Hawkeye History: Iowa vs. Minnesota Floyd of Rosedale Carries Big Implications

This battle for the Floyd of Rosedale is always big. This year's game carries even bigger implications for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Oct 25, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Xavier Nwankpa (1) tackles Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Fame Ijeboi (7) during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, and Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, are separated by a four-and-a-half-hour drive. The states share a border. There isn't much else that needs to be said to set up the Floyd of Rosedale rivalry game.

The Iowa Hawkeyes, who are 5-1, make the quick trip north this weekend to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Big Ten showdown that carries so much more weight than just the giant brass pig, which is rather heavy itself, coming in at 98 pounds of bronze.

Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers History

These two programs are intimately familiar with each other. There isn't much they don't know about what the other is good at, wants to do, and is going to try to do in this game. It really turns this game into a matter of executing the fundamentals better than the other each year.

Iowa and Minnesota have met 119 times in history, dating all the way back to 1891. Despite the rivalry beginning that long ago, Iowa's first win didn't come until a 6-0 win in 1918. The Golden Gophers lead the all-time series 63-54-2, but the recent trend has been anything but kind to Minnesota.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have dominated, which might not even be a strong enough word, Minnesota recently. Iowa has a 9-1 advantage in the last 10 games, with the lone loss being a controversial, invalid fair catch signal to wipe Cooper DeJean's punt-return touchdown off the board.

Since Kirk Ferentz took over as the head coach of Iowa, he has been a good friend of the Floyd of Rosedale, owning a 20-7 record in the rivalry against the Golden Gophers, which includes last year's meeting - a 41-3 trouncing of Minnesota inside Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa has to forget about history in this one

While Iowa has dominated this rivalry, the Hawkeyes can't get caught trusting that this trend will continue. The Hawkeyes can't afford to show up lackadaisical with a slow start or with sloppy play. Minnesota is coming off a bye week, too, and is going to be just as fresh.

Fortunately, Iowa is a team that rarely blinks in these moments or isn't prepared for rivalry games. Kirk Ferentz has a way of getting the Hawkeyes' full attention for games like this. I fully expect Minnesota to come out seeking a haymaker. That's when Iowa has to duck and deliver the counter.