Why one Big Ten team has already killed its CFP hopes

Technically, anything can happen. This is college football
after all, and the
Iowa Hawkeyes‘ 1-1 start to the 2025 season does not exactly eliminate them from College Football Playoff contention. That’s especially true in the 12-team CFP era when the Big Ten is guaranteed to get multiple berths.

Through two games, though, the Hawkeyes have continued to play an uninspiring brand of offensive football. This is even though they went into the transfer portal to bring in two-time FCS champion quarterback Mark Gronowski.

Transfer QB Mark Gronowski has been a disappointment 

Gronowski was a dangerous and explosive quarterback at South Dakota State University before transferring to Iowa, but he’s been held in check now that he’s a Hawkeye. His passing numbers this season are abysmal. He’s completed 21 of 39 passes for just 127 yards and one touchdown with an interception.

Those are ugly numbers for two games, but college football analyst David Pollack believes the problem at hand here is more than just Gronowski getting used to a higher level of play. He believes it’s an Iowa problem. It’s about identity.

“Iowa, I love you. I love the way you play. I love the way you fight, but you’re bringing this like sharpened rock, and you’re not David from the Bible,” Pollack said on a recent edition of the “See Ball Get Ball” podcast. “You’re bringing a rock to a gunfight a lot of times, with the ability to pass the ball and receivers to catch it. So, Iowa, I love you, I love the way you play and love the way you battle, but you’re gone.”

When he says “you’re gone,” Pollack is already counting Iowa out of the CFP, and it’s worth noting that the Hawkeyes don’t have much more wiggle room — especially if they’re only going to put up 23.5 points and 286 yards per game.

Kirk Ferentz, Iowa have daunting Big Ten schedule

That’s especially true with No. 2 Penn State and No. 4 Oregon looming large on the schedule. The Nittany Lions are averaging 46 points and 423.5 yards per game, while the Ducks are averaging 68 points and 568.5 yards per game.

Even No. 22 Indiana is putting up 56.5 points and 547.5 yards per game. Yes, these numbers will decrease as teams get out of the “cupcake” portion of their schedules and start playing similar competition, but does anyone have any faith that Iowa’s offense is going to change in Kirk Ferentz’s 27th season as the head coach?

Credit him for his consistency and ability to keep a program relevant, but Ferentz is not known for his aggressive nature or adaptable offensive mind. That’s what it’s going to take in order for the Hawkeyes to salvage this season from a CFP perspective, though, and that may be why people like Pollack are already counting them out.