Iowa Hawkeyes Receive Big Ten Championship Hype

The Iowa Hawkeyes have received some hype about being potential Big Ten championship contenders.

Sep 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes players head back down the tunnel after their win against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes have not gotten off to a hot start to the 2024 college football season. They have lost to Iowa State and struggled against Troy so far. However, they are fresh off of a big 31-14 win to start Big Ten play over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

While there is some frustration with certain aspects of the team, including the play of quarterback Cade McNamara, Iowa is still considered a team to watch.

Joel Klatt, a college football analyst for FOX Sports, believes that the Hawkeyes could make some noise as a Big Ten championship contender.

During a recent quote on the "Joel Klatt Show," he dropped some championship hype about Iowa.

"We could look up at the end of the year, and we could see Iowa as a team that has one loss in Big 10 play, which would certainly put them in the conversation for the two spot and possibly play in the Big 10 Championship game. I'm just saying. It's kind of a Missouri-esque style of schedule."

Of course, that one Big Ten loss would likely come in their next game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

One of the big reasons for the Hawkeyes still being a potential contender is the elite play of star running back Kaleb Johnson. He is playing at an elite level and has shown no signs of slowing down.

That being said, Iowa is going to need much better play from McNamara. He has been a massive disappointment so far this year. If he can turn things around and produce at a solid level, the Hawkeyes could very well be a threat.

It will be interesting to see what Iowa ends up doing throughout the rest of the season. They could very well play their way into contention to get into the big game. However, they have a lot of work to do to get there.