Iowa football missed a big opportunity in 2022. It can’t let it happen again in 2023.

INDIANAPOLIS — There’s symmetry in the fact that the location of Big Ten Media Days, attended by Iowa football’s representatives Wednesday, is the very place that its ambitions could lead them back to.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, along with players Cooper DeJean, Jay Higgins and Luke Lachey, spoke at Lucas Oil Stadium on Wednesday. If things go according to plan this season, they will be back here in December for the 2023 Big Ten Championship Game.

Lucas Oil Stadium not only acts as the physical host of the game but also a symbol of Big Ten prominence. It’s where Iowa appeared in 2021, though it ended with a loss to Michigan. It’s where Iowa was absent in 2022, frustrating the fan base.

The Hawkeyes’ 2022 season was puzzling in many ways. Iowa turned around its 3-4 record by winning four straight games. That set up a scenario in which Iowa simply had to beat Nebraska in its final regular-season game to reach the Big Ten title game. Iowa lost 24-17 at Kinnick Stadium to miss out on an Indianapolis trip.

Some urgency to win West in 2023

Unfulfilled potential in 2022 has now given way to belief — and perhaps cautious optimism — in 2023. Not just because of the roster that Iowa has, but also because of a soon-to-be shifting Big Ten landscape, this season serves as a golden opportunity for Iowa to finish what it couldn’t last season.

“We play in a lot of close games and the challenge is to win those every year,” Ferentz said when asked about last season’s loss to Nebraska. “… You just go through it, you learn from it and you move on. See what you can do to get better.”

A Big Ten title game appearance is top of mind for Iowa fans this season because a return trip looks to be substantially more difficult in future years.

The conference’s East and West divisions are going away following this season. Iowa has benefited from being a member of the West division, while powerhouses Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan reside in the East.

The divisional split means that Iowa frequently avoids matchups with the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions and Wolverines. Also, the current model means the East cannibalizes itself and only one of those three elite programs can make the championship game.

This advantage for those in the West, including Iowa, goes away following the 2023 season. Starting in 2024, the top two teams in the entire Big Ten will play for the championship, meaning that Iowa would have to finish the regular season ahead of at least two of those three powers, plus many more, including 2024 additions UCLA and USC.

This isn’t to say getting to another Big Ten title game will be impossible, but the road to making an appearance will get much more challenging.

“We want to win every game,” Ferentz said. “It’s simple. Just like every other coach. And that’s what we’ll focus on. So whatever our schedule ends up being, we’ll try to figure out how to win this one and get to the next one.”

Hawkeye roster appears to be good enough to get to Indy

Expectations this season are also fueled by Iowa’s 2023 roster, which is talented enough to get to Indianapolis.

Far and away, the most pressing question entering 2023 is the state of Iowa’s offense. This is a unit that, in Iowa’s 2022 season-opening 7-3 win over South Dakota State, failed to score a touchdown. It followed that up with a 7-point performance in a home loss to rival Iowa State. If the Hawkeyes’ offense was simply average, or even a little below average, Iowa probably beats Iowa State and later against Illinois, a road loss in which the Hawkeyes put up six points.

There is hope for improvement in 2023. Iowa brought in Michigan transfer quarterback Cade McNamara (who beat Iowa in the 2021 Big Ten Championship Game), Ohio State wide receiver transfer Kaleb Brown, and help on the offensive line, a struggling position group last season. Those newcomers combined with returners, such as running back Kaleb Johnson and tight end Luke Lachey, should give Iowa a sufficient amount of firepower.

“As excited as I was back in December, I’m more excited now just because he’s been with us,” Ferentz said of McNamara. “I’ve seen the impact he’s already had. He’s a strong leader, a positive leader, a vocal leader. He’s got a lot of courage.”

Iowa’s defense has far fewer questions to answer. That unit, which was nothing short of dominant, essentially willed Iowa to eight wins last season. The Hawkeyes are returning star defensive back DeJean, along with lots of experience on the defensive line. There are some notable departures, including linebackers Jack Campbell and Seth Benson, though Iowa has viable options such as Jay Higgins to fill some of that lost production.

Iowa’s schedule has some challenges, including road matchups with Penn State and Wisconsin, but overall the slate isn’t daunting. The point is: An opportunity to get to a Big Ten Championship Game is there. This is a program with enough history and resources to remain relevant. But because of changes coming in the Big Ten landscape, time is working against teams like Iowa. 

The Hawkeyes want to take advantage of this opportune window and do what they couldn’t last season − put themselves in position to do something special.

Follow Tyler Tachman on Twitter @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com