The College Football Playoff landscape continues to change by the day, and it now seems likely that another major alteration will occur in the coming years. 

The 12-team format is only entering its third season, but to no one's surprise, Power Four athletic directors (specifically the Big Ten) aren't satisfied. 

With even more money and branding opportunities on the line, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti heavily encouraged the other major conferences (along with independent Notre Dame) to get on board with a 24-team playoff system. 

Pettiti's push, which calls for the 23 highest-ranked teams and one Group of 6 bid, appears to have successfully convinced the Big 12, the ACC, and Notre Dame. There's obviously still boundaries to cross (namely SEC commissioner Greg Sankey) to implement the new format, but it feels like expansion is inevitable. 

One could argue Iowa is one of the best college football programs without a CFP appearance. The Hawkeyes have came very close under Kirk Ferentz, but the agony of being oh so close every year could swiftly turn to almost annual CFP berths in a 24-team system. 

With this in mind, HawkeyeRoundtable.com going to take you down memory lane. Throughout the final days of June and most of July, we're going to take a look at every Iowa football team that would've made a 24-team playoff under both Ferentz and his legendary predecessor, Hayden Fry. 

Teams will be selected based on their final AP ranking, but the articles will be posted in chronological order, not ranked based on where they stood in the final polls.

Another important thing to note before we get started is that the AP Poll didn't have a top 25 poll until 1989, instead opting to select the top 20 teams in the nation. That means several of Fry's squads will be bracketed into a 20-team format. 

Without further adieu, it's time to reveal the first team in this series that would've qualified for a 24-team playoff (in this case a 20-team playoff) - the 1981 squad.

Many Iowa fans that are old enough don't need much of an introduction to this one. 

While the Hawkeyes are currently regarded as one of the nation's most consistent programs, that wasn't even remotely close to the case in 1981.

Iowa was a powerhouse in the 1950s and early 1960s under Forest Evashevski, but had fallen on hard times after he retired from coaching following the 1960 season to become the Hawkeyes' athletic director. New coach Jerry Burns led Iowa to a mediocre 5-4 season in 1961, and that would be the Hawkeyes' last winning season for two decades.

Hayden Fry was hired to rebuild the Iowa program in 1979. Though the Hawks showed signs of improvement in his first two seasons, the school still had yet to capture an elusive winning season. 

It didn't take long to realize 1981 would be a special season, though. Iowa opened the season with a stunning 10-7 upset victory over No. 7 Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium and then preceded to become media darlings after beating then-No. 6 UCLA and No. 12 Michigan on the road. 

Led by future Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, the Hawkeyes rose to as high as No. 6 in the polls, but consecutive losses in late October nearly ended their Big Ten title hopes. Three dominant wins in November vaulted Iowa back into contention, and the Hawkeyes clinched a share of the Big Ten championship thanks to a victory over Michigan State and Michigan losing at home to Ohio State. 

Iowa and Ohio State shared the league crown with 6-2 conference marks, but the Hawkeyes were awarded the Big Ten's Rose Bowl berth because of their lengthy Pasadena drought (last appearance in 1959). 

The favored Hawkeyes were shutout by Washington in the 1982 Rose Bowl, 28-0, but the 1981 team would lay the foundation for the consistent program Iowa fans see today. 

NOTE: The AP Poll ranked only the top 20 teams in 1981, so here's what a 20-team bracket would've looked like.

Iowa finished the 1981 regular season ranked No. 13 in the final AP Poll, so it would've easily qualified for the 24-team College Football Playoff had it existed back then. 

The Hawkeyes would've been the No. 13 seed in the bracket as a result. Keep in mind that the AP Poll only ranked the top 20 teams back in 1981, but going by pre-bowl season rankings, No. 13 Iowa would've been pitted against No. 20 Washington State (8-2-1) in the first round. 

Should the Hawkeyes win their first round matchup, they would've had an epic rematch with No. 4 Nebraska in the second round. 

Clemson ultimately was crowned national champion in 1981 after finishing with the country's only perfect record (12-0), but it would've been fun to see Cinderella Iowa have a chance to spoil the playoff party. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]