Chris Dufresne’s preseason college football top 25: No. 10 Iowa

The Times’ Chris Dufresne unveils his preseason college football top 25, one day (and team) at a time.

No. 10 Iowa

There are two games — one at the start, one near the end — that should scare the corn kernels off Iowa as the Hawkeyes plot a run for the Big Ten title and national championship.

One involves a directional school and the other involves the defending Rose Bowl champion.

Survive these obstacles and the Hawkeyes could be parading on Colorado Boulevard, or at the Glendale not near Pasadena — the one in Arizona, which is hosting this season’s national title game on Jan. 10.

The first possible season-wrecker is Iowa’s home opener on Sept. 4, when Eastern Illinois visits Kinnick Stadium.

On the surface, you might wonder what the big directional deal is. But last year Iowa needed two blocked field-goal attempts in the final seconds to secure a 17-16 home win over Northern Iowa.

Beyond that, Iowans talk about the two heartbreakers they lost last year that prevented an undefeated regular season — a seven-point defeat to Northwestern and an overtime loss to Ohio State.

But a great season might not have gotten started had Iowa not survived the opener.

“We were very fortunate to get our first win,” Coach Kirk Ferentz noted at Big Ten media day over the summer.

This may be Iowa’s most talented team under Ferentz, who is entering his 12th season.

Opponents might not be able to slip a playing card through Iowa’s defensive front, which returns four starters who combined for 52 tackles for loss and 27 sacks last season.

Lindy’s preseason college football magazine ranks the line, led by Adrian Clayborn, Karl Klug, Christian Ballard and Broderick Binns, the No.1 unit in the nation.

The offense needs to replace three starters on the line but returns quarterback Ricky Stanzi and depth at running back and receiver. Stanzi’s numbers were very ordinary last year — 17 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions — but five of those picks came in one game, against Indiana.

The schedule also sets up favorably, with all the important Big Ten games at home.

There’s a tricky road game at Arizona, in the scorching heat of a Tucson September. Arizona lost by 10 last year in Iowa City.

The other huge problem Iowa faces is nemesis Ohio State, which comes to town on Nov. 20.

Iowa has only one victory over Ohio State in the Ferentz era, back in 2007, but he’s not the only Hawkeyes coach to have struggled.

In terms of competition, these schools have never seen Hawkeye-to-Buckeye. Ohio State leads the all-time series, 45-14-3.

For Iowa to make this a special season, that has to change.

Of his struggles with the Buckeyes, Ferentz conceded, “We haven’t had much luck … if you’re going to try to win a Big Ten championship you’re going to have to find a way to compete with them and beat them.”

This would seem to be the year.

The countdown so far: 25. Washington; 24. Navy; 23. Utah; 22. Houston; 21. Pittsburgh; 20. USC; 19. Stanford; 18. Auburn; 17. Arkansas; 16. Oregon State; 15. Florida State; 14. Georgia Tech; 13. Wisconsin; 12. Oklahoma; 11 Miami; 10. Iowa.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com