Iowa: Zero votes in coaches’ preseason football poll

There's nowhere to go but up for Iowa's football team this season, at least if you use the Amway Coaches Poll as a barometer.

The poll's preseason Top 25 was released Thursday. It was little surprise Iowa, coming off a 7-6 season, wasn't in the Top 25. But 56 teams got votes from the 64 coaches (seven from the Big Ten, not including the Hawkeyes' Kirk Ferentz) surveyed.

Nine Big Ten teams received votes. Three - No. 1 Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan State and No. 18 Wisconsin - are ranked. Nebraska got the 33rd-most votes, Minnesota 34th-most, Penn State 35th-most.

Illinois (6-7) got seven votes. Maryland (7-6 last year) and Michigan (5-7) got one vote (for 25th-place) apiece.

Iowa got none.

The Big Ten coaches on the panel are Paul Chryst of Wisconsin, Mark Dantonio of Michigan State, Kyle Flood of Rutgers, James Franklin of Penn State, Jim Harbaugh of Michigan, Urban Meyer of Ohio State and Mike Riley of Nebraska. Iowa State's Paul Rhoads is also a voter.

Wisconsin is the only ranked team on Iowa's 2015 schedule.