IOWA CITY, Iowa — Seven start times for the 2021 University of Iowa football team were announced on Thursday by the Big Ten Conference in conjunction with BTN, ESPN, ABC, and FOX television networks. Four of the seven announced start times will be mid-afternoon kickoffs.
Iowa will host Indiana at 2:30 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, Sept. 4, with the game airing on BTN. This year marks the first time in 41 years that Iowa opens a full-scheduled season against a Big Ten opponent. The Hawkeyes opened at Purdue last season in an abbreviated schedule due to the pandemic. The last time Iowa opened a season at home against a Big Ten foe was 1979 versus Indiana in Hayden Fry’s first game as head coach of the Hawkeyes.
FryFest is also part of opening weekend. Slated for Friday, Sept. 3, FryFest is held at the Iowa River Landing and celebrates everything Hawkeye. The National Iowa Varsity Club will celebrate the Hall of Fame class throughout the weekend.
Following the opening contest, the Hawkeyes travel to in-state rival Iowa State at 2:30 p.m. The annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game will be televised on ABC.
Iowa welcomes Kent State to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18, in the Gold Game. That contest is also slated to kickoff at 2:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on BTN. Fans are encouraged to wear gold.
The Homecoming contest versus Purdue, presented by GreenState Credit Union, is Saturday, Oct. 16. That game is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start. The Hawkeyes are the Homecoming opponent at Wisconsin on Oct. 30, with that game designated to begin at 11 a.m.
Iowa’s regular season finale at Nebraska on Black Friday (Nov. 26) will kickoff at 12:30 p.m. and air on BTN.
The Hawkeyes have an open date on Oct. 23. Kickoff times for the remaining five games will be announced no later than 12 days prior to the game, per the media rights agreements between the Big Ten Conference and its television partners.
Fans can purchase football season tickets by visiting hawkeyesports.com/tickets. Fight for Iowa mobile passes and UI student tickets are currently on sale. Mini plan ticket packages will go on sale to the general public on June 10 at 9 a.m. Select single game tickets will go on sale in July. University of Iowa faculty/staff should contact the University of Iowa Athletics Ticket Office for season tickets. The UI Athletics Ticket Office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office telephone number is 1-800-IA-HAWKS.
All tickets in 2021 will be mobile. Fans may access tickets via the Hawkeye Sports App, a link via email, or account login at hawkeyesports.com/myaccount. These tickets are optimized for display on your smartphone device and should not be printed. Fans can review additional information on mobile tickets by visiting hawkeyesports.com/mobiletickets.
Iowa’s 2021 football schedule (all listed times are CT):
| Sept. 4 | Indiana | 2:30 p.m., BTN (First Responders’ Day) |
| Sept. 11 | at Iowa State | 2:30 p.m., ABC (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series) |
| Sept. 18 | Kent State | 2:30 p.m., BTN (Gold Game) |
| Sept. 25 | Colorado State | TBA (Family Weekend) |
| Oct. 1 | at Maryland | 7 p.m., FS1 |
| Oct. 9 | Penn State | TBA, FOX or FS1 (ANF Black & Gold Spirit Game) |
| Oct. 16 | Purdue | 2:30 p.m., TBA (Homecoming) |
| Oct. 30 | at Wisconsin | 11 a.m., TBA |
| Nov. 6 | at Northwestern | TBA |
| Nov. 13 | Minnesota | TBA (Military Appreciation/Black Out Game) |
| Nov. 20 | Illinois | TBA (Senior Day) |
| Nov. 26 | at Nebraska | 12:30 p.m., BTN (Heroes Game) |