Iowa Hawkeyes snubbed from ESPN’s Football Power Index preseason top 25
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Overlooked and a little disrespected is nothing new for the Iowa Hawkeyes. And sometimes it is even a little bit preferred with their underdog mentality. That seems to be the case as the updated preseason top 25 from ESPN’s Football Power Index has snubbed Iowa on its list and doesn’t believe they are one of the best 25 teams in the country.
At first, there was a little surprise and some angst, but then the realization hit me that this is going to be bulletin board material for Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes. This list might even find itself taped up inside the weight room as a little extra layer of motivation.
Coming off a 10-win season that saw the Hawkeyes take home the Big Ten West title usually should warrant enough respect to earn themselves their rightful spot in these rankings, but one can only ponder why this extremely questionable decision was made and what the simulation criteria is that is used by ESPN.
There are a handful of fellow Big Ten members that did crack the list. Some of the teams questionably in over Iowa are the Penn State Nittany Lions and Wisconsin Badgers, two teams Iowa trades haymakers with on a regular basis.
The Big Ten also saw the Michigan State Spartans, the Michigan Wolverines, and the Ohio State Buckeyes all within the top 15 teams in what is little to-no surprise based off their performances last year and the teams they are bringing back in 2022.
While Iowa is off the list for now, it seems like an act that has been played before where it takes a little longer then it probably should for the Hawkeyes to garner appropriate respect. But, that is just how they like it. Disrespected and eager for their chance to prove it against the heavyweights.
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