IOWA CITY — The coaches won’t say it, and they won’t admit it publicly, but if you gave them a lie detector test, they might admit that Iowa has had the best defense in college football the last two years.

“I would say no,” Hawkeyes defensive line coach Kelvin Bell said Friday, without taking a lie detector test, “because we didn’t win the national championship. That’s my yardstick. I think if you win, you have the right to say you’re the best in the country. I really do, no matter what the stats say.”

Iowa linebackers coach Seth Wallace also tempers the argument that they are the best in the nation, noting, “We weren’t very good at recovering the ball last year. That’s one thing that irritates you.”

Iowa had an unusually low number of takeaways last season, with 15 in 14 games. In 2022, it had 23, and in 2021, it had a nationally best 31. OK, so there’s room for improvement, which should put fear in the hearts of this year’s Hawkeye opponents.

Michigan led the FBS with 13.1 points per game over the past two seasons, while Iowa was second with 14.1. However, the Hawkeyes’ defense was on the field for 8.5 more plays per game than the Wolverines.

Iowa ranks third in total defense these two years, allowing 276.9 yards per game compared to Air Force’s 266.0 yards and Michigan’s 268.8 yards. The Hawkeyes have had 15 more plays per game than Air Force, which has a time-consuming triple-option offense.

Iowa has led the nation in fewest yards per game over the past two seasons, with a measly 4.03 yards per game. Penn State is next at 4.40.

“We’ve played a significant number of games over the course of two years,” Wallace said. “So I think that number is even more significant.”

“That’s a statistic that we’re very proud of, especially in the linebacker area, and that we want to continue to maintain.”

Even national champion Michigan’s offense was weak against Iowa, managing just 12 first downs and 213 yards in its 26-0 victory in the Big Ten title game. The Wolverines averaged less than two yards per carry. Their two touchdown runs were 5 and 6 yards.

And here’s the thing: Iowa’s defense could be better this year. It’s never been this experienced and it never will be again.

“It’s so damn important, so damn fortunate, you know, that we come back with so much experience,” Wallace said.

So damn experienced. The NCAA exemption year due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a gift that could help propel the Hawkeyes into the first 12-team College Football Playoff.

Four of Iowa’s projected defensive players are in their sixth year. Four more are in their fifth year. Two of the other three — new defensive players Aaron Graves and Ethan Hurkett — combined for 86 tackles last season.

The 11 regular players have played 169 games in the starting eleven. They are more than experienced, they are really good.

Jay Higgins was the nation’s top tackler last season and was named an All-America linebacker. His partner at that position, Nick Jackson, is 12th on the NCAA all-time tacklers list and within reach of taking the top spot.

“In the college environment, we’re pretty old,” Jackson said.

The secondary has three of those sixth-year players, including third-team All-America selection Sebastian Castro, who may have led the Hawkeyes in game-winning plays last season. He was definitely the best player in interceptions and passes broken up.

Sixth-year safety Quinn Schulte decided dentistry school could wait another year. Castro decided the NFL could wait another year. That’s not something you do when you think you can get back to a Citrus or Music City Bowl.

All the game experience, Castro said, “slows things down. You’ve experienced that many times before. When you have a group of guys who have been in the same situation as you, it makes things easier.”

Pat Angerer, the Hawkeyes’ new radio commentator and an All-America linebacker for the Hawkeyes in 2009, points out that the defensive line still needs to show more depth, but succinctly describes what is there.

“They have an excellent defensive line,” Angerer said. “They have an excellent defense. They have two of the best linebackers in the country.”

“It’s going to be really fun to watch, and you have the best defensive coordinator (Phil Parker) out there. My opinion: The sky’s the limit. It’s all about culture. It’s all about toughness.

“It’s going to be very entertaining to watch.”

If the offense scores a few touchdowns here and there, Iowa could overtake Nashville and Orlando this year and go really far.

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