Iowa Hawkeyes' Stadium Ranks Amongst Best in College Football

The Iowa Hawkeyes famous Kinnick Stadium has recently ranked amongst the best in CFB ahead of the 2025 season.

Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean (3) downs a punt inside the 1-yard-line during a NCAA football game against South Dakota State, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the 2025 college football season just around the corner, the Iowa Hawkeyes may have a key advantage heading into week one.

USA Today's Paul Myerberg and Blake Toppmeyer recently wrote about the best college football stadiums heading into the 2025 season, with Kinnick Stadium ranking at No. 24.

"The environment at Kinnick has helped Iowa go 22-6 at home since 2021," Myerberg and Toppmeyer wrote. "It's also home to the best new tradition in the sport: Since 2017, players and fans turn at the end of the first quarter and wave to the patients at Stead Family Children’s Hospital. 'The Hawkeye Wave' is already an indelible part of the college football fabric."

The home of the Hawkeyes has been known for the place where "top-five teams go to die,” as former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh said in an interview with The Athletic in 2022. From 2008 to 2021, Iowa held a 5-1 record against the AP top-5 opponents at home.

In Iowa's last 6 home games against AP top-5 foes:
2008 vs. 3. Penn State, W 24-23
2010 vs. 5. Michigan State, W 37-6
2016 vs. 2. Michigan, W 14-13
2017 vs. 4. Penn State, L 21-19
2017 vs. 3. Ohio State, W 55-24
2021 vs. 4. Penn State, W 23-20

This week, No. 4 Michigan
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) September 26, 2022

And while the Hawkeyes suffered two-straight losses against top-5 opponents at home in 2022 and 2023, Ferentz has a chance to redeem himself against to the Oregon Ducks and Penn State Nittany Lions this season. In addition to the potential two top-five opponents, Kinnick Stadium will host five more contests in 2025, including Big 10 opponents Indiana, Minnesota and Michigan State.

Read More Iowa Hawkeyes Coverage