Iowa Football: Hawkeyes Jump In AP, Coaches Poll

The Iowa Hawkeyes went into Ames as underdogs facing a media darling as the #9 Iowa State Cyclones entered the matchup ranked for just the second time in the history of the Cy-Hawk series. But for all the hype surrounding the Cyclones following their best year in program history during a pandemic-impacted 2020, the Iowa Hawkeyes sucked the wind out of the ISU sails on Saturday.

The offense has still not shown much to be terribly excited about, but Phil Parker’s defense took the national stage provided by ESPN’s College Game Day (which coincidentally spent significant time heaping praise on ISU defensive coordinator John Heacock and the Cyclone defense) to jump into the conversation as the best in the country. Following a second straight week where the Hawkeyes intercepted three passes and forced ranked opponents with highly-touted quarterbacks to reach onto their bench to close out the game, the Hawkeyes now find themselves in a unique spot.

Iowa may well have taken the Cyclone’s spot in the national media’s spotlight as a darling. On Sunday, the Associated Press released their updated poll and again the Hawkeyes made a big jump. This time Iowa climbs five spots from #10 to #5 in the nation.

Here’s a look at the full AP poll.

1) Alabama, 2-0 (60 first place votes)
2) Georgia, 2-0 (3)
3) Oklahoma, 2-0
4) Oregon, 2-0
5) Iowa, 2-0
6) Clemson, 1-1
7) Texas A&M, 2-0
8) Cincinnati, 2-0
9) Ohio State, 1-1
10) Penn State, 2-0
11) Florida, 2-0
12) Notre Dame, 2-0
13) UCLA, 2-0
14) Iowa State, 1-1
15) Virginia Tech, 2-0
16) Coastal Carolina, 2-0
17) Ole Miss, 2-0
18) Wisconsin, 1-1
19) Arizona State, 2-0
20) Arkansas, 2-0
21) North Carolina, 1-1
22) Auburn, 2-0
23) BYU, 2-0
24) Miami (FL), 1-1
25) Michigan, 2-0

Others Receiving Votes (Big Ten-only): ~29) Michigan State; ~30) Indiana; ~36) Maryland

Dropped Out: #14 USC, #15 Texas, #21 Utah

The Coaches poll continues to lag the AP in terms of their belief in Iowa. The Hawkeyes moved up there as well, but not quite as much. Iowa comes in at #7 there. Here’s a look at the full poll.

1) Alabama, 2-0 (64 first place votes)
2) Georgia, 2-0 (1)
3) Oklahoma, 2-0
4) Oregon, 2-0
5) Texas A&M, 2-0
6) Clemson, 1-1
7) Iowa, 2-0
8) Cincinnati, 2-0
9) Florida, 2-0
10) Notre Dame, 2-0
11) Ohio State, 1-1
12) Penn State, 2-0
13) UCLA, 2-0
14) Iowa State, 1-1
15) Virginia Tech, 2-0
16) Ole Miss, 2-0
17) Wisconsin, 1-1
18) Coastal Carolina, 2-0
19) North Carolina, 1-1
20) Auburn, 2-0
21) Arizona State, 2-0
22) Oklahoma State, 2-0
23) BYU, 2-0
24) Arkansas, 2-0
25) Michigan, 2-0

Others Receiving Votes (Big Ten-only): ~30) Michigan State; ~37) Indiana; ~43) Rutgers; ~49) Maryland

Dropped Out: #14 USC, #15 Texas, #18 Utah, #24 Miami (FL)

Noted Notables

• With the Hawkeyes jumping to 5th in the AP, that marks the first time Iowa has been inside the AP top-5 since the 2015 season when the Hawkeyes climbed as high as #3 nationally. This is the earliest in a season Iowa has entered the top-5 since they opened the 1985 season at #4 in the nation.
• The SEC still leads all conferences with 7 teams ranked in total. That includes the top two teams in Alabama and Georgia. The SEC has three teams in the top-10 with Texas A&M coming in at #7.
• The Big Ten is second among conferences with five total teams ranked. They are tied with the SEC at three teams in the top-10. That includes the Hawkeyes at #5, Ohio State at #9 and Penn State at #10. Wisconsin comes in at #18 with Michigan entering the ranks at #25 this week.
• After their loss to Iowa, the Iowa State Cyclones fall five spots in the AP poll to #14.

The Hawkeyes rose to the challenge in weeks one and two with a pair of wins of AP top-25 teams. Their the only team in the nation to do so. After those two difficult matchups to start the season, Iowa is back in action in week three against unranked Kent State.

The Hawkeyes are set to kick off at 2:30pm CT from Kinnick Stadium. This week’s game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.