Before the season, many Iowa football fans and media analysts projected the 2024 squad to reach the College Football Playoff. 

The Hawkeyes’ schedule featured only one opponent ranked in the Associated Press top-25 poll and returned plenty of experience on both sides of the ball. 

The program was plagued by offensive inconsistencies for three seasons, but there was hope that new offensive coordinator Tim Lester could complete a major overhaul and bring the offense into the 21st century. 

It seemed like those dreams would come to fruition as Iowa scored 40 points in the season-opener against Illinois State on Aug. 31. Players were optimistic, coaches were optimistic, and the fans were flying high. 

But then it all came crashing down in an instant. 

Just one week later, the Hawkeyes suffered a devastating 20-19 home loss to in-state rival Iowa State, a game in which Iowa led by 13 points in the second half. The Hawkeyes have long been known for maintaining second half leads, but the loss proved to be an unfortunate omen for the rest of the season. 

The trouncing at then-No.3 Ohio State on Oct. 5 was expected, but the losses to UCLA and Michigan State certainly weren’t. Sure, they were on the road in primetime, but Iowa looked unprepared and outmatched at times against competition that was mediocre at best. 

Iowa entered the season with the necessary talent and experience to win at least 10 games this season, but the chips haven’t fallen into place. Instead of playing in the College Football Playoff, the Hawkeyes are forced to play in a meaningless, almost exhibition bowl game, while in-state rival Iowa State enjoys its best season in program history. 

This was a season in which Iowa was supposed to break out in the new landscape of college football, but the Hawkeyes are again stuck in mediocrity. 

What is the current state of Iowa football right now? Well, it’s not very good. 

First, there’s the Cade McNamara saga — the senior quarterback  who transferred in from Michigan to rejuvenate the Iowa offense prior to the 2023 season, but his injury problems and inconsistent play have led to him completing only 11 full games as the starting quarterback. 

The Hawkeyes made the right decision by bringing McNamara in, but the experiment was clearly a disaster and has certainly gained plenty of negative publicity from the fanbase and the national media. 

But it also showed a glaring problem — quarterback development. Iowa has had some of the Big Ten’s worst quarterback play over the last few seasons, and that’s a problem that cannot continue into the 2025 season. 

Spencer Petras has been playing good football for Utah State this season, and former backup Joey Labas has played well for Central Michigan before suffering an injury. 

I’m happy for those two guys, but their success shows that the Hawkeyes haven’t developed their young signal-callers properly, something that is unacceptable for a Big Ten program.

This isn’t 1985 anymore; it’s 2024. Iowa needs to value the quarterback position as a dual-threat and not just simply a game manager who will dink and duck down the field. 

Looking ahead to 2025, the Hawkeyes will face a gauntlet schedule highlighted by games against Indiana, Penn State, and Oregon. That’s certainly not the lighter schedule that Iowa has had this season, and yet the Hawks still sit in mediocrity with an experienced roster. 

Iowa will lose the services of stalwarts Nick Jackson, Jay Higgins, Sebastian Castro, and Ethan Hurkett on defense, and the team will likely lose star running back Kaleb Johnson, who declared for the NFL Draft on Dec. 1. Johnson broke Shonn Greene’s single-season touchdown record this year and has accumulated much of Iowa’s firepower on offense. 

Not only that, but there is also no quarterback on the roster right now who the Hawkeyes feel great about heading into 2025. Brendan Sullivan showed some flashes, but his injury has left him without the valuable reps to prove he is the guy for next season. 

Iowa has shown willingness to dip into the transfer portal in recent years, and finding some depth at the quarterback position is a must if it wants to be competitive next season and beyond. 

Finally, there’s head coach Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz has completed nearly 26 full seasons as the head coach of the Hawkeyes, and though the 69-year-old coach doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down, any season could be the last for the legendary head Hawk. 

Not all the disappointments of this season can be placed on Ferentz, but again, the Hawkeyes failed to meet expectations this season. Many fans are questioning if the program needs to start over with a new coach.

Regardless of your opinions, one thing is clear — this season has been a massive disappointment. Iowa has plenty of issues right now, making the current state of this program extremely cloudy moving forward. 

If the Hawkeyes can’t fix their problems, then the program could be in for a nasty downfall.