As No. 16 Iowa (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) enters its Week 7 bye following a dominant 41-24 road win over Washington (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten), the Hawkeyes find themselves inside Sports Illustrated's latest College Football Playoff projections. If Iowa advances to the CFP, it would mark the Hawkeyes first-ever trip to the College Football Playoff.
According to SI's Bryan Fischer, Iowa is the projected No. 9 seed. The Hawkeyes would match up against No. 8 seed UCLA the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately for Iowa, SI projected UCLA to advance and face No. 1 seed Georgia in the Peach Bowl.
If the matchup came to fruition, it would mark the first meeting between Iowa and UCLA since Nov. 8, 2024, when the Hawkeyes fell in Pasadena, Calif., 20-17. Iowa built an early 10-0 lead
in that game against the Bruins, but the Hawkeyes watched UCLA rally back in a game that Brendan Sullivan started for Iowa at quarterback.
Shocking losses impacted the postseason picture, and the playoff has a dramatically new feel 👀 pic.twitter.com/VnX02eR6lV
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 12, 2026
After a tough Week 5 loss against Ohio State, the Hawkeyes bounced back last Friday night, with quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski shining in his first collegiate start. Heclinski completed 14 of 19 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns in the win at Washington. Additionally, running back Kamari Moulton rushed for a career-high 208 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
SI's full projected CFP field entering Week 7 looks like this:
- No. 1 seed: Georgia
- No. 2 seed: Ohio State
- No. 3 seed: Notre Dame
- No. 4 seed: Miami
- No. 5 seed: Alabama
- No. 6 seed: Indiana
- No. 7 seed: Texas
- No. 8 seed: UCLA
- No. 9 seed: Iowa
- No. 10 seed: BYU
- No. 11 seed: Wake Forest
- No. 12 seed: Boise State
With at least six more games to enhance its resume, Iowa is currently well positioned to secure its first-ever CFP berth.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football inside SI's Week 7 CFP projections
