The 2024 college football season grows closer with each passing day. The Iowa Hawkeyes are about to begin getting their work underway for preparations. Coming off of a 10-win season despite a lack of offense, this season yields some more hope and excitement than seen before.
Iowa enters 2024 with a favorable schedule avoiding four of the top five teams in Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, and USC which gives them every opportunity to get to double-digit wins once again and be a potential player in the newly expanded College Football Playoff field which will now feature 12 teams.
A nice schedule, a litter of returning starters on defense, and a healthy offense paired with a new offensive coordinator have the Iowa Hawkeyes coming in at No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports Big Ten 2024 preseason media poll.
With the Big Ten now featuring 18 teams, here is a look at the Big Ten preseason ranking from the media poll.
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Oregon Ducks
- Michigan Wolverines
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- USC Trojans
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Wisconsin Badgers
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Washington Huskies
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- Maryland Terrapins
- Michigan State Spartans
- Minnesota Golden Gophers
- UCLA Bruins
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Northwestern Wildcats
- Purdue Boilermakers
Just as Iowa avoids the many of highest-ranked teams, their schedule is loaded with teams ranked below them. Eight of Iowa’s 12 games are against teams below them in the Big Ten preseason media poll.
In fact, five of those eight Big Ten games are against teams ranked 10th or worst in the preseason Big Ten poll.
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