The calendar has flipped to July, which means undivided attention and focus can be paid to the upcoming 2024 college football season.
Conference media days are now only days away. It will be our first legitimate look at the sport’s new landscape after this offseason’s significant realignment. Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington will attend a Big Ten media day schedule that now includes 18 teams, while Texas and Oklahoma will make their first appearances as SEC competitors. It will be a harsh dose of reality that will only grow stronger when the season kicks off in late August.
Related: One Big Ten game to watch each week of the 2024 football season
While there is still some more movement to come on the class of 2025 recruiting trail, right now it is all-systems-go toward the fast-approaching season.
Our preview work here at Badgers Wire will continue throughout the month with in-depth looks at every Big Ten team and position group. It will provide a comprehensive look at what Wisconsin will face both in 2024 and beyond.
Team Previews: Indiana Hoosiers — Purdue Boilermakers — Illinois Fighting Illini — Northwestern Wildcats — Minnesota Golden Gophers — Nebraska Cornhuskers — Iowa Hawkeyes
Position Previews: Quarterbacks — Running Backs — Wide Receivers — Offensive Lines — Tight Ends
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Next up are the Iowa Hawkeyes, an important team and program to the Wisconsin Badgers. Not only are they a protected rival and will be on the schedule every season, but the program serves as an interesting comparison as the two move into the new Big Ten landscape.
Luke Fickell and Phil Longo vs. Kirk Ferentz is a comparison of the new school vs. the old school. We now await which program sees better results on the field:
Coaching Staff
Oct 30, 2021; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz (ranked No. 7 in Big Ten)
Offensive Coordinator: Tim Lester (ranked No. 10 in Big Ten)
Defensive Coordinator: Phil Parker (ranked No. 2 in Big Ten)
Recent History
Iowa Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Tim Lester, right, talks to quarterback Deacon Hill (10) during an open spring practice Saturday, April 20, 2024 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen-USA TODAY NETWORK
Iowa has been the model of consistency for more than two decades. The program has not suffered a losing season since 2012 and has only missed two bowl games since 2008. When a team lines up against the Hawkeyes, you know exactly what to expect: strong defense, top-end special teams and not much on offense.
The program has kept its phenomenal pace recently despite having one of the worst offensive units in the country (No. 132 of 133 programs in 2023). Not only has it been bad, it has been one of the worst units of all time.
That makes Kirk Ferentz’s winning even more impressive. Something is endearing about a head coach stuck in his outdated ways still winning regardless of the circumstance. That is Iowa football.
Offseason Movement
Iowa Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Tim Lester walks out of the tunnel ahead of an open spring practice Saturday, April 20, 2024 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Credit: Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen-USA TODAY NETWORK
Transfers In: 5
Transfers Out: 10
I can write about Iowa’s transfer class, highlighted by former Northwestern starting QB Brendan Sullivan. But no offseason movement is more important that the firing of former offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz and the subsequent hire of new OC Tim Lester.
Lester is a longtime offensive coach who was recently the head coach at Western Michigan from 2017-2022. He spent 2023 with the Green Bay Packers and is now looking to bring a new-age pro-style approach to the Iowa program. Anything will be an upgrade over the Ferentz-led offense. But Lester has the chance to make a substantial impact.
Another pair of key offseason ‘additions’ are returning veterans QB Cade McNamara and TE Luke Lachey — both players who suffered season-ending injuries early during the 2023 season. They are the engine behind an Iowa offense that completely fell apart in 2023 after the two went down.
The 2024 Hawkeyes will look a lot different than the team that finished the 2023 season. Much of that will come thanks to the presence of Lester, McNamara and Lachey — not due to a large transfer haul.
Win Total Over/Under
Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz pulls on his headphones in the first quarter against Nebraska on Friday, Nov. 29, 2019, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. Credit: Bryon Houlgrave/The Register-Imagn Content Services, LLC
Win Total: 7.5
Pick: OVER (8-4, with wins over Illinois State, Iowa State, Troy, Minnesota, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Maryland, Nebraska)
Maybe 8-4 is the new 10-2 for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the new Big Ten landscape. The program’s path to double-digit wins grew a lot tougher with the conference’s expansion and elimination of the Big Ten West.
Ferentz deserves the benefit of the doubt after 25 years of success. He appears to have made the necessary changes this offseason to allow the Hawkeyes’ old approach to win in the current age. It would be foolish to bet against his program and its culture.
Season Outlook
Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara (12) throws a pass during practice Thursday, April 11, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen-USA TODAY NETWORK
Iowa is expected to improve in 2024, which is hard to say after the team went 10-4 in 2023 including a trip to the Big Ten title game. But if you watched the 2023 team play, it was clear that their method of winning was a bit unsustainable.
The 2024 team now brings in Lester at OC, plus QB McNamara, TE Lachey, RBs Leshon Williams and Kaleb Johnson, and a strong offensive line. The offense will be much-improved — the question is by how much.
On defense, this may be one of the better units DC Phil Parker has coached in some time. It has seniors starting at eight of 11 positions. The only non-seniors are former top recruit junior safety Xavier Nwankpa, plus redshirt sophomore cornerback Deshaun Lee. There is usually a direct correlation between experience and success at Iowa. This defense, for reference, may be one of the oldest the program has ever had.
That is all to say that the 2024 Hawkeyes may be better than many expect.
Badgers Wire Bowl Projection
Nov 11, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz in action during the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Bowl Projection: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Texas A&M
Iowa does not quite have the firepower to contend for the Big Ten this season. Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State are too good. But an 8-4 record and good bowl appearance is all the Hawkeyes need to stay relevant and keep their place in the conference pecking order.
What Wisconsin Fans Should Know
Wisconsin will be compared to Iowa for as long as Luke Fickell and Phil Longo are in Madison. The Badgers are now a new-age team with an air-raid, pass-first approach. Iowa has done the opposite and has dug deeper into its old-school identity. This will set up a ‘which program got it right’ comparison that can only be answered a few decades from now.
The 2024 Hawkeyes are important to monitor because they represent arguably the biggest game on Wisconsin’s schedule. Wisconsin fell at home 15-6 to Iowa in 2023, failing to do anything on offense in the process. This season needs to see a more rounded performance against the longtime rival. To many, it’s a necessary proof of concept that Longo’s offense can work in the Big Ten.
College football fans should care about Iowa because it is a fascinating test case for the impact of the ever-changing modern age of the sport. Badgers fans should pay even closer attention.
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Publish date : 2024-07-13 08:30:00
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