Kirk Ferentz Shuts Down Any Complaints of Iowa's Big Ten Gauntlet

To be the best you have to beat the best, and Kirk Ferentz left no doubt about what Iowa has to do with the Big Ten slate staring back.

Jul 28, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa Football head coach Kirk Ferentz speaks during Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Three games.

Three games to open up Big Ten play is what it's going to come down to for the Iowa Hawkeyes to determine the amount of success they are going to have in 2026.

It may not be fair. It may not be a fun schedule. But it's the reality of the situation, and it isn't changing. Iowa has to find a way to handle its 2026 schedule before it handles them.

Kirk Ferentz isn't shying away from the tough schedule

It may be an understatement to call Iowa's Big Ten slate "tough" at the start. A road game at Michigan, then home against Ohio State, and on the road to take on Washington on a short week is as brutal as it gets.

Even though it's going to test Iowa, head coach Kirk Ferentz knows you have to find a way in the Big Ten regardless of what the schedule is.

"The other thing is that every game in the Big Ten is tough in my mind, at least that's my experience. To your point, if you're in this conference, you're going to have to win on the road if you want to have a good record.

"That's just part of the deal. If you have the right attitude and right outlook, you can make an advantage hopefully.

"Just go in there focusing on the game, knowing it's you against 60,000 or 100,000, whatever it may be, and staying focused on what's happening on the field. Just not giving them a reason to have a pep rally in the first 30 seconds," Ferentz said about handling the Big Ten road games.

What does success look like for Iowa in the Big Ten?

As wild as it sounds, a 1-2 record in the games against the Wolverines, Buckeyes, and Huskies isn't the end of the world or the end of the season. It's that hard of a slate.

That said, going 1-2 there puts Iowa's back firmly against the wall, pretty much daring them to win out the rest of the way to go 10-2 for a chance at the College Football Playoff.

Would 10-2 be enough for Iowa with a 7-2 record in Big Ten play? It depends. Are those losses close and respectable? If Ohio State or Michigan beat Iowa by 7-10 points, there's a case.

If Iowa is a fringe team with a 20-point loss to another playoff team marring the record, things get quite a bit more dicey.