Iowa Eyes Fifth Straight Win vs. Indiana

Shockingly, Iowa and Indiana are playing each other for the first time since 2021. The expansion of the Big 10 saw the conference ditch divisions as they welcomed teams like Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA. Entering Week 5, Iowa is already set to play their second conference matchup of the season.

Indiana comes to town ranked No. 11 in the nation. They just defeated No. 9 Illinois, 63-10, a win that nearly pushed the Fighting Illini out of the AP Top 25 entirely. If they fall to USC this weekend, they will have quite the journey to re-enter the rankings this season. Regardless, Indiana is on a roll and they have no plans on stopping anytime soon.

Head coach Curt Cignetti will be facing the Hawkeyes for the first time. He praised them in his press conference, acknowledging this game will be tougher than the one they just played against Illinois. That's quite the thing to say coming off a matchup against a Top 10 opponent, but goes to show what he thinks of the Hawkeyes compared to the Fighting Illini.

Kirk Ferentz is no stranger to Indiana, a team he's played 16 times as Iowa's head coach. This will be game number 17 against the Hoosiers, but the first since September 4, 2021. Coincidentally, Iowa's four game winning streak against Indiana began on October 11, 2014, the team's Homecoming game.

Iowa Hawkeye — Sep 19, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights tight end Logan Blake (11) third rushing touchdown of the game during the fourth quarter against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

September 27. 2025 marks Iowa's homecoming matchup for the 2025 season. It just happens to be against Indiana, a team no one expected to be ranked No. 11 by this time in the season. Their schedule has been a cakewalk, but they continue to blow past their opponents with ease. Both teams head to Kinnick Stadium 1-0 in conference play after convincing wins last week.

Iowa leads the all-time series, 46-28-4. While the scale is clearly tipped in the Hawkeyes favor, this has been mostly an evenly-matched series. Their current four game winning streak matches one they had from 2008-11. Prior to that, no team had won more than four in a row since the Hawkeyes did so from 1980-87 when they won six straight. The longest winning streak in the series goes to Iowa, 10 games from 1953-64. Fans will not be shocked to hear all four ties came from 1931-43.

Emotions will be high and there's a lot riding on this game for both teams. Indiana wants to prove this isn't a "trap game" and they're the real deal. After appearing in the College Football Playoffs last season, the last thing Cignetti needs is for his team to slip up in late September. As for Iowa, they are beginning to put everything together on offense and if there was ever a time for their defense to show up, it's now.

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