David Pollack eliminates Iowa from College Football Playoff contention

On Saturday, Iowa fell to 3-2 after suffering a 20-15 loss to Indiana. While the Hawkeyes put up a good fight against the Hoosiers, college football expert David Pollack believes the loss erases Iowa’s hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff.

“They had Indiana beat, had a chance to have a statement win, to get back in this thing,” Pollack said. “Offensive line was really dominant. They actually had an injury there, which really stinks for them, getting banged up upfront.

“But, I think Iowa, with [Mark] Gronowski going out, and their lack of offensive prowess and inconsistency, I think they are officially out, even though your coach is amazing. Just appreciate your coach while you have him because he’s done some great things.”

In the loss, Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski suffered an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter and left the game. As of this report, the program hasn’t provided an update on Gronowski’s status moving forward. But, if Gronowski’s injury is long-term, it’d be a major loss for the Hawkeyes.

Before leaving the game on Saturday, Gronowski completed 19-of-his-25 pass attempts for 144 yards. He didn’t throw any touchdowns, but threw one interception. However, Gronowski did find the end zone once with his legs.

Iowa backup quarterback Hank Brown struggled mightily upon entering the game. He completed just 5-of-his-13 pass attempts for 48 yards and an interception. When Gronowski went down with his injury, Iowa was ahead 13-10. The Hawkeyes gave up 10 points in the final frame to lose the game.

Iowa is 0-2 against ranked opponents this season, not an encouraging sign to the CFP selection committee. With games against Penn State and Oregon still ahead, the Hawkeyes will have a difficult time finishing their season on large win streak.

In fairness, Iowa keeping it close against Indiana is worth something, considering the Hoosiers steamrolled Illinois 63-10 in Week 4. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is remaining optimistic as his team heads into the thick of conference play.

“Sitting here with 3-2 record, we have two one-score losses, and we have seven games to go,” Ferentz said after the game. “The thing I shared with the players in the locker room that there is a lot of football ahead. Not as much as we had a couple weeks ago, obviously, but a lot of football left.

“Big thing I’m sure is we have really good people here, good staff, and quality players. These guys are great to work with. They have improved. One thing I’m encouraged about is we will improve as long as we keep our attitude where it needs to be. We’ve shown some growth. I really believe we have a lot of room for more improvement.”