Iowa running back Kamari Moulton Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Iowa Hawkeyes Ranked in Top 25 of ESPN Preseason Football Rankings

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI
By Carson Field | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 7:42 PM ET

While Iowa went unranked in both the AP Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll, the Hawkeyes earned the No. 25 spot in the final preseason ESPN SP+ rankings, released on Thursday.

Per ESPN, SP+ is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measurement of all 136 teams that compete in NCAA Division I FBS football. It measures the “most sustainable and predictable” aspects of college football and isn’t to be used as a prediction for the end-of-season AP Top 25.

Iowa’s defensive rating helped the Hawkeyes land in the top 25, as they have the 10th-best preseason score at 15.1.

The Hawkeyes’ offensive rating isn’t as stellar at 27.2 (69th nationally). But it’s toward the middle of the pack in the nation, which is progress for an offense that has struggled to find versatility over the last decade.

Out of the Big Ten Conference’s 18 members, the Hawkeyes are No. 7 in the conference in SP+.

Ohio State, the 2024 national champion, is the No. 1 team in the rankings. The Buckeyes have an offensive grade of 38 and a defensive grade of 12, both of which are in the top 10.

Three other Big Ten squads are in the top 10 of the SP+: Penn State (No. 4), Oregon (7) and Michigan (8). USC and Indiana — ranked 21st and 23rd, respectively — are also ranked ahead of the Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes were ranked No. 28 in ESPN’s post-spring SP+ rankings, which were released in May.

Iowa is coming off a season in which it went 8-5 overall. The Hawkeyes went 6-3 in Big Ten play but lost the Cy-Hawk game against Iowa State and also fell to Missouri in the Music City Bowl.

The Hawkeyes will be without running back Kaleb Johnson in 2025, as the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the 2025 NFL Draft. Kamari Moulton will be Iowa’s Week 1 starter at running back, and he rushed for 473 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games last year.

The buzz around campus is Mark Gronowski , the Hawkeyes’ transfer quarterback from South Dakota State. Gronowski led the Jackrabbits to two FCS national championships, earning All-American honors in 2023.

Iowa begins the 2025 season on Saturday, Aug. 30, against the Albany Great Danes.

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

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