The Iowa Hawkeyes are building a schedule that leaves little room for easing in. Early on, they’re lining up heavy non-conference tests against teams from the Big East, Big 12, ACC and SEC as they try to take a step forward.
There are still pieces to be filled in, but Iowa already knows the shape of its Big Ten slate. The Hawkeyes have their home-and-away breakdown set, and the mix brings some notable matchups to Carver-Hawkeye Arena while also sending them into a tough road stretch.
At home, Iowa will host Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State and Washington. The road list includes Illinois, Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA and USC. Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin are the home-and-away opponents.
Getting Michigan State at home stands out, and that game figures to land in a prominent window after Iowa’s showing last season. The trip games are where the grind really shows up, especially with visits to Illinois, Michigan, Northwestern and Purdue all on the docket.
The non-conference schedule also brings plenty of punch. Iowa has five power-conference games lined up: Virginia Tech on November 10, Creighton on November 15, Xavier on November 20, Iowa State on December 10 and Alabama on December 21.
Those games are spread across the state of Iowa, with one exception. Virginia Tech will face Iowa in Sioux City, Iowa State comes to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and Creighton and Alabama will both be in Des Moines. Xavier is set for Cincinnati.
One other piece of the calendar still points toward a familiar setup. Around Thanksgiving, when multi-team events usually pop up, Iowa’s schedule remains open. The Hawkeyes have regularly been part of those events, including the Acrisure Classic in 2025, the NABC Hall of Fame Classic in 2024, the Rady’s Children's Invitational in 2023 and the Emerald Coast Classic in 2022.
So while the full picture isn’t locked in yet, the signs are there: Iowa is very likely headed for another Thanksgiving event, whether that ends up being a single game or a small tournament.
In Other News...
A Familiar Big Ten Villain Is Back And Iowa Fans Know It
Shawn Eichorst has spent the past several years out of the Big Ten, working as deputy athletic director at Texas since 2018, but his name still carries plenty of baggage around the conference. Before that, he was the Nebraska athletic director, and his tenure there made him a familiar figure to Iowa fans who remember how much of the Cornhuskers' recent run-up and reset was tied to his decisions.
Now he is back in the league as Wisconsin's new athletic director, which is the kind of move that immediately gets attention in this corner of the rivalry map. Iowa and Wisconsin have built a competitive history of their own, with the next season set to bring the 100th meeting between the programs, and the Hawkeyes know Eichorst's arrival only adds another layer to a conference landscape where old grudges tend to linger. [Read more 🡒]
EA Just Reignited Iowas Biggest Respect Debate
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The bigger eyebrow-raiser is where the ratings land on each side of the ball. The offensive number makes some sense if you buy the line, the run game, and a healthy dose of tight end DJ Vonnahme, but the defense coming in lower is where the debate really starts for Hawkeye fans. For a program built so often on defensive consistency, and with Phil Parker's track record in the background, that part of the rating is the one that feels hardest to explain. [Read more 🡒]
Sioux City East Faces Its Biggest Test After Breakout 9-2 Season
Sioux City East is coming off a season that put the rest of Iowa on notice, finishing 9-2 and averaging nearly 35 points a game while looking like a team built to keep climbing. The schedule will bring back plenty of familiar opponents in 2026, and the Black Raiders also have the benefit of a roster that still includes several important pieces on both sides of the ball.
The bigger question is how well they can keep that momentum going after a major departure under center, even with the rest of the group intact and hungry for more. There is enough returning talent to make Sioux City East a real factor again, but the next step will depend on how quickly the offense settles in and whether the program can turn last years breakout into something more enduring. [Read more 🡒]