College Football Top 25: Spring practice 2016 edition

If you saw the Iowa Hawkeyes starting the 2015 season with a 12-0 record and making it to the Big Ten title game with a chance to win and get in the second annual College Football Playoff, you’re either a liar or an Iowa alum. Kirk Ferentz silenced all doubters last season and boasted one of the best teams, if not the best, of his tenure.

Had Iowa either won the Big Ten Championship against Michigan State or kept the Rose Bowl close versus Stanford, we might be talking about it as a top 10 team in our spring rankings, but after losing both — and the latter by a wide margin — the Hawkeyes are on the fringe.

When Jake Rudock decided to transfer to Michigan and use his last year of eligibility with the Wolverines, not many people were sure how C.J. Beathard would handle the starting role. The junior quarterback was great, however, passing for 2,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions for a primarily run-first offense.

Beathard will return with his top receiving threat, Matt VandeBerg and tight end George Kittle who had six touchdown catches in 2015. VandeBerg finished the season with 65 catches for 704 yards and four touchdowns.

Iowa’s elite defense is losing just four starters and the Hawkeyes happen to be bringing in the No. 31 recruiting class — one of Ferentz’s best.

Next: 13. Ole Miss Rebels