Gruen's Big Ten Glance: Enough With The Iowa Hawkeyes Criticism

By Seth Gruen--

(CBS) Apparently there's this narrative spewing about the country that No. 5 Iowa isn't deserving of its status in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings. The Hawkeyes have gone untested, many in the southeastern part of the country and elsewhere contend.

This is as much an indictment on the Hawkeyes' perceived weak schedule (more on this later) as it is another passive-aggressive shot at the Big Ten. One would think after a 2015 bowl season in which the Big Ten dominated its most important games, there would be some level of respect for the conference. Not only did Ohio State win the national championship -- including a victory against Alabama in the national semifinals -- but Wisconsin beat Auburn and Michigan State beat a Baylor team that thought it should have played in the inaugural College Football Playoff instead of Ohio State.

Last time I checked, Alabama and Auburn played in the big, bad and often-overhyped SEC. But it seems many have a short memory on how well the country's fertile college football land fared on a national stage.

How does this all fall on Iowa?

The idea that the Big Ten is inferior diminishes Iowa's 9-0 record as far as those who perceive it to be that way. If the conference isn't good, then the Hawkeyes couldn't possibly play anyone good. Right?

Well, we can dispel that notion a number of ways, including trying to argue the Big Ten's worth and its competitive recruiting rankings the last two years. But the easiest is to actually look at who the Hawkeyes have played, which many of their detractors have not. Or so it seems.

Among the nine teams Iowa has beaten are Illinois State and North Texas — cream puffs by any measure -- but teams around the country schedule teams like that to pad their schedule. Iowa played a rivalry game against a bad Iowa State team. OK, but there's still some juice to in-state bragging rights. The Hawkeyes also beat bowl-eligible Pittsburgh, which is coached by defensive guru Pat Narduzzi. That's a solid win.

But the Big Ten is really what's in question.

Yes, Iowa has the distinct pleasure of avoiding Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State, which are considered three of the conference's four best teams alongside Iowa. Still, the Hawkeyes have impressive wins at Wisconsin and Northwestern.

This is all stuff you could have looked up on your own. A number of websites have Iowa's schedule available. It seems so few have, though. I thought it worth mentioning.

It's also worth mentioning, but far less obvious, that a strong Iowa team on the defensive side of the ball has proved it can win it a multitude of ways. In a road win against the now 25th-ranked Badgers, the Hawkeyes didn't allow a touchdown. Two games later, Iowa went to Northwestern and hung 40 on a Wildcats team then considered to have one of the country's best defenses. It's worth noting Northwestern beat Stanford, which is No. 7 in the CFP rankings.

Let's not forget, either, how difficult it is for any team to go undefeated regardless of schedule.

Iowa will find itself likely playing in the Big Ten championship against an undefeated Ohio State team with a slew of players back from last year's national championship team. Beat the Buckeyes and win the Big Ten title, and the Hawkeyes will have certainly earned its spot in the College Football Playoff.

Big Ten power rankings

1. Ohio State (9-0, 5-0) -- If you're a Big Ten fan and your team doesn't play Ohio State, root for the Buckeyes the rest of the way.

2. Iowa (9-0, 5-0) -- The Hawkeyes are better than most think.

3. Michigan (7-2, 4-1) -- The Wolverines beat Michigan State. Their punter lost it.

4. Michigan State (8-1, 4-1) -- Luck ran out on the Spartans last week.

5. Northwestern (7-2, 3-2) -- It's a warmup against Purdue before traveling to Wisconsin.

6. Wisconsin (8-2, 5-1) -- The Badgers are scoreboard watching.

7. Penn State (7-3, 4-2) -- With two weeks left and two ranked foes awaiting, there are a lot of directions the Nittany Lions can go.

8. Illinois (5-4, 2-3) -- The Illini defensive line deserves praise.

9. Minnesota (4-5, 1-4) -- It was an outstanding decision to remove the "interim" tag from Tracy Clayes' title.

10. Indiana (4-5, 0-5) -- There's a real possibility the Hoosiers could go winless in the Big Ten.

11. Nebraska (4-6, 2-4) -- A bowl season? I think not.

12. Rutgers (3-6, 1-5) -- The Scarlet Knights are playing spoiler.

13. Maryland (0-5, 2-7) -- This used to be a solid program.

14. Purdue (2-7, 1-4) -- ...

Seth Gruen is columnist for CBSChicago.com, focusing on college sports. You can follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.