yahoo
Before the College Football Playoff selection committee revealed its first top-25 rankings of the season, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz took a swipe at ESPN, the network that airs SEC games. Ferentz, speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, was openly sarcastic as he addressed the media.
"It's great for TV, right?" Ferentz joked, according to the Hawkeye Historian X account. "ESPN's loving it. Next time I look at my iPad I'm sure I'll be reading all about it and can't wait. I did notice they seem to promote the sports that they carry. Is that correct? I'm figuring that out."
Ferentz didn't stop at college football; he also took a shot at ESPN's coverage of the World Series. "You couldn't find anything on the World Series, until the last game," he said. "I'm living in the same world, right? I'm like are they still playing the World Series or what? Oh yeah, Fox and ESPN. We're not on ESPN, so we probably won't make the rankings. Haven't gone that far, but anyway, I'm not too worried about it."
The coach's remarks resonated with many fans who have long voiced similar complaints on social media. Ultimately, Iowa was placed at No. 19 in the first CFP rankings. The Hawkeyes have notable wins over Michigan and Wisconsin but suffered a blowout loss to Ohio State and have a weak non-conference schedule, leaving them in a precarious position.
Key Analysis
Iowa's remaining schedule features no ranked opponents—Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois, and Nebraska—so the team would need significant help to reach the Big Ten championship game, which is its only realistic path to the 12-team playoff. Ferentz's criticism of ESPN may boost his popularity among fans, but it's unlikely he'll be tuning into the CFP rankings show anytime soon, especially if the Hawkeyes' playoff hopes fade.
Originally reported by yahoo.