Who is going to be the first team to hang up a banner for winning the most games via computer models and data metrics?

We are hanging banners up for nearly everything else. Why not toss one more up there for a simulated championship?

In all honesty, the metrics analyzing college football could take you down a rabbit hole you may never be able to climb out of. There's good and bad to those metrics, which allows us to convince ourselves that every outcome isn't that far-fetched.

For the Iowa Hawkeyes, the outcomes based on the metrics bring the good with the bad.

Looking at the latest ESPN SP+ rankings, Iowa is sitting at No. 22, the same region the coaches poll and other outlets have ranked them. That is a spot that shows question marks mixed with belief in Iowa, which creates a situation where no one knows how to rank the Hawkeyes.

Iowa's offense is ranked No. 36 in the nation, while the defense and special teams come in high at No. 16 and No. 16, respectively. The SP+ rankings project Iowa to win an even 8.0 games with the No. 33 hardest strength of schedule.

Being the bearer of bad news is never a fun role, but slotting Iowa as the No. 36 offense in all of college football is certainly worth noticing.

Despite Iowa not knowing its quarterback yet, that ranking tells me the metrics are incredibly high on the offensive line and rushing attack.

For some background, Iowa's offense, which took a big step forward last year, was still No. 119 in total offense in 2025 with 320.1 yards per game.

The Hawkeyes were better when it came to scoring offense in 2025, ranking No. 54 in the nation at 29.3 points per game. That is a number that will win Iowa a lot of games with the defense it has, but seeing how it makes this the No. 36 offense in 2026 is a stretch to me.

It's the defense and special teams. It's always been the defense and special teams. That's what Iowa does.

The defense does have a few question marks, but this unit gets the benefit of the doubt after being a top-10 defense throughout the 2020s. Phil Parker has shuffled players before with minimal regression, and there is no reason to believe that will change in 2026.

Parker has stars returning to this defense to pair with transfer portal plug-and-play starters. Expect Iowa to be another top defense in the nation.

As for special teams, few teams spend as many resources on it or put as many resources into it as the Hawkeyes have under Kirk Ferentz. Even with new special teams coordinator Chris Polizzi taking over, this unit has a culture of success.

With an offense that could stall out this year, the field position game and field goal kicking could be even more magnified, which is a style of game that tilts Iowa's way much more often than not.