NCAAF News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Newsletter

Power Rankings

Iowa Facing Must-Win Game After Bye

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI | By Lane Mills | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 12:30 PM ET

A lot can happen in a week of college football, and while the Iowa Hawkeyes took a much-needed bye to lick their wounds after a loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, that much was proven in seismic fashion across the league.

Better for the Hawkeyes, the B1G specifically saw one massive shakeup in the form of a grandiose, historic upset. The then-seventh-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, favored by more than three touchdowns, were defeated on the road by the previously winless UCLA Bruins.

A conference competitor falls at the hands of the B1G's worst team, knocking the Nittany Lions off their legacy-ground pedestal and down to 3-2 on the year. Interestingly enough, Iowa shares the same record; the only difference lies in the Hawkeyes being 1-1 in conference play, whereas the Nittany Lions remain without a victory at 0-2.

The significance of this upset for the black and gold specifically cannot be understated. After the aforementioned home loss to Indiana, who now sit undefeated at the top of the B1G, Iowa's hopes to compete with the upper echelon of the conference were apparently slashed.

But with the Penn State loss - the same Penn State team that has to play in Iowa City in two weeks - the Hawkeyes' outlook is suddenly much more interesting.

Not only do the Nittany Lions appear thoroughly beatable, especially away from home, but Iowa is facing down a favorable matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers next weekend that could serve as the perfect setup for a potential Penn State takedown in the following game.

The Badgers, now 2-3 (0-2), find themselves dead-last in the B1G following their third straight loss, this time at the hands of the 24th ranked Michigan Wolverines. While their margin of defeat was only two scores - 24-10 - Wisconsin has struggled to muster anything remotely promising after opening their season on two wins against non-conference opponents.

While the Hawkeyes are currently only favored by 3.5, according to FanDuel, the road matchup is shaping up to be their best in conference competition thus far. By all intensive measures, this incoming duel with the Badgers is a must-win if Iowa wants to, at the very least, be taken seriously in the B1G.

Now, if Iowa finds themselves in absence of currently injured starting QB Mark Gronowski, things may get a little more interesting. But even in the case that backup Hank Brown takes the signal calling reins for one game, you couldn't ask for a better break than it being against the potential worst team remaining on your schedule.

If the Hawkeyes take care of business against the Badgers and prevent the mistakes that kept them from upsetting the Hoosiers in week 5, the opportunity to kick Penn State while they're still down presents an appealing, still-possible 5-2 (3-1) record for Iowa.

Without a doubt, even with #3 Oregon remaining on the schedule, that'd be enough momentum for the Hawkeyes to keep higher hopes alive for the remainder of their B1G gauntlet of a schedule.

Even given their stinging two losses, optimism remains for a midseason push within an Iowa football program suited for the long-haul. Everything starts with a win next week.

This article first appeared on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: