Kirk Ferentz first heard about the proposed 12-team College Football Playoff expansion on his car radio.

“A week ago, I hadn’t really thought a lot about [the expansion],” Ferentz said at a press conference Tuesday. “… I was in the car and I had to get to Des Moines, so I had the radio on, so I’m hearing about it and I thought it was a foregone conclusion or official.”

Since the CFP started in 2014, it has been limited to four teams that are selected by a 13-member committee. The proposed expansion would bring 12 teams into the playoff — the six highest-ranked conference champions along with six at-large teams.

“It’s probably good. I’d rather see that, I’ve not been a great fan of the four-team playoff,” Ferentz said. “Apparently the media and the fans aren’t either, because that’s why this is all happening and there’s a lot of clamoring for this. What I don’t like about the four-team thing, it’s kind of a win-it-all mentality. Which is really what the NFL is. The only teams happy in the NFL are… the teams that get to the top.”

But Ferentz said college football is an entirely different landscape than the NFL. There are only 32 teams in the NFL compared to 130 teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.

And as soon as it gets close to the playoffs, the fans are only focused on one thing.

“Whenever that [selection show] airs, all of the focus goes to there,” Ferentz said. “And there’s so many good stories in college football… and so many good experiences that are going on and so many good stories but all of that gets minimized by the eight teams in discussion, and then the four.”

Tracy ready to lead wide receiver room

Iowa football’s wide receiver room took a hit when Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith left the program to join the NFL.

Smith-Marsette was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft as the 157th overall pick, and Smith signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

But now, junior wide receiver Tyrone Tracy Jr. is ready to take over.

“I feel like last year, my role was kind of behind Ihmir and Smith, if I’m being honest,” Tracy said. “But this year I’m in the forefront of like getting the ball and stuff. So, I’m pretty excited about that part. Also, I’m excited about leading the wide receivers room. I’m not the oldest, but I’m the most experienced on the field, so a lot of people look my way for advice and to lead the way.”

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Senior Charlie Jones and junior Nico Ragaini will join Tracy in the wide receiver room, as well as freshmen Arland Bruce IV and Keagan Johnson.

And in 2021-22, Tracy has lofty goals for his junior season.

“I want to be the best wide receiver in the Big Ten,” Tracy said. “That’s like one of my main goals. But I also want to hit 1,000 yards, we haven’t had that happen here in a while. I know that if I hit 1,000 yards then I’ll have a real opportunity to win the best receiver in the Big Ten. I feel like to get there that I need to have a good offense and I think I have that.”

Phil Parker to become $1 million assistant coach

According to a report by HawkCentral, Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker is set to be the first assistant coach in the state to make a $1 million salary. 

Ferentz and athletic director Gary Barta signed off on a rolling two-year contract for Parker, worth $2.2 million through the 2022 season.

Parker has been with the program since the beginning of the Ferentz era in 1999, starting out as the defensive backs coach. In 2013, Parker was promoted to defensive coordinator in addition to his coaching position.

“Knowing coach Parker is our coach, sometimes I’ll go home and tell people who my coach is, and they’ll know it’s a big name,” junior defensive back Dane Benton said Tuesday. “I would say we do wear it as a badge of honor, being able to be coached by a guy like that. It comes with its ups and downs, you know, because he’s a hard coach and you’ve got to take that because you know he’s trying to get the best out of you.”