It often gets lost in today’s world of college football and fans wanting instant success with the new NIL rules and transfer portal, but consistency is a lost art. Being a consistent, winning program is harder than ever with all of the obstacles coaches and teams have to manage, yet the Iowa Hawkeyes have found a way.
Under the leadership of head coach Kirk Ferentz, who turned 70 just before the season, the Hawkeyes have been the staple of consistent success in college football. Iowa never gets too high and never gets too low while still winning a lot of games.
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Their sustained success is noticed by the sport, as USA TODAY Sports voted on the top 25 programs in college football and has placed Iowa just inside the cut at No. 24.
Like Michigan State, Iowa was a dominant figure in the 1950s and had things run off the rails in the immediate aftermath before being saved by former coach Hayden Fry (1979-98). Fry’s successor, Kirk Ferentz (1999-present), has built a rock-solid identity built around a perennially strong defense that has yielded eight 10-win seasons and a Rose Bowl bid (2015). – USA TODAY Sports
Kirk Ferentz joined Iowa in 1999, and during his tenure, the Hawkeyes have amassed a 204-123 record on the heels of Hayden Fry going 143-89 during his stint as the head coach from 1979-1998. Iowa has been lucky to draw two legends of the game as its last two head coaches.
Overall, Iowa owns an all-time program record of 702-580-39 with a 20-18-1 record in 39 bowl appearances. The Hawkeyes claim 13 total conference titles and five national championships.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: USA TODAY Sports puts Iowa football among top 25 best programs
