wins in 2021 to eight in 2022 and climbed four spots. 2022 rank: 13 (-17) – Fornelli, CBS Sports
Curiously enough, they have chosen to rank Matt Rhule, Nebraska’s new head coach, three spots ahead at No. 27 despite just recently taking over and not having made a single play call yet.
Like it or not, there is one fact of the matter in this equation. Whether it is looking at the recent record, a year-over-year record, or the production of talent to the NFL, there aren’t 29 better Power 5 coaches ahead of Kirk Ferentz.
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