By Hawk Fanatic

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa football team’s 2026 schedule was announced on Tuesday and includes home games against Northern Illinois, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Nebraska in order.

Iowa’s road games in order will be against Michigan, Washington, Minnesota, Northwestern and Illinois.

Iowa will open Big Ten play at Michigan on Sept. 26 before facing Ohio State in the Big Ten home opener a week later on Oct. 3 at Kinnick Stadium. It will mark just the fourth time – and the first since 1954 – that Iowa plays Michigan and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks.

Select dates are subject to change once the Big Ten and its media partners agree to the Friday night schedule. Game times and broadcast information for the first three games will be announced the last week of May 2026.

Iowa will only face one of the four West Coast teams in the Big Ten in 2026, and that will be Washington on Oct. 10 in Seattle.

Iowa also won’t face 2025 national champion Indiana next season unless it would be in the Big Ten Championship game where Iowa last played in 2023.

Iowa finished 9-4 this past season, capped by a 34-27 victory over Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida.

Kirk Ferentz will be entering his 28th season as the Iowa head coach this coming fall. His 213 career wins at Iowa ranks first in Big Ten history.

Iowa has significant holes to fill on offense, defense and special teams where both the kicker and punter and star return specialist Kaden Wetjen have to be replaced.

Iowa also has to replace starting quarterback Mark Gronowski, three starters on the offensive line and nine starters on defense.

Kirk Ferentz and his staff have taken steps to fill those holes by adding 15 players from the transfer portal since the 2025 season ended, including a kicker and two punters, four defensive linemen. three defensive backs, three receivers and one running back.

Iowa also had to replace special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, who in December accepted a job as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator at Michigan State under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Iowa then promoted Chris Polizzi from an analyst to special teams coordinator in mid-January.

Punter Rhys Dakin, Iowa’s starting punter in each of the past two seasons, has since transferred to Michigan State, along with former Iowa running back Jaziun Patterson.

So from a personnel standpoint, the Iowa team that plays the 2026 schedule will have a different look at multiple positions.

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