College Football

2024 Iowa football predictions: Ranked No. 24 by RJ Young

Updated Aug. 12, 2024 10:35 a.m. ET

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RJ Young

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

Iowa Hawkeyes ranking: 24/134

[Check out RJ Young's ultimate 134 college football rankings here]

Conference ranking: 6th in Big Ten (+4000 to win conference)
Teams ahead of them: Arizona (23), Texas A&M (22), West Virginia (21), Kansas (20), Clemson (19)
Teams behind them: Iowa State (25), Miami (26), Wisconsin (27), Kentucky (28), Arkansas (29)

[Iowa 2024 schedule]

RJ's take: Just don’t embarrass Hawkeyes fans on offense, and you’re sitting pretty with Broyles Award winner Phil Parker’s defense. Kirk, maybe sound out Caitlin Clark. She knows about scoring on offense. Hell, I’ve got some plays you can run. Nothing fancy, you understand. Just stuff like post-and-go — out of empty. A flood concept to the field side — out of empty. Bubble-and-go, stick-and-go, slant-and-go, all-go — out of empty. Just low-risk stuff like that.

While the offensive line continues to be a strength at Iowa, offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s ability to acquire Brendan Sullivan out of the portal should be appreciated. Sullivan, who led Northwestern to an eight-win season in the midst of turmoil with an interim and first-time head coach, will likely begin the season backing up starter Cade McNamara and providing quality depth — meaning the ability to complete a forward pass — if McNamara finds himself injured again.

Yes, Iowa plays at Ohio State. But they might be favored in every other game they play this season. No Michigan, Penn State, Oregon or USC. But you've got Parker calling the defense, Sebastian Castro in the secondary and Aaron Graves on the edge.

And as I've yelled for two years now, Graves can be an All-Edgelord. Check the résumé of this absolute unit, who doesn’t have a Twitter account and was uninterested in visiting other schools: He carried a 4.0 GPA in high school and earned his associate degree in the bag from Iowa Central. 

At 6-foot-5, 270 pounds, he is physically comparable to JJ Watt. He is athletically comparable to Aarond Donald; one of the best high school players in Iowa history, first in the state to win MaxPreps National Male Athlete of the Year; other winners include Kyler Murray, Derrick Henry and Patrick Mahomes. Had 63 tackles and 14 for loss and 7.5 sacks — at the nose Southeast Valley, finished 28-3 and placed fourth as a heavyweight wrestler as a senior. In basketball, he averaged 22 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and, in track season, he threw the shot 53 feet, nine 3/4ths inches. He played in all 14 games last year and is eager to help Castro and the nation’s leading tackler Jay Higgins  (171) go to work for a Big Ten title.

Iowa's Win Total Odds: Over 8 (-115) Under 8 (-105)

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RJ Young