Iowa Prepares for First-Ever Matchup With UMass

It almost seems rare for there to be first-ever matchups in college football nowadays. Even with 136 teams competing at the FBS level, many of them have been around for close to a century, and the fact that most of the schedule consists of conference games limits the amount of new matchups possible.

However, there are still a few first-ever matchups each year, and Saturday night's game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and UMass Minutemen is one of them.

Despite the fact that both teams have been playing football since the 1890s, they've never met until now. Granted, UMass only made the jump to the FBS level in 2011 while Iowa has been in the Big Ten - one of the premier conferences in college sports - for well over a century, but it's still somewhat surprising they've never gotten together for a "buy game," as they call them.

Historically, there's not much in common between the two programs except their age. The Hawkeyes have generally been successful over the past 45 years or so, even if they've rarely been in the national championship conversation. The Minutemen, on the other hand, have yet to have a winning season since transitioning to the FBS level back in 2011, and have won just seven games this decade. Their 0-2 start to the season, featuring a 42-10 loss to Temple in Week 1 and a 27-26 loss to Bryant in Week 2, doesn't inspire much confidence either.

However, there is actually a common thread between the two coaches. First-year UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak previously held the same role at Maine from 2016-18, just as longtime Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz did in 1990-92.

Sep 1, 2016; East Hartford, CT, USA; Maine Black Bears head coach Joe Harasymiak reacts to a call as they take on the Connecticut Huskies in the second half at Rentschler Field. UConn defeated Main 24-21. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

"I think he knows what to do," Ferentz told reporters Tuesday. "He's done this before, and he's been around football. He's probably a little more seasoned than I was when I went to Maine. There are a lot of things you learn, and the good news is a lot of the mistakes I made that nobody really noticed because they were more interested in hockey or maybe some other things going on there."

The Hawkeyes are massive favorites coming into this game, presenting the perfect bounce-back opportunity after last week's loss to rival Iowa State. Plus, it'll be a good warmup before Big Ten play begins next week.

Don't forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!