Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 2017 Football Season Tickets | KinnickEdge.org | Hawk Talk Monthly — Jan. 2017 | A VIDEO — A Look Toward the 2017 Season
By DARREN MILLER
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — In 236 days, the University of Iowa football team returns to Kinnick Stadium to play Wyoming, an eight-win team that played in the Poinsetta Bowl against BYU in 2016. It is one of seven home games for the Hawkeyes, and five of the teams coming to Iowa City played in bowl games this season.
Let’s start with Wyoming on Sept. 2. Who could forget the last time these teams met — in the 1987 Holiday Bowl — with the Hawkeyes pulling out a 20-19 victory by scoring 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter?
North Texas, a team that played Army in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, is making its second trip to Kinnick Stadium in three years. Iowa won 62-16 in 2015.
One of the marquee matchups will occur Sept. 23 when defending Big Ten Conference champion Penn State comes to town.
The Homecoming game will be Oct. 7 against Illinois. The Hawkeyes have won eight of the last nine games in the series, including 28-0 this season in Champaign, Illinois.
Floyd of Rosedale will be the only traveling trophy at stake in Kinnick Stadium next season when Iowa and Minnesota tangle during Family Weekend on Oct. 28. The Golden Gophers won the 2016 Holiday Bowl, 17-12, over Washington State.
On Nov. 4, 2017, Ohio State will make its first trip to Iowa City in seven years. The Buckeyes played Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, a College Football Playoff Semifinal.
The Hawkeyes conclude their 2017 home schedule Nov. 18 against Purdue and first-year head coach Jeff Brohm. In three seasons at Western Kentucky, Brohm led the Hilltoppers to 30 wins and three straight bowl games.
Iowa finished its 2016 home schedule against three nationally ranked opponents and the Hawkeyes won their final two games: 14-13 over No. 2 Michigan and 40-10 over No. 15 Nebraska. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz credits a significant home field advantage in both victories.
“I am very appreciative of our fans and their support,” Ferentz said at a news conference Dec. 15. “The last two games in Kinnick are as good as I can remember.”
Iowa plays three returning bowl participants on the road: Northwestern (Pinstripe), Wisconsin (Cotton), and Nebraska (Music City).
| 2017 Iowa Football Schedule | |||
| Date | Opponent | 2016 Record | 2016-17 Bowl Game |
| Sept. 2 | Wyoming (FryFest) | 8-6 | Poinsetta |
| Sept. 9 | at Iowa State | 3-9 | |
| Sept. 16 | North Texas | 5-8 | Heart of Dallas |
| Sept. 23 | Penn State | 11-3 | Rose |
| Sept. 30 | at Michigan State | 3-9 | |
| Oct. 7 | Illinois (Homecoming) | 3-9 | |
| Oct. 14 | OPEN | ||
| Oct. 21 | at Northwestern | 7-6 | Pinstripe |
| Oct. 28 | Minnesota (Family Weekend) | 9-4 | Holiday |
| Nov. 4 | Ohio State | 11-2 | Fiesta |
| Nov. 11 | at Wisconsin | 11-3 | Cotton |
| Nov. 18 | Purdue | 3-9 | |
| Nov. 24 | at Nebraska (Hy-Vee Heroes Game) | 9-3 | Music City |
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Wyoming: Iowa leads 2-0
Iowa State: Iowa leads 42-22
North Texas: Iowa leads 1-0
Penn State: Penn State leads 14-12
Michigan State: Iowa leads 23-21-2
Illinois: Illinois leads 38-32-2
Northwestern: Iowa leads 50-25-3
Minnesota: Minnesota leads 62-46-2
Ohio State: Ohio State leads 47-14-3
Wisconsin: Wisconsin leads 45-43-2
Purdue: Purdue leads 46-38-3
Nebraska: Nebraska leads 29-15-3
