Iowa football looked like a mediocre team Saturday and is firmly on track to fall short of the Hawkeyes' expectations for the season.

Just when it seemed this Iowa football team had patched up several important holes, another wave of problems arrived Saturday night. The final product was a 32-20 dud at Michigan State, a game in which the Hawkeyes struggled offensively but played even worse defensively.

Iowa football lost to Michigan State in East Lansing on Saturday. Here is how the Big Ten matchup went down for the Hawkeyes.

A mid-tier bowl appears to be the ceiling for the 2024 Hawkeyes after their humbling 32-20 loss to Michigan State.

The Iowa Hawkeyes fell on Saturday night at Michigan State, 32-20. With the loss, Iowa drops to 4-3 (2-2 Big Ten) on the season. Meanwhile, with the win, Michigan State (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) matches those marks.

The Iowa Hawkeyes fell to the Michigan State Spartans, 32-20, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., on Saturday. There were 69,682 people in attendance for Michigan State’s homecoming game. Michigan State Kicker Jonathan Kim was the sole scorer in the first half,

The Iowa Hawkeyes (4-2) hit the road for a Big Ten showdown against the Michigan State Spartans (3-3) on Saturday, October 19, 2024 at Spartan Stadium. The game featuring the Hawkeyes and Spartans will be available on NBC.

The Michigan State Spartans are 3-3 and will look to climb back to .500 in conference play with this Homecoming matchup against the 4-2 Iowa Hawkeyes. Remember the rule of five. The game is over if the Spartans win that key statistical battle.