Iowa took a nosedive in ESPN’s 2025 preseason Football Power Index rankings, released on Friday.
The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 38 in this year’s preseason edition of the poll, dropping 16 spots from their 2024 ranking of No. 22. The drop was tied for the 19th largest of all NCAA Division I FBS college football teams.
ESPN’s FPI rankings measure each FBS team’s strength in points per game, relative to the national average, on offense, defense and special teams. They also take starters lost, incoming recruiting classes and other personnel changes into account. Those figures are then plugged into each team’s schedule, simulating everything 20,000 times to measure their chances of winning their conference, making the College Football Playoff and winning the national championship.
Iowa’s FPI score of 6.3 is ranked 10th out of the Big Ten’s 18 members.
ESPN gives the Hawkeyes a 64.9% chance of winning six or more games, which would grant them bowl eligibility. The network gives Iowa only a 3.7% chance of reaching the College Football Playoff.
Though the Hawkeyes’ overall score is much lower than it was in 2024, ESPN still expects their defense to be formidable.
Iowa’s defense is ranked No. 20 in the FPI’s defensive ratings at 5.7. That figure is still lower than it was in 2024, as the Hawkeyes were No. 13 in last year’s rankings.
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The Hawkeyes finished 11th nationally in team defense a year ago, allowing just 17.9 points per game. Iowa allowed 318.4 total yards per game, which was 20th in FBS.
Ohio State, college football’s defending national champion, has the Big Ten’s highest FPI at 23.8. Oregon and Penn State — both CFP teams in 2024 — have preseason scores above 20 as well.
Texas has the nation’s No. 1 FPI score (28.5), just ahead of fellow SEC squads Georgia (26.6) and Alabama (24.2) at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
A year ago, the Hawkeyes finished 8-5 and 6-3 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes fell 27-24 to No. 19 Missouri in the Music City Bowl.
Iowa opens the season against Albany at Kinnick Stadium on Aug. 30. The Great Danes compete in the Coastal Athletic Association at the NCAA Division I FCS level.
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