3.5 Early Thoughts Ahead of Iowa Football's Crucial Game At Northwestern

After two emotional rivalry games, the stakes still remain very high for Iowa football. 

Anything is possible for Iowa (6-2, 3-2) with how wide open the college football landscape looks to be, and opening that path to be in the conversation for the College Football Playoff starts with a showdown against Northwestern on Saturday (6:30 p.m., FOX). 

The Wildcats (6-2, 3-2) have been one of the most-improved teams in the Big Ten this year and a notorious thorn in Kirk Ferentz's side, so it's going to be an interesting matchup in Evanston on Saturday night. 

Here are my three and a half early thoughts ahead of this contest. 

The Washington and Wisconsin wins are great examples of the high potential this Iowa team has, but the main question I have with this team right now is consistency. Though the Hawkeyes' 6-2 record is very good, they really haven't put together back-to-back complete performances, especially in conference play. Iowa followed the dominant outing at Washington with a dud at Minnesota, and it didn't exactly play great football against Iowa State and Michigan after easy non-conference wins, either. 

These issues are very common to see with a young team, but it goes without saying that Iowa will need to carry over all the good in its win over Wisconsin to have a chance to beat an improved Northwestern team. That definitely starts at the quarterback position with Hank Brown, who is coming off a 20-for-24 (83%), two-touchdown outing against the Badgers, but the run game needs to come back as well. The Hawkeyes tallied a respectable 140 yards on the ground last weekend, so we'll see if the dots can connect again in Evanston. 

Northwestern is doing a lot of things right offensively this year, but the straw that stirs the Wildcats' drink is definitely quarterback Aidan Chiles. If that name sounds familiar, it's because it is. Chiles has a history with the Hawkeyes, and it's not a very good one. Chiles had a lot of hype behind him when he followed head coach Jonathan Smith from Oregon State to Michigan State, but the hype didn't translate to good results on the field. 

Except for one game - a home matchup against Iowa on Oct. 19, 2024. The Hawkeyes were heavily favored to take down the Spartans that night, but Chiles responded with arguably the best game of his career up to that point completing 22 of 30 passes for 256 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. 

The rest of Chiles' career in East Lansing was marked by inconsistencies, and he was benched by mid-October during the 2025 season. His career looked dead, but offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and Northwestern have revitalized Chiles in 2026. He's thrown for nearly 1,900 passing yards this year along with 13 touchdowns and just one interception.

The passing numbers are great, but what makes Chiles a dangerous threat is his ability to extend plays with his legs. It feels like every big play the Wildcats have had this year has been because Chiles can fire an accurate pass on the run. 

Needless to say, that's going to be a tough challenge for Iowa, but it certainly helps that defensive coordinator Phil Parker already knows what Chiles can do to the Hawkeye defense when he's at best. 

Who is Chiles throwing to when he does get in a groove? Probably Griffin Wilde. The fourth-year has been fantastic since transferring from South Dakota State in 2025, and he currently has the fifth-most receiving yards in the Big Ten (761). Wilde is known for being a fantastic route runner and reliable deep ball threat, so the Hawkeye secondary will have to make sure they are keeping all eyes on No. 17 in this one. 

Believe it or not, this will be Iowa's first game in Evanston in five years. The 2023 matchup was played at Wrigley Field, and that's because Northwestern was constructing the new $875 million Ryan Field on the site of the former stadium that held the same name.

There's no question the Wildcats made a huge upgrade by building this new venue, but there's a chance there could be a sea of black and gold inside the stadium on Saturday. Iowa fans have a strong history of showing up to road games at Northwestern, and it could come in very handy for the Hawkeyes as they look to continue their winning ways.