It was a highly entertaining Saturday to be an Iowa football fan with a bye week on the schedule. From the comfort of our living rooms, we were treated to a great day of college football as multiple top 10 teams fell in a wave of weekend upsets. While the national landscape shifted on television, the results inside the B1G conference were distinctly favorable for the 5-1 Hawkeyes. Iowa’s first three Big Ten opponents—Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington—all secured victories on Saturday, providing
a steady boost to Iowa’s strength of schedule metrics. Let’s evaluate the national perspective before diving into the shifting dynamics of the Big Ten race.
A Weekend of Upsets for the Top 25
No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Mississippi State, and No. 13 Missouri all met their demise on Saturday, positioning the No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes to move up a few notches in the Top 25 rankings when they are released on Sunday afternoon.
The upsets didn’t stop there, as No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Alabama, and No. 7 Texas all went down this weekend.
Big Ten College Football Scoreboard and Standings
In the weekend’s key matchup for the conference crown, No. 4 Ohio State managed to slip by No. 5 Indiana 19-16. No. 12 UCLA ground out a 17-7 win over Wisconsin to now be the only unbeaten team in the Big Ten at a shiny 6-0 on the season. With all the national upsets UCLA will catapult into the top ten.
As mentioned, Iowa’s first three Big Ten opponents of the season, Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington, all won on Saturday, bolstering Iowa’s strength of schedule ratings.
Iowa’s next opponent on October 24, Minnesota, also had a bye week. Iowa’s next opponent after that on October 31, Wisconsin, will be a handful with dual threat quarterback Coulton Joseph. No. 25 Northwestern won on Saturday, for what could be a top 25 showdown in Evanston, IL when they face off on November 7.
This leaves Iowa sitting at 5-1 on the season and tied for third in the conference at 2-1 with Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Northwestern. Closely followed by Purdue and Nebraska both tied for fourth. Every Saturday is Separation Saturday from here on out.
The Biggest Loser
It was a joyous Sunday morning to wake up to the news that the Nebraska Fuskers found yet another way to get husked and have a fourth quarter meltdown in the best possible way. Dylan Raiola, the former Nebraska quarterback who transferred to Oregon, came off the bench in the fourth quarter to orchestrate two scoring drives. The comeback culminated in a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jamari Johnson with just 28 seconds remaining on the clock to secure the 17-14 win for Oregon. The look on Matt Ruhle’s ugly mug was priceless.
The Final Drive and Home Field Advantage
Iowa now has six games remaining on their schedule, three away games, and three home games. They toggle back and forth the rest of the season, alternating away and home. But this year, their remaining schedule is completely with teams from the former Big Ten West. No long travel, against teams also in the central time zone, and games where Iowa fans can drive to the opponent’s stadium to support the Hawks. Iowa broke the West Coast Curse this year, and the chants of “Let’s Go Hawks” were audible as that incredible black & gold fan base inspired their team to victory. Every remaining game is winnable, and everyone could result in a loss. What adjustments will the Iowa coaching staff make during this bye week to capitalize on more of what is working well, and less of what is not? Chime in with what you hope to see for the remaining half of the Big Ten season and a possible historic CFP bid.
