Iowa gets its first road test of the season on September 26, and the destination is as big as the stage: Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Hawkeyes and Wolverines will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS, with both teams entering the matchup at 3-0. Michigan opened as a 4.5-point favorite over Iowa, according to Draft Kings, and the over/under is set at 37.5 points.
This will be the first time Iowa has played away from home this season, and it comes in one of college football’s largest venues. It’s also the first meeting between the teams since the 2023 Big Ten Championship game, and the first regular-season matchup since 2022.
Michigan has won the last four games in the series and holds a 45-15-4 edge all-time. That stretch includes the 2021 and 2023 Big Ten Championship games. Iowa’s most recent win over the Wolverines came in 2016 at Kinnick Stadium.
The Wolverines are 3-0 after opening their season with a miracle Hail Mary attempt against Western Michigan, then beating Oklahoma and UTEP. They are now led by new head coach Kyle Whittingham, who arrived over the offseason after 32 years at Utah, including 21 seasons as head coach there.
Iowa also comes in unbeaten after finishing nonconference play 3-0. The Hawkeyes posted shutouts against NIU and UNI, and they also reclaimed the Cy-Hawk trophy with a 16-13 win over Iowa State in Week 2.
The game will also be the first time Whittingham and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz have faced each other. Both are among the longest-tenured coaches in college football.
In Other News...
Braeden Jackson Just Added To Iowas Walk-On Tradition
Braeden Jacksons name already carries some football weight in Iowa circles, and now the walk-on running back has given Hawkeye fans another reminder of why that tradition still resonates. In a notable game, he flashed the kind of burst and versatility that can turn a roster afterthought into a real storyline, piling up 125 rushing yards, adding 24 more as a receiver and finding the end zone twice.
It fits the family history, too. Jackson is the son of Fred Jackson, the former Coe College standout who went from unrecruited long shot to a nine-season NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, and Braeden followed a similarly determined path after a strong high school career as both a football player and track star. He chose to walk on at Iowa in part because of his fathers connection to the coaching staff, and performances like this only deepen the sense that the Hawkeyes may have found another name worth remembering. [Read more 🡒]
Braeden Jackson Just Made Iowas Backfield Picture A Lot Tougher
Braeden Jackson turned a lopsided afternoon into something worth watching for Iowa. In the Hawkeyes 55-0 win over Northern Iowa, the second-year running back piled up 125 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns, continuing the kind of steady rise that has made him easy to notice in a crowded backfield. A preferred walk-on who arrived in December 2024, Jackson has been one of the quieter development stories on the roster, but his progress has been hard to miss.
What stands out most is how much cleaner and more complete his game looks now. Iowa quarterback Hank Brown and head coach Kirk Ferentz have both pointed to Jacksons improved awareness and physical development, and his background helps explain why he keeps trending up. As the son of former NFL running back Fred Jackson, he has had the benefit of football knowledge at home, and it is starting to show on the field in a way that could make the Hawkeyes backfield even harder to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Ferentz Sends Iowa Fans A Promising Message Before Michigan Test
Iowa is heading into its first Big Ten game of the season with a familiar kind of test waiting on the other side, and Kirk Ferentz spent part of the buildup offering a reassuring look at his roster. The Hawkeyes are set to face No. 18 Michigan on Sept. 26, and Ferentz said the recovery process is moving in the right direction for several key players, including Kamari Moulton and Bryce Hawthorne, as the team tries to get healthier at an important point on the schedule.
The matchup itself brings the bigger challenge, of course, and Ferentz made clear that Iowa will need its defense locked in against a Michigan offense led by quarterback Bryce Underwood. For a Hawkeyes team trying to open conference play on solid footing, the combination of improved health and a stern test against a ranked opponent gives this week a little extra weight, even before the game kicks off. [Read more 🡒]