Search 4thand4cast

Search the site.

Try , , or .

Powered by Pagefind

Iowa

Hawkeyes · Big Ten

GIE rank
#26
of 138 FBS
Rating
1689
2026 Week 10
Record
6-2
2026 season
Proj record
9-3
12-game season

Head coach Kirk Ferentz

Season projection

2026 W10 · 10,000 sims
Expected wins
8.5
2.5 more wins in 4 left
Win range (90%)
7 to 10
Final rank (90%)
#25 (13–40)
Make playoff
4%
Win conference
0%

Path to glory

Their playoff probability after a win or a loss in each pivotal game. (Interactive toggles coming once the scenario sim finishes for this team.)

Iowa playoff probability by pivotal game result
Game Win Loss Swing
at Illinois on road · Nov 21 · +61pp 61% 0% +61pp

Schedule

Full 2026 slate. Tap a row for the matchup breakdown.

Schedule and results
Week Opponent Result or win prob.Result or win probability
Wk 1 Sep 5 vs Northern Illinois Mountain West Win, 40-0 Final
Wk 2 Sep 12 vs Iowa State Big 12 Win, 16-13 Final
Wk 3 Sep 19 vs Northern Iowa Non-FBS Win, 55-0 Final
Wk 4 Sep 26 at Michigan Big Ten Win, 20-19 Final
Wk 5 Oct 3 vs Ohio State Big Ten Loss, 14-31 Final
Wk 6 Oct 10 at Washington Big Ten Win, 41-24 Final
Wk 7 Bye
Wk 8 Oct 24 at Minnesota Big Ten Loss, 10-13 Final
Wk 9 Oct 31 vs Wisconsin Big Ten Win, 30-0 Final
Wk 10 Nov 7 at Northwestern Big Ten Win probability: 38%
Wk 11 Nov 14 vs Purdue Big Ten Win probability: 86%
Wk 12 Nov 21 at Illinois Big Ten Win probability: 60%
Wk 13 Nov 27 vs Nebraska Big Ten Win probability: 48%

Latest stories

  • Recap

    Iowa: 2026 Week 7 recap

    Iowa sits at 19th in the latest GIE ratings after a 31-14 loss to Ohio State in Week 5—a result that left the rating essentially flat but underscored some operational issues. The Hawkeyes are 4-1 on the season with an expected-wins…

  • Recap

    Iowa: 2026 Week 3 recap

    Iowa sits at 22nd in GIE's ratings after a dominant 40–0 shutout of Northern Illinois in Week 1, though the model hasn't budged the rating since—holding at 14.6 points. The Hawkeyes face Iowa State this weekend in a rivalry game that…

  • Recap

    Iowa: 2025 Week 16 recap

    Iowa sits at No. 12 in GIE's ratings after a dominant 40–16 road win over Nebraska in Week 14, a performance that underscored the Hawkeyes' defensive identity and offensive efficiency. The 9–4 record reflects a team that's navigated Big…

In the news

More coming. Per-team pages get the full treatment in Phase 3: current rating, season projection histogram, schedule with win probabilities, and live overlays on Pylon stream days. For now, this page exists so stories and news have a permanent home as content rolls in.

Returning production · 2026

37 score

  • Quarterback 5% (4/6)
  • Offensive line 72% (13/18) players
  • Skill (RB/WR/TE) 63% (20/28)
  • Front 7 (DL/LB) 24% (21/32)
  • Secondary 50% (10/19)
  • Special teams 0% (2/6)

Share of last season's production each unit returns. Higher means more continuity: 70%+ is healthy, 45–70% a normal rebuild, under 45% a major turnover.

Portal additions · 2026

−0.5 rating

14 proven transfers in, carrying the production below from their prior school.

Iowa incoming transfers
Player From Impact
L.J. Phillips Jr.RB From South Dakota South Dakota 142
Tyler BrownDB From James Madison James Madison 140
Evan JamesWR From Furman Furman 79
Lance IngoldDL From Northern Illinois Northern Illinois 46
Anthony HawkinsDB From Villanova Villanova 29
Xavier StylesDB From Robert Morris Robert Morris 11

Impact scores offensive skill additions (QB/RB/WR/TE) — prior-season production normalized within position (100 ≈ a 90th-percentile producer at that spot) and discounted for non-FBS competition, so a top back counts alongside a top quarterback. Defensive and O-line additions count as transfers but aren't box-score measurable, so they carry no impact score. The rating figure is this class's portal contribution vs. the FBS average, capped at ±2.5.

Situational efficiency · 2025

FBS percentile rank
  • 3rd-down conversion 40.1%
    70th — strong
  • Red-zone TD rate 18.7%
    83th — strong
  • 4th-down aggression 27.4%
    14th — bottom tier
  • Late & close 5.5 yds/play
    61th — average

Percentile is across all FBS teams with play-by-play data for the season. "Late & close" is yards per play in Q4+ with a one-score margin — a proxy for clutch offensive performance.