Iowa's Near-Miss to a National Title | Iowa Hawkeyes Football News

In 2015, the Iowa Hawkeyes stunned the college football world with a dramatic turnaround under head coach Kirk Ferentz, who boldly named backup QB C.J. Beathard the starter. Embracing a bold, aggressive style — including a wild fake field goal in their opener — the team surged to a 12-2 record, captured the Big Ten West title, and earned a Rose Bowl berth for the first time in 25 years. Though they fell short of a national title with a heartbreakingly close loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship, their rise from quarterback chaos to top-five national ranking was historic. And in a fascinating “what if,” with a 24-team playoff, Iowa might’ve been a fifth seed with a shot at the title — facing teams like Ole Miss or Oklahoma. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/95ff57b7689b0a47