By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Part of the frustration with the Iowa football team finishing just 8-5 last season is that it failed to take advantage of what was considered a favorable schedule.

From a competitive standpoint, Iowa’s 2023 schedule was believed to be the kind of schedule that Iowa never would face again with the Big Ten expanding to 18 teams.

It was assumed that the 2024 schedule would be a rude awakening for Iowa, at least, I made that assumption about the 2024 schedule, but now I’m not so sure about that.

Iowa’s 2024 schedule certainly looks formidable with road games at Ohio State and UCLA, and home games against Washington and Wisconsin.

But it doesn’t seem as tough as previously thought for multiple reasons, including all the coaching and personnel changes that have occurred with Washington since it lost to Michigan in the national title game, and with UCLA moving on without Chip Kelly following a six-year run in which the Bruins only won one bowl game under Kelly.

Iowa also has three winnable nonconference games against Illinois State, Iowa State and Troy, all of which will be played at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa will also face Northwestern, Wisconsin and Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium, and will do so with what should be another rock-solid defense under Phil Parker.

Iowa hasn’t been very active in the transfer portal so far this offseason, but that’s probably because linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson, defensive backs Sebastian Castro, Jermari Harris and Quinn Schulte, and tight end Luke Lachey all have decided to return next season.

Now, of course, Iowa’s success next season will also depend on an offense that has been historically bad from a statistical standpoint in each of the previous two seasons.

New offensive coordinator Tim Lester faces a daunting task in trying to fix an offense that has changed very little in terms of style and approach over the past quarter century under head coach Kirk Ferentz.

The attempted fix will enter the next phase with the start of spring practice on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, for Lester, Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara probably won’t be at full strength this spring as he recovers from season-ending knee surgery.

But if Lester could make the offense just average, he would be considered a genius, and would be loved by fans.

And with Iowa’s defense, and with a schedule that doesn’t seem nearly as tough as it once seemed, there is more reason for hope and optimism than gloom and doom.

It will be interesting to watch Kirk Ferentz navigate through this new landscape with the transfer portal and NIL, and without his son, former Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, who was fired last season.

Iowa will go from playing one road game instate and the other four road games in bordering states this past season, to playing only one road game in a bordering state next season.

Iowa’s five road games in 2024 are against Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan State, USC and Maryland.

That’s a lot of traveling from coast to coast.

It also probably won’t be too long before Iowa plays a game in Seattle, Los Angeles or Eugene, Oregon that starts at 10 p.m. CST on a Thursday or Friday.

These are the kinds of things that might ultimately convince Kirk Ferentz to move on.

But from an expectation standpoint, the 2024 season looks more promising than previously thought, partly because the schedule looks more favorable than previously thought.

I have gone from thinking 7-5 or 8-4 at the best to now thinking that another a nine- or 10-win season is possible in 2024.

As for the 2025 schedule, which includes road games at Iowa State, USC and Wisconsin, that could be a problem because the defense will be gutted by graduation and because Iowa will be breaking in a new starting quarterback, assuming McNamara starts all the games this coming season.

But we’ll worry about that when the time comes.

Iowa’s 2024 schedule

Aug. 31 – vs. Illinois State

Sept. 7 – vs. Iowa State

Sept. 14 – vs. Troy

Sept. 21 – at Minnesota

Sept. 28 – bye

Oct. 5 – at Ohio State

Oct. 12 –  vs. Washington

Oct. 19 – at Michigan State

Oct. 26 – vs. Northwestern

Nov. 2 – vs. Wisconsin

Nov. 9 – at UCLA

Nov. 16 – bye

Nov. 23 – at Maryland

Nov. 29 – vs. Nebraska