Opinion | The Hawkeyes can make the 2020-21 College Football Playoff
A tumultuous offseason for both Iowa football and college football as a whole has left this year’s race to the College Football Playoff wide open, giving the Hawkeyes their first real chance to win a national title since 2015.
The Nebraska defense jumps on a loose ball during the game against Nebraska on Friday, November 29, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Corn Huskers 27-24.
September 30, 2020
Chaotic is the only word that appropriately describes this offseason around Power Five college football.
Up until late July or early August, there was doubt as to whether or not games could or should be played this fall. As a result, three Power Five conferences have already hit the gridiron running – the ACC, SEC, and Big 12. Meanwhile, the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences continue to wait for their seasons to kick off on Oct. 23-24 and Nov. 7-8, respectively.
Within the Big Ten, the madness has been particularly concentrated. On Aug. 11, the Big Ten Conference announced that all fall sports would be postponed. Then, the Big Ten turned around and announced the return of conference football this fall Sept. 16. Oddly enough, the actual decision to reverse course pales in comparison to the drama that took place between Aug. 11 and Sept. 16.
At Iowa, specifically, the offseason was tumultuous to say the least. It included three different football schedules that the Big Ten released, an investigation into the racial equity of the football program, and a $1.1 million separation agreement with strength coach Chris Doyle.
Obviously, none of those circumstances are ideal for cultivating a winning team. While the Hawkeyes may have been dealt the worst hand in the country, other programs have also been presented with tremendous challenges.
For the teams that have played so far this season, the on-field effects of this unusual offseason have been substantial and evident.
During the Big 12’s first week of play, three of their teams were swept by Sun Belt Conference teams. On top of that, then-No. 3 Oklahoma fell to an unranked Kansas State team last week. The Wildcats had been beaten by the Sun Belt’s Arkansas State the two weeks prior.
The reigning national champion Louisiana State University Tigers fell to unranked Mississippi State last week. The sixth-ranked Tigers gave up a whopping 623 yards passing to the Bulldogs’ K.J. Costello.
What has prevailed this season has been great coaching and commitment to fundamentals. Unsurprisingly, two schools that have both of those things sit atop this week’s AP Poll – Clemson and Alabama.
Luckily for the Hawkeyes, great coaching and fundamental football have been their calling cards since Kirk Ferentz took over as head coach in 1999. Iowa’s smash mouth brand of football should bode well throughout this unusual season.
Establishing the run and playing great defense will be more critical than it ever has been. When the weather gets colder, those two things get more important. With the Big Ten’s delayed start, there won’t be any warm-weather regular season games in the Big Ten this year.
Iowa has all the tools to be successful this season, and with uncertainty running rampant across the nation this fall, it’s time for Hawkeye fans to start believing that their team can make the College Football Playoff.
Iowa’s new schedule is favorable for the Hawkeyes. Iowa may only be the underdog twice this season. Once on the road against Penn State Nov. 21 and a second time at home versus Wisconsin Dec. 12.
Should the Hawkeyes win those two games, an 8-0 regular season record with wins over Wisconsin and Penn State will look pretty appealing to the College Football Playoff committee, regardless of a win or loss in the Big Ten Championship game.
Playing an eight-game schedule may also benefit Iowa in terms of minimization of risk. Every game played is another chance to lose. Teams from the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 are all going to be playing between 10 and 12 games. So, they are presented with more chances to lose than the Hawkeyes are.
RELATED: Point/Counterpoint: Who will win the Big Ten West?
Top tier teams around the nation are already falling, and it’s not unreasonable to believe that the trend won’t continue going forward.
Seemingly anything can happen in 2020, and mark Iowa making the College Football Playoff as one of those unlikely possibilities that could come to fruition.
Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.
