Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2021 college football season

After starting the 2020 season with two straight losses, Iowa rattled off six wins in a row to close out a strange year with a lot of momentum. The Hawkeyes did not get to play in the postseason, but that was due to COVID-19 cases that forced their opponent Missouri to pull out of the Music City Bowl. Voters won’t punish Kirk Ferentz’s team for their lack of a bowl game, and will put them right in the mid-teens when they release the preseason AP Top 25 in August.

Iowa won’t have to worry much about their offense, with quarterback Spencer Petras and running back Tyler Goodson both back in 2021. Receiver is perhaps the biggest point of concern for the offense, with both Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith on their way out of Iowa City. The bigger issue for the Hawkeyes is on defense, where five starters depart from the 2020 roster. Defensive line is a major point of concern, especially given how strong they were against the run.

The Hawkeyes face a couple of tough tests right out of the gate to open their ledger in 2021. Indiana visits Kinnick Stadium in the season opener, and then Iowa turns around and plays El Assico on the road against rival Iowa State. Home games against Kent State and Colorado State round out the non-conference slate. Iowa misses both Michigan and Ohio State in interdivisional play and gets to take on Penn State at home.