Iowa Hawkeyes named as surprise College Football Playoff contender

The TCU Horned Frogs did it last season, so who is to say that there isn’t another surprise contender in our midst? With how quickly college football programs can now infuse talent to their rosters via the transfer portal and the help of NIL, the playing field is seeming to find itself a bit more level lately.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have joined the party in that regard as they have dug into the transfer portal this offseason and added what appears to be instant talent. Headlined by Michigan transfer quarterback Cade McNamara, the Hawkeyes get an instant upgrade at the most important position on the field. If McNamara can be serviceable, Iowa inserts itself into the Big Ten West conversation and the Big Ten title talk as well.

On defense, Iowa added Nick Jackson from Virginia who brings experience and talent to help plug the holes left by Jack Campbell and Seth Benson departing. The Hawkeye secondary will do what Iowa does in forcing turnovers and making life hard on opposing quarterbacks. Led by Cooper DeJean and Xavier Nwankpa, the back end is set to be a strong point for this team that they can lean on.

Lastly, if there is one thing that the Hawkeyes do well, it is to play strong special teams. They pin teams deep and rarely allow the big, momentum-changing play to occur. Headlined by preseason All-American punter Tory Taylor, this unit is coached extraordinarily well and can influence games.

Putting all three together is a recipe that is much easier said than done. That said, if the Hawkeyes can get things clicking, they have the ingredients to be a surprise College Football Playoff contender as USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg discussed.

Let’s take a look at what Myerberg had to say about Iowa and why he likes the Hawkeyes’ chances below.