For the first time since 2010, the Iowa football team finds itself ranked in the preseason top-25 AP poll, coming in at No. 17.

The Hawkeyes are one of four Big Ten teams ranked, joining Ohio State (No. 6), Michigan (No. 7), and Michigan State (No. 12) in the poll. Iowa finished ninth in the poll last season, the first time the team has been ranked in the postseason poll since 2009.

The AP poll, however, is not the only place the Hawkeyes are ranked; they come in at No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Iowa is fresh off a 12-2 season and is in position for another strong showing.

Preseason rankings mean nothing, of course, but it’s still a good barometer of how much faith the national media have in the Iowa team. Getting blown out in the Rose Bowl surely didn’t help, and that perhaps made some not take the Hawkeyes seriously.

— by Jordan Hansen