Not all wins are necessarily equal and that absolutely applies to teams in college football. It applies a little bit harder to Power Five teams as the Iowa Hawkeyes are finding out.
Iowa took care of business against the Troy Trojans with a final score of 38-21, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Hawkeyes were down 14-10 at the half and in serious danger.
A second-half explosion from the offense helped Iowa pull away and avoid the upset, but the slow start has cost them a spot in CBS Sports 134 rankings of every FBS team.
This week, Iowa slides down one spot to No. 27 in the nation despite the win. The drop is minor and also largely due to being pushed down by a couple of Group of Five teams soaring.
Memphis leapfrogged Iowa climbing four spots to No. 25 and the Northern Illinois Huskies saw a six-spot jump up to No. 24.
Iowa’s next opponent, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, saw a small climb this week after a 27-0 win over Nevada. Minnesota climbed three spots to No. 66.
Both the Hawkeyes and Golden Gophers bring in a 2-1 record into this matchup. Not only is it each team’s Big Ten opener, but it is also a rivalry game with the Floyd of Rosedale on the line.
Kickoff from Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and will air on NBC.
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