ESPN gives Iowa football their floor and ceiling for 2024 wins

Nothing lets college football fans know that the season is near quite like the reactions to preseason polls of teams that have yet to play a single snap.

The dog days of summer are ending, and fans, analysts, and networks alike are grasping anything they can to get to Week 1. Reacting to the preseason polls is a favorite choice as it offers unfiltered thoughts based on next to no on-field play.

Like Athlon Sports revealing their thoughts on the Iowa Hawkeyes’ preseason ranking of No. 25 in the AP Poll, ESPN also had their reactions.

25. Iowa Hawkeyes

Ceiling: 10-2 | Floor: 4-8

Key game: at Ohio State, Oct. 5

With no Penn State, Oregon, Michigan or USC on the schedule, the Hawkeyes own one of the Big Ten’s more favorable slates. The Hawkeyes don’t have to knock off Ohio State to make it to the Big Ten championship game. But an upset victory in Columbus could elevate Iowa into prime position to make it to Indy, and potentially, the playoff. — Trotter

Iowa does draw a favorable schedule. It won’t be a gigantic surprise to see the Hawkeyes favored in all seven home games and possibly every game aside from the road trip to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

A ceiling of 10-2 is realistic. Ohio State will be heavily favored against Iowa as they will against most teams all year. They are a title contender, if not the number-one favorite.

For Iowa to hit the floor of just four wins, things would have to turn into a catastrophic failure. Injuries would have to plague both sides of the ball, every bounce would have to go the opponents’ way, and the world may have to tilt on its side.

With games against Illinois State, Troy, Michigan State, Northwestern, UCLA, and Maryland, a true floor for Iowa is in the ballpark of six or seven wins and even that would require the Hawkeyes to be the most unlucky team in America.

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