This isn’t your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they’re good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Iowa lands in my Ultimate 136.
Iowa ranking: 29
Last year’s ranking: 24
Top player: DL Aaron Graves: Named to the Lott Trophy preseason award watch list, started all 13 games last season and finished with 6 sacks, 8 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles.
RJ’s take: The addition of former South Dakota State All-American quarterback and national championship QB Mark Gronowski is the best recruit Kirk Ferentz has ever had at the position. Gronowski has passed for over 10,000 yards, won the Walter Payton Award — best offensive player in the FCS — and is 49-6 as a starter.
Hawkeyes fans have ached for a functional passing offense for nearly a decade, and they got a taste of that last year before Cade McNamara went down with injury. This year they’ll get a QB who is not just a capable passer but a runner to pair with Phil Parker’s annually tough defense.
[Check out RJ Young’s Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Iowa Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+136) Under 7.5 (-168)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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