We're almost there. Another long college football offseason is almost over as the calendar now reads August, and the first games will begin on the 24th. College football fans everywhere are eager for the new beginning. College football fever is rampant across the country as we get closer to the season, but this offseason was a bit easier than others because of the new EA Sports NCAA 25 video game that just came out in mid July. All in all, it’s an exciting time to be a college football fan, and one fan base that is excited for the season is Iowa football fans. The Hawkeyes have a lot of hype coming into the 2024 season.
This college football season is a big one, and it's going to look a lot different than past years. The sport is going through some major changes, and some of those changes are going to be seen for the first time during the 2024 season. Let’s take a look at what some of the most notable ones are.
First off, there are going to be some rules changes this year in college football, and some fans aren’t going to like them. Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of the two-minute warning, like in the NFL. If you are like most college football fans, you're getting sick of the amount of commercials that we see during games. Well, the two-minute warning is just another way for TV Networks to pack another break into the action.
There are more changes, however, and these are ones that more fans in favor of, but some still don't like them. College football is going to look completely different next year because of expansion to the College Football Playoff to 12 teams and conference realignment. California schools playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference? Yeah, things are changing.
Conference realignment has made things look a lot different. The power five is no longer a thing as the Pac-12 is essentially dead. Every team left for a new conference except for Oregon State and Washington State. Those two teams have scheduling alliances with the Mountain West, but they aren't actually in the conference.
Every other Pac-12 school found a new home. Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State are now in the Big 12. Oregon, Oregon State, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten. Lastly, Cal and Stanford joined the ACC (makes a ton of sense, right?).
The other big change with conferences comes in the SEC. Oklahoma and Texas are both leaving the Big 12 and they will join the SEC. The Big Ten and the SEC are loaded with good teams, and some think that things could be heading in the direction of two super conferences.
This season, we will also see 12 teams make the College Football Playoff instead of just four. For about a month, the College Football Playoff will be happening. Some people aren’t in favor of the big expansion, but there will be more marquee college football games, and it’s hard to be too upset about that.
All in all, this is going to be one of the biggest college football seasons of all time. The game is changing, and this is the start of a new era.
The Iowa football offense is a major concern
The biggest question mark surrounding the Iowa football team heading into the season is their offense. The Hawkeyes have had one of the best defenses in college football in recent years, but their offense has been one of the worst. Yes, defense wins championships, but they need their offense to show a little bit of life. For example, in three of their biggest games last year, the Hawkeyes scored zero points. Against Penn State, Michigan and Tennessee, Iowa did not score one point.
Michigan ended up winning the national championship, and Iowa's defense gave them maybe the most fits out of any other team. One touchdown that the Wolverines scored was because of a punt return that set them up with a first and goal, and the other one was because of a turnover that set them up with golden field position as well. The defense more than did their job in that game, but the offense not only scored zero points, they also set Michigan up with some easy scores.
This year, the Iowa offense absolutely has to be way better than last if they want to have a successful year. Their defense is going to be good, and if their offense can just be okay, the team can be really good. Unfortunately, just okay is quite a step up from where they were last year.
Unfortunately for Iowa, their offense has been so bad that isn't something that is going to be fixed in one year. That is why it is the Hawkeyes' fatal flaw that will doom their College Football Playoff hopes.
The Iowa offense isn't going to get it done
Iowa football did hire a new offensive coordinator in the offseason, and that's a step in the right direction. Tim Lester is taking over for Brian Ferentz, and that should get the ball rolling in the direction of an improved offense. Cade McNamara is also healthy again and he is a major upgrade from Deacon Hill. There are things in place to make the unit better, but it's just hard to imagine that they are going to improve enough to make the playoff.
Like we previously discussed, the playoff is expanding to 12 teams this year, so that makes things much easier for teams like Iowa. Still, the offense simply didn't show up in their biggest games last year. Getting shutout three times is pretty close to rock bottom, so this team has a steep climb to get to where they need to be.
The potential is there for the offense to get to that point, but it's going to take a few years. You have to look at the offense and new offensive coordinator Tim Lester like they are one whole team. A head coach taking over a team that was on the same tier as Iowa's offense likely wouldn't be able to make that big of a difference in year one. Lester has a full rebuild ahead of him, and it's going to take some time for said build to occur.
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