Iowa Football: 5 reasons Iowa will be better than Iowa State in 2018

4. Offensive Line

It’s a tradition that has been in place for as long as Kirk Ferentz has been the head man in Iowa City. Iowa almost always produces one of the most fundamentally sound offensive line units in all of college football. Last year, the line was led by senior Sean Welsh and junior James Daniels, both who have left due to graduation and the draft respectively. While they do lose experience on the interior, they are young and talented on the outside with offensive tackles Tristan Wirfs and Alaric Jackson.

The offensive line is also a position that Matt Campbell has focused on ever since he arrived in Ames in November 2015. Their offensive line last season was anchored by senior offensive tackle Jake Campos, who is now with the Dallas Cowboys. While the Cyclones do return four starters on the offensive line, the group is not very deep after that. The front five for the Cyclones will have to be in exquisite shape to open up holes for David Montgomery.

While Iowa State has improved on the offensive line throughout Matt Campbell’s tenure, they still have a long way to go in catching up with a perennial offensive line power like Iowa.