USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith ranks Iowa No. 11 in post-spring Top 25
Some teams have the same old tune. That certainly seems to be the case for the Iowa Hawkeyes as we look at another media outlet’s post-spring practices top 25 rankings. Many of you probably know where this is going as the same thought process seems to be nearing consensus territory.
USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith places the Hawkeyes at No. 11 in his post-spring practices rankings. This comes in quite a bit higher than the 247Sports post-spring rankings where Iowa barely cracked the top 25.
Let me know if you’ve heard this before. The Hawkeyes will go as far as its quarterback play will take them. That’s because no program may be more frustratingly consistent than Iowa. The defense again looks like one of the best in the Big Ten. Defensive back Riley Moss and linebacker Jack Campbell will be two of the leaders. The offense, however, has to get out of the bottom half of the conference to go beyond just being a very good team and that starts with Spencer Petras. A starter for the past two seasons, Petras hasn’t been able to generate enough consistent big plays in the passing game to get the Hawkeyes past their difficult opponents. He’ll have the benefit of tight end Sam LaPorta and a strong offensive line. Now he has to deliver. – Smith, USA Today
The thoughts from Smith hit home to many Iowa fans as it has been the same case for the last few years. The defense and special teams are great, but what sort of output can the quarterback provide always looms large.
The top five in Smith’s rankings for USA TODAY Sports are the usual suspects. Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Clemson in that order, begin the list. The Hawkeyes find themselves coming in at No. 11 right behind a few unusual names such as North Carolina State and BYU.
Behind the blueblood programs, there is a chance for Iowa to find themselves among the top teams like we saw last fall when they climbed all the way up to No. 2 in the country following a 6-0 start.
With a bit of solid quarterback play paired with this defense, Smith’s sentiment about Iowa taking the next step resounds quite loudly. The opportunity to catapult into that next tier is right in front of the Hawkeyes and media outlets believe it is almost solely dependent on the offensive output.
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