Iowa Football: Ranking Hawkeyes’ 2020 opponents by toughness

Northwestern had an extremely forgettable season in 2019 which was surprising given that the Wildcats had just won the Big Ten West and faced Ohio State for a conference title. The Wildcats finished just 3-9 and 1-8 in conference play and a big reason for that was lackluster quarterback play, but that should be no more.

In fact, Northwestern brings in Indiana transfer Peyton Ramsey who could be one of the bigger surprises in the conference and get the Wildcats back in the West race.

Iowa won’t roll right over the Wildcats here, but it should be a win.

Surprised to see Illinois ahead of a team like Northwestern not far removed from a Big Ten West title? You shouldn’t be, Illinois is one of the rising programs in the league.

Just look at what the Fighting Illini did in 2019 after a 2-4 start. The Illini pulled off a shocking upset of Wisconsin in the final seconds and then won four games in a row, securing a bowl big. They didn’t win the Redbox Bowl over California, but Lovie Smith’s first postseason appearance should provide some momentum.

Brandon Peters is back and so are the Illini’s top receivers. The offense should be much better but the defense could take a step back.