With offensive upgrades via the transfer portal, should Iowa be the favorite to win the Big Ten West?

College football win totals have started to trickle out this spring, and Wisconsin, under new head coach Luke Fickell, has been tabbed as the prohibitive favorite to win the Big Ten West. 

Are we sure that’s right?

The Big Ten West is typically a muddled mess of a division, and this year looks no different with five schools with win totals between 6 and 7.5. 

Then there’s Wisconsin, which that sits fourth overall in the conference with an over/under of 9. 

Perhaps that number is correct. With Fickell at head coach, Phil Longo at OC, a slew of impact transfers, plus the return of stars like tailback Braelon Allen and linebacker Maema Njongmeta, the Badgers have all the makings of a Top 25 team and a potential division champ. 

But so do the Iowa Hawkeyes, whose win total is only at 7.5 for 2023. 

That’s too low. 

With their recent transfer portal additions, the Hawkeyes have an argument to be the No. 1 team in the Big Ten West come the fall. 

Who knew Kirk Ferentz had such portal juice?

We know Iowa is going to play salty defense. The Hawkeyes were a Top 10 unit in yards per play allowed, scoring and pass defense, and even without linebacker Jack Campbell and pass rusher Lukas Van Ness, they return one of the best front-sevens in the country.

Their schedule is fairly favorable, too, as they miss Ohio State, Michigan and Maryland from the East — three of the four schools with the highest win totals in the other division. They do play Wisconsin in Camp Randall, so perhaps that’s the differentiator for the division. 

But what if Iowa suddenly doesn’t play the worst offense in the Big Ten in nearly 25 years in the fall?

Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz’s ‘Drive for 25’ — as in Iowa needs to average 25 points per game in 2023 for Kirk Ferentz’s embattled son to keep his job, per his absurdly amended contract earlier this offseason — deserves all the lampooning. But suddenly, the pieces are in place for the Hawkeyes to have a serviceable — or better — attack in 2023. 

And it’s mostly thanks to the transfer portal. 

HOW IOWA UPGRADED ITS OFFENSIVE TALENT THIS OFFSEASON

In the winter, Iowa grabbed Michigan transfers Cade McNamara, who will start at quarterback, and tight end Erick All, who was injured for most of the 2022 season but caught close to 40 balls for 440 yards and a couple of touchdowns in 2021. Paired with junior Luke Lachey, the All and Lachey form one of the top tight end rooms in the country.

They shored up the offensive line with two additions, landing guard Rusty Feth from Miami OH and tackle Daijon Parker. 

But the most important newcomers for the Hawkeyes are wideouts Seth Anderson and Kaleb Brown, who just committed to Iowa earlier this week. 

Iowa had the worst wideout room in the Big Ten last season. By the end of the year, the unit was so beleagured due to injuries and departures, the Hawkeyes were having to regularly rely on multiple walk-ons. 

With sixth-year senior Nico Ragaini back healthy, plus the additions of Anderson and Brown, Iowa suddenly has a solid starting trio for the fall. Junior Diante Vines is another quality rotational piece. 

Anderson, the son of former NFL wide receiver Flipper Anderson, was the Freshman of the Year in the Big South Conference for Charleston Southern, recording 42 catches for 628 yards and seven touchdowns. He missed the spring due to injury but there’s optimism he’ll slide right into a starting role once healthy. 

Then there’s Brown, who is the potential game-changer for Iowa’s offense in 2023. 

The Ohio State transfer was buried on Buckeyes’ depth chart, but the former Top 100 prospect has legitimate No. 1 option talent and gives McNamara a true perimeter threat. Brown had options, too, so the fact he chose to come play for an Iowa offense that was so ghastly last year is not nothing, either. 

Iowa won the Big Ten West in 2021, and it managed to still win eight games last season with the worst offense in the conference. With upgrades at quarterback, tight end, offensive line, and most importantly, receiver, the Hawkeyes look positioned to reclaim the top spot again in 2023.