Iowa Football Has Three Highly Anticipated Games in 2026

Now that Mark Gronowski is gone, the Iowa Hawkeyes must find out who their next quarterback is going to be.

They have a pair of stellar candidates in Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski, and no one has forgotten about them being able to flip Tradon Bessinger from Boise State.

When Iowa's 2026 football schedule was released, it became abundantly clear one of those three men would be thrown right into the fire.

A trio of home games to start the year is as easy as it gets because from there, things heat up rather quickly. The Athletics' Scott Dochterman recently compiled a list of all 81 B1G games next season and Iowa has a trio of the Top 20 games.

No. 18: Iowa at Illinois

Ranking all 81 Big Ten games of the 2026 schedule, from the Ohio State-Indiana B1G title game rematch to Purdue-Maryland.
A few others:
6. Indiana at Michigan
11. USC at Penn State
18. Iowa at Illinois
35. Washington at Nebraska
62. Wisconsin at Purduehttps://t.co/uG8LrHDUFD
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) February 2, 2026

Illinois is coming off a tremendous season that shocked a lot of people. Everyone knows Iowa's gameplan and how they operate under longtime head coach Kirk Ferentz, so the same should be echoed heading into the 2026 season. While these aren't two of the top teams in the B1G, this is a game that could define how the conference looks in years to come.

Dochterman notes this is the 80th edition of the "border feud" and is the first time Illinois will play host to Iowa since their 9-6 victory back in 2022. Iowa's defense remains elite and this will be a fun challenge in late November.

No. 14: Iowa at Michigan

Notice a pattern here? Two incredibly difficult road games for the Hawkeyes. Obviously, them facing Michigan needs no explanation. While the Wolverines certainly had some coaching turmoil heading into the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, no one can take away the fact that they're one of the top teams in the conference.

Seeing as Michigan has won four straight, including two B1G Championship games, this is one game the Hawkeyes have had on their radar for quite some time. It'll be the first time Iowa plays in the Big House since 2019 and it's about as difficult a start to their conference schedule as one could ask.

No. 12: Ohio State at Iowa

Iowa Hawkeye — Iowa football players celebrate after defeating the Michigan State Spartans 20-17 Nov. 22, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa didn't have a game crack the Top 10, but it's no surprise to see their game against Ohio State be the most anticipated. Seeing as they head to Michigan on September 26, it's a crime the scheduling committee made the Hawkeyes host the Buckeyes the very next week.

If anything, it'll at least get these two teams out of the way early. Iowa would've loved to play them later in the season when they're likely at their best, but there's no telling what will happen as these two teams meet for the first time at Kinnick since 2017.

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