It’s a big one for Iowa right out of the gate.
The Hawkeyes head to Ann Arbor today for their Big Ten opener, and the timing couldn’t be tougher. This is the first road game of the season, and it kicks off a brutal three-game run that includes #7 Ohio State at Kinnick next Saturday and then a short-week trip to Washington the following Friday. For Iowa, the next three weeks are going to say plenty about how high this season can climb.
The good news for the Hawkeyes is that they’re arriving at 3-0 with momentum. They closed the non-conference slate by hammering Northern Iowa 55-0, even while resting DJ Vonnahme, Kamari Moulton and L.J.
Phillips Jr. The offense still piled up 422 rushing yards, with three different players topping 100 yards on the ground for the first time in 40 years.
Xavier Williams was the headliner there, ripping off 151 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries.
The biggest takeaway from that win may have come through the air. Hank Brown now sits alone at the top of the depth chart after the “OR” disappeared this week, and he earned it with a flawless outing against UNI.
He went 12-for-12 for 153 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, Brown is completing 72.6% of his passes for 473 yards and three scores without a turnover, which is the best three-game start by an Iowa quarterback in program history.
The test now is different: he’s never started a road game at any level, and his first one comes in the biggest stadium in the country.
Michigan brings an unbeaten record into the matchup, but the road to 3-0 has been a lot bumpier. The Wolverines needed a disputed final play to escape Western Michigan, then followed that with a stronger showing in a win over then-#11 Oklahoma. They finished the non-conference portion of the schedule by sleeping through a half against UTEP before eventually looking more like the team people expected in the preseason.
Still, the offense hasn’t exactly taken off. Michigan ranks 62nd nationally in scoring at 27.3 points per game and 98th in total offense.
Bryce Underwood, the expensive centerpiece of the attack, has completed 62.5% of his passes with three touchdowns and one interception. He also leads the team in rushing with 156 yards.
That rushing total doesn’t jump off the page, but Underwood’s legs remain the part of the matchup that can change things. For Iowa’s defensive ends, the job is straightforward: keep him in the pocket and don’t let him get comfortable.
Iowa handled a similar assignment two weeks ago against Jaylen Raynor, who managed 18 yards on eight carries, though the Hawkeyes didn’t record a sack. Phil Parker will be looking for both pieces this time.
The matchup sets up as a low-scoring grind. Both defenses rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense and the top 10 in total defense.
Iowa’s Cy-Hawk game offers the closest recent comparison, since Iowa State’s defense sits in that same neighborhood and the Hawkeyes still came away with 16 points and 284 yards. Oddsmakers are on the same page, opening Michigan as a 4.5-point favorite before the line moved to 5.5, with the over/under at 38.5.
There’s also plenty of history attached to this one. This is the 65th meeting between the schools, with Michigan holding a 45-15-4 edge and riding a four-game winning streak.
The teams haven’t played a regular-season game since 2022. Iowa’s last win came on Keith Duncan’s 14-13 walk-off against a #2-ranked Michigan team at Kinnick a decade ago, and the Hawkeyes haven’t won in the Big House since 2010.
That was also the last time Iowa won a game in front of 100,000-plus fans anywhere.
So yes, the stage is huge. And for Iowa, it all starts now.
In Other News...
Iowa Just Got One More Reason To Beat Michigan
Iowas upcoming showdown with Michigan already carries plenty of weight, but theres now an added layer of intrigue around the Hawkeyes place on the national stage. ESPNs College GameDay has not been to the University of Iowa since 2006, and the shows absence has become part of the backdrop as the Hawkeyes continue trying to turn recent football momentum into something bigger.
Pat McAfee stirred the conversation by suggesting that a win over Michigan could send College GameDay to Iowa City the following week, which gives Saturdays game a little extra juice for a fan base that has waited a long time for that spotlight. Iowa has been looking for a signature moment, and with Michigan coming in, the chance to earn one on the field now comes with the possibility of finally drawing the sports biggest pregame stage back to campus. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Gaffney Embodies Everything Iowa Fans Love About This Program
Luke Gaffney has become the kind of player Iowa fans have long embraced under Kirk Ferentz: steady, tough and willing to do the work without much fuss. The senior defensive lineman started as an undersized walk-on and has grown into a key contributor, while also serving on the Player Council and appearing in all three games of the 2026 season.
Ferentz recently pointed to Gaffney as a reminder of what the program can still build without leaning on star rankings. His rise has been defined less by hype than by leadership, hard work and the kind of attitude that tends to resonate in Iowa City, especially on a defense that values grit as much as production. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Just Got A Boost For Its Toughest Test Yet
Iowa heads into its matchup with Michigan in a much better place health-wise than it has for much of the season. The Hawkeyes are expected to be near full strength, with Kamari Moulton, DJ Vonnahme, Brevin Doll and L.J. Phillips Jr. all listed as available, and Tyler Brown also on track to play after being sidelined by a hamstring injury since spring.
That matters because the Hawkeyes should have a full backfield and their starting tight end available for what figures to be one of their biggest tests yet. Brown's return also gives Iowa another option on defense, adding to the sense that the group is getting the kind of late-season boost coaches love to have when the margin for error shrinks against an opponent like Michigan. [Read more 🡒]