Iowa football: 5 keys to the Hawkeyes winning the Big Ten in 2023

The 2023 football season may look like much of the same on paper. Iowa football sees the longest-tenured head coach Kirk Ferentz return with his offensive coordinator and son Brian Ferentz and long-time defensive coordinator Phil Parker.

The stable of running backs seems like a treasure trove and the defense looks like it should be as opportunistic as ever in creating turnovers.

That being said, this team is at a crossroads.

Brian Ferentz had his contract ripped up and remade with an ultimatum of averaging 25 points per game or finding a new job somewhere else. The defense lost five defensive players to the NFL with two of them being first-round talents.

Finally, the team actually used the transfer portal in a meaningful way this offseason, implying that they may be catching up to the rest of the country with regard to roster building.

This season will determine the future of many players and coaches, so here are the five keys to making sure that those futures are positively impacted.