Ben McCollum isn’t easing Iowa into the season.
The Hawkeyes’ 2026-27 nonconference schedule comes loaded with tests, and it starts right away with a group of games that should tell plenty about where this team stands before Big Ten play arrives. There are some soft spots on the slate, but this is not the kind of setup that lets Iowa coast through November and December.
Yes, there are tune-up games in the mix - Lipscomb, Eastern Illinois, UMBC and Western Illinois are all on the schedule - but Iowa also lined up a serious set of opponents from power leagues. Virginia Tech, Creighton, Xavier, Iowa State and Alabama all show up, giving the Hawkeyes five chances against teams expected to be in the NCAA Tournament conversation or at least fighting for one of the spots in the newly expanded field of 76.
That means the margin for error is pretty clear. Iowa doesn’t need to sweep those five, but anything short of a 3-2 mark would leave the Hawkeyes feeling like they let a real opportunity slip and dug too deep a hole before conference play even begins.
The travel setup is about as friendly as it gets. Of Iowa’s 12 nonconference games, 11 stay inside the state borders. Eight are in Iowa City, while three more are moved around to reach fans across Iowa.
Virginia Tech and Iowa will meet in Sioux City, which still figures to feel a lot like home for the Hawkeyes. The games against Creighton and Alabama are in Des Moines, with the Creighton matchup likely to draw a split crowd since the city sits roughly in the middle for both programs.
There’s a path here for Iowa to pile up wins, and it’s not hard to see why that possibility exists. Ben McCollum’s track record at previous stops is part of the optimism, and so is the idea that this schedule can reward a strong, steady team.
One way to sort the slate is into three buckets.
Likely wins: Lipscomb, Eastern Illinois, Virginia Tech, UMBC, Prairie View A&M, Western Illinois, Bethune-Cookman, South Dakota
Potential losses: Iowa State, Alabama
Toss-ups: Creighton, Xavier
If Iowa can split the games in the two tougher categories, the Hawkeyes can reach 10 wins. That would be a strong number against this kind of schedule. Still, there’s enough difficulty here that a rough shooting night or two could tilt things the other way.
Even so, 9-3 would count as a success for Iowa and give the program something solid to build on.
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For a state that has already watched several eight-player programs announce they will not compete in 2026, the latest cancellation is another reminder of how fragile some small-school football schedules have become. When one team cannot safely field enough players, it affects not just a single Friday night but the rhythm of a season, the opponents schedule and the broader picture of where the sport is headed in rural Iowa. [Read more 🡒]