The Iowa Hawkeyes football team has been in the Associated Press top 5 before, but the attention doesn’t usually come in Week 3 of the season. The lofty ranking comes as the Hawkeyes get ready for Saturday’s home game against Kent State.
The Hawkeyes started the season at No. 18 then jumped to No. 10 after a win over No. 17 Indiana. They made another leap — to No. 5 — after a 27-17 win at the No. 9 Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz told his reporters at his weekly press conference that rankings are “a lot of speculation” at this point in the season:
“We’ve won two games. We’re thrilled to death to be 2-0. It’s the best you can be. But it means nothing. Nobody is smart enough to know what it’s going to look like in November or December.”
How to watch: Kent State at Iowa game time
- What: Kent State (1-1) at Iowa (2-0)
- When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Kinnick Stadium
- TV: Big Ten Network
The last time Iowa was ranked this high was Nov. 29, 2015. A Black Friday win over Nebraska capped off an undefeated regular season that year.
Kent State already has a top 10 game on its resume. The Golden Flashes opened the season with a 41-10 loss at then-No. 6 Texas A&M. Ferentz expects a fast start from Kent State, based on their game against the Aggies:
“They went right after them — took the ball right down the field, ended up with a field goal on the first drive. They just make you defend everything. Everybody’s got to be on task. It’s not the same as the last few weeks, but similar.”
The Golden Flashes returned home this past Saturday to pick up a 61-10 win over Virginia Military Institute. The Flashes piled up nearly 500 yards rushing and scored the first 39 points against the Keydets, who were ranked No. 18 in the FCS rankings at the time. Altogether, Kent State finished with 698 yards against VMI.
