Last year, Kirk Ferentz had to swallow the bitter College Football betting pill of personal loss and humiliation. Athletic director Beth Goetz fired Kirk Ferentz’s son, Brian Ferentz, as offensive coordinator. It was a long time coming. Kirk and former athletic director Gary Barta found ways around the Iowa nepotism law. When Goetz took over last year, she had no ties to that past or Brian. Most important of all, the Iowa Hawkeyes had one of the worst offenses in college football for the past several years. The arrangement became indefensible.
College Football Futures 2024 Iowa Hawkeyes
| Iowa Hawkeyes Odds to Win National Championship | +30000 |
|---|---|
| Odds to Win Big Ten Championship | +2800 |
| Over/Under Win Total: | 7.5 |
2024 Iowa Hawkeyes Schedule
- Aug. 31: Illinois State at Iowa, 11 a.m. (Big Ten Network)
- Sept. 7: Iowa State at Iowa, 2:30 p.m. (CBS/KCCI)
- Sept. 14: Troy at Iowa, 3 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
- Sept. 21: Iowa at Minnesota
- Oct. 5: Iowa at Ohio State
- Oct. 12: Washington at Iowa
- Oct. 19: Iowa at Michigan State
- Oct. 26: Northwestern at Iowa
- Nov. 2: Wisconsin at Iowa
- Nov. 9: Iowa at UCLA, 8 p.m. (FOX)
- Nov. 23: Iowa at Maryland
Nov. 29: Nebraska at Iowa, 6:30 p.m. (NBC)
2024 Iowa Hawkeyes Preview
The tragedy of Brian Ferentz’s offense was that if it had been merely mediocre, Iowa could have won the Big Ten championships. Last year, with no offense at all, Iowa finished 10-4. Iowa’s best sportsbook player was punter Tory Taylor. While that fact became the source of considerable humor, it was indicative of Iowa’s plight. Iowa had championship-level defense and kicking teams. But it had no offense to complement them.
This year Tim Lester takes over as the new OC. Correlate that he is charged with producing a mid-level offense. If he does, Iowa could be a truly dangerous team. The Hawkeyes will need College Football Betting improvement, as the Big Ten has gotten rid of divisional play. Now, Iowa has nowhere to hide.
Iowa’s defense should be rock-solid again. But it can’t make Iowa a contender by itself. The offense will have to do its part, or it could be another season in which the Hawkeyes fall short of Big Ten contention. The schedule looks tougher than last season. So unless the offense improves considerably, Iowa could find itself in a mid-tier bowl game.
Following two seasons in which the Iowa offense ranked near the bottom nationally, athletic director Beth Goetz fired offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. Kirk Ferentz, the longest-tenured head coach in the country, isn’t used to having football decisions made for him. The 26th-year head coach plowed ahead, though. He hired former Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester as his new offensive coordinator. And he is promising that the offense will look different in 2024.
Quarterback Cade McNamara suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game. And backup Deacon Hill completed only 48.6 percent of his passes and has transferred. Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan will join the team this offseason to provide depth. McNamara was limited during the spring. But he is expected to be healthy by the start of preseason practice.
Iowa has some nice individual pieces on offense. Including senior tight end Luke Lachey. But there is little depth at receiver. While the offensive line is experienced, it has underperformed. Iowa has solid depth at running back, but the backfield is only as good as the players up front.