Thinking Iowa will last in the Top 25 for more than a couple of weeks is a herb-induced dream. They lose four of their five starting linemen on offense, their big target from tight end and their only reliable WR...and this is from an offense that was horrid to begin with. They ranked 89th in the country, their QB is probably the only guy I've seen who couldn't realistically replace Lee with any hope of improvement. On defense, they lose the best linebacker tandem they've had for years along with their best DB.
In head to head matchups with teams common to Nebraska and Iowa last year, Iowa squeaked by Arizona and Arkansas State, two teams that Nebraska rolled over easily. I won't mention the Iowa State game because Iowa cheated.
The only thing that could save Iowa next year is the conference they play in so don't think Ferentz would look seriously at adding another possible loss to his schedule...after all, there are bowl incentives at stake here.