Kirk Ferentz evaluates how Iowa stacks up against 'elite' teams in Big Ten

Kirk Ferentz and Iowa didn’t cap off their season with a solid showing in the Big Ten Championship against the Michigan Wolverines, but the Hawkeyes leader’s confidence isn’t shaken.

Speaking with the media afterwards, Ferentz explained that he still likes the way Iowa stacks up against the best of the Big Ten, even if it didn’t go well for the Hawkeyes against the Wolverines when the time came to take the field.

“You know, on paper we’ve been close twice. I think I’m correct in saying that. In’ 02 there was no playoff, at least Ohio State went. We didn’t. I guess it was two teams back then. I think we would have competed well with them on the field. ’15, if we had won that game, which we didn’t, then we would have been there. Michigan State wouldn’t have been,” Ferentz said. “I don’t think people realize how tough it is to be one of those four teams. TCU was there last year. Didn’t go so well this year.

“To get there, sustain it, I mean, the facts are there’s probably six, eight schools that are in that discussion on a routine basis. That’s kind of the nature of college football. One of my fears about the rules as they are now is that we may go back to more separation, whereas I would suggest in 2002 there maybe wasn’t quite as much. Things are shifting a little bit right now, and that’s a discussion for a different day too. That was my concern when the NIL began really in earnest a year ago.”

Regardless, Iowa will have the chance to put the right stamp on their season in their bowl game, as they’ll face Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl. We’ll see if Kirk Ferentz and company come ready to play for that showdown later in bowl season, and prove they’re among the best the Big Ten has to offer.

Tennessee vs Iowa odds: Citrus Bowl point spread released

With a slew of bowl matchups being announced on Sunday, one of the most exciting will be in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, as No. 21 ranked Tennessee faces No. 17 Iowa in a marquee SEC/Big Ten showdown.

According to FanDuel, the Volunteers enter the game as 7-point favorites over the Hawkeyes, with the point total over-under sitting at a low 36.5 points for the matchup. But here’s everything else you need to know about one of the most exciting bowl matchups that will kick off on January 1.

Iowa enters the Citrus Bowl fresh off of suffering a 26-0 loss to the now No. 1 ranked team in the nation Michigan, but did finish the regular season strong with four straight wins in their 25th season under head coach Kirk Ferentz.

Per usual, Iowa’s elite play on the defensive a significant impact on their 10-3 finish to the season, holding opponents to an average of just 13.2 points per game this year which ranked No. 4 in the entire nation across all of college football. 

But unfortunately, their offense has been quite literally the total opposite this season in comparison to their defense, scoring just 16.6 points per game to represent the fourth worst scoring offense in the FBS this year only trailing Akron, Michigan State, and Kent State. 

The Hawkeyes have leaned heavily on their defense this season, but will likely need some more help from their offense if they want to compete with Volunteers on New Year’s Day.

On3’s Kaiden Smith contributed to this article.