IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Iowa jumped into the Associated Press top 10 after a 30-point win on the road over one-loss Northwestern in October. It vaulted four spots to No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings last month after a win at Indiana.
No doubt, the Hawkeyes elevated the national perception of their program with a 12-0 regular season.
But on Sunday, we heard from playoff committee chair Jeff Long, in the wake of Michigan State’s 16-13 win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship game, what most of the nation likely thought of the Hawkeyes.