One week ago, Alabama won the College Football National Championship in a 52-24 beatdown of the Ohio State Buckeyes, the second best team in the sport and the winners of the same Big Ten conference the Iowa Hawkeyes have not won since 2004. As I watched the Crimson Tide celebrate their sixth national title since 2009, I couldn’t help but reflect on what it would take for the Hawkeyes to be crowned national champions, a distinction last bestowed on them in 1960. Iowa and Alabama both enter each season with the same goal of finishing the year as the sport’s undisputed champion, yet it is clear that this ambition is far more achievable for some programs than others on a yearly basis.
What Would it Take for Iowa Football to Win a National Championship?
