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Iowa Football 19TH O In 'Real' BCS Rankings By James Allan n the strength of head coach Kirk Ferentz's 14-year tenure, the University of Iowa football program is ranked 19th na- tionally in ESPN the Magazine's "real" BCS rankings. ESPN used three categories of Football Bowl Series success, and then split them into nine factors: on-field performance (title track, head coach, strength of schedule), off-field success (academics, recruiting, NCAA violations) and traditions of success (NFL draſt picks, stadium edge, football revenue) For each factor, data was used since 1998 to rank every team against its 119 FBS competitors ESPN then weighted the results, with an emphasis on title track and player success (25 percent) — the categories that most reflect an established winning program. Ferentz's continuity as the face of the Iowa program gives the Hawkeyes their highest category rank at No. 4 The "head coach" ranking takes into account tenure, winning percentage, average turnover margin, and average penalties per game. Iowa has won more than 80 percent of its home games inside Kinnick Stadium since the 2002 season That factor, coupled with game-day experience and the differential between home and road winning percentages, saw the Hawkeyes receive a nine in the "stadium edge" factor With 18 Hawkeyes being selected in the NFL Draſt the past three seasons -- the most in the Big and tied for the third-most nation- ally – and 49 during Ferentz's tenure, Iowa received a 17 in the "player success" category Iowa has had a first-round pick in the last three NFL Draſts. The Hawkeyes received an "A" grade in terms of NCAA viola- tions, and a score of 18 in the revenue generated by the football program. On the strength of 10 bowl game, two BCS game appearances and two Big titles, Iowa received a score of 28 in the "title track" factor The Hawkeyes also received a 33 for "average strength of sched- ule, " a 39 in "recruiting" and a 50 in "academics." The recruiting factor takes into account the total number of ESPN 150 signees, while the academics are a percentage of the US News and World Report rankings in 2012, and the team's Academic Progress Rate (APR) in 2010-11. Iowa is one of five Big Conference schools ranked in the top 20, along with Ohio State (two), Michigan (nine), Wisconsin (13) and Nebraska (15) On the strength of seven Big 12 championships and eight BCS bowl game appearances, Oklahoma is the top-rated Top-20 Rankings Oklahoma Ohio State Alabama LSU Texas Florida USC Georgia Michigan Auburn Florida State Miami (Fla.) Wisconsin Notre Dame Nebraska Virginia Tech Tennessee Clemson Iowa Texas A&M Others: Penn State (22), Michigan State (27), Minnesota (40), Illinois (43), Northwestern (53), Purdue (60), Iowa State (73), Indiana (75), 46