Driving around Iowa City is pretty easy for most of the year - until autumn rolls around. 

Though it's technically still summer until Sept. 22, fall might as well be here already. The first major college football games of the year begin tomorrow as part of Week Zero, which means there's only one more week until Iowa gets to open its own season. 

One week until Iowa City's population increases by 70,000. One week until Kinnick Stadium and its surrounding parking lots are filled with fans dressed in black and gold from head to toe. One week until AC/DC's hit song "Back in Black" plays over every loudspeaker in the state of Iowa. One week until we can say a prayer for the Iowa City/Coralville residents that have no idea why people are flocking to their community on a random September Saturday. 

The dawn of a new Hawkeye football season always brings plenty of excitement, but how will Iowa perform for its loyal fanbase?

All of you are always entitled to your own opinions, but here's how I have the 2026 campaign playing out.

Let's play some football. 

Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA (3:15 p.m. CT, BTN) 

The gap between these two teams on paper is enormous. Northern Illinois is in the midst of a major transitional period in their program's history, as they will play in a new conference (Mountain West) and have a new head coach (interim man Rob Harley). 

The Huskies came to Iowa City and pulled off a stunner in 2013, but that's not going to happen in 2026. Though Iowa has no idea who its starting quarterback is going to be at this point, it will be able to use its strong rushing attack to build an early first quarter lead and run away (pun intended) with the game from there. 

Prediction: Iowa 37, Northern Illinois 7 

Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA (6:30 p.m. CT, NBC) 

New-look Iowa State will come to Kinnick Stadium with absolutely nothing to lose in this primetime clash. Iowa has fallen into that trap so many times under Kirk Ferentz (2014, 2024), but it's going to be hungry for revenge after losing three of its last four against the Cyclones. 

New Iowa State head coach Jimmy Rogers feels like he has the pieces to compete in the Big 12 this season, but can this brand-new roster put everything together by Week 2? I don't think so. This will be a closer game then people expect, but the experienced Hawkeyes will force a few turnovers and pull away in the second half for a big early rivalry win. 

Prediction: Iowa 27, Iowa State 10 

Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA (3:00 p.m. CT, FS1) 

I absolutely love seeing Northern Iowa back on Iowa's schedule this year. They were supposed to play each other in 2020, but that game was obviously wiped out due to COVID-19, so it's been eight years since this in-state matchup has taken place. 

The Panthers have given the Hawkeyes plenty of fits in the past, but they simply don't have the horses to compete with Iowa. Second-year Todd Sepsis has a lot of work to do to rebuild UNI football back to its glory days. This will be a good opportunity for the Hawks to get the passing attack going. 

Prediction: Iowa 44, Northern Iowa 6 

Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI (TV/Kick Time TBD) 

This is where things get very tough for Iowa. If the Hawkeyes are going to steal a game in their three-game gauntlet to open Big Ten play, it's probably this one in Ann Arbor. Michigan has fallen flat on its face since winning the national title in 2023, and it brought in veteran head coach Kyle Whittingham in to fix the poor culture that Sherrone Moore left behind.

Whittingham is a fantastic coach, but turning the Wolverines back into a contender in one season won't be easy. The talent is always going to be there at Michigan, but will it be completely polished when it hosts Iowa? Probably not, but it's hard to see this young Hawkeye team finding a way to win in the Big House, a place where they've only won twice under Kirk Ferentz. 

Prediction: Michigan 21, Iowa 13 

Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA (TV/Kick Time TBD) 

The Buckeyes don't come to Kinnick very often. This will be their first visit since the memorable 2017 blowout loss, and head coach Ryan Day (then OSU's offensive coordinator) has probably brought that game up to his team all summer long. 

Iowa will have the home crowd on its side, but that's about it. Ohio State is one of the most talented teams in the country and currently has a No. 1 ranking next to its name. The Hawkeyes may hang around for awhile, but the star quarterback/wide receiver tandem of Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith will be too much for Iowa to handle. 

Prediction: Ohio State 38, Iowa 20

Location: Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA (8:00 p.m. CT, FOX or FS1) 

If traveling to the Pacific Northwest after playing Ohio State isn't brutal enough, the Big Ten decided to make Iowa do it on a short week, too. Ferentz is notorious for expressing his dislike for Friday games, and while he hasn't done that yet this year, he's probably voiced that disdain behind closed doors. 

Washington is a well-coached team with Jedd Fisch at the helm, and Demond Williams Jr. is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country with his dual-threat ability. The Hawkeyes are capable of winning this game, but after covering the last two gut-wrenching losses out west (UCLA and USC), I'm going to need to see Iowa actually pull one of these games out to pick them to do so. A rare 0-3 Big Ten start for Ferentz. 

Prediction: Washington 30, Iowa 27 

Location: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN (TV/Kick Time TBD)

Iowa couldn't have asked for a better time to have a bye week. Regardless of what happens to open league play, the Hawkeyes are going to be emotionally and physically spent after playing three physical football games in a row. Iowa will also be desperate to get back in the win column after a brutal 0-3 start in conference play, and it'll get to do so against an old rival - Minnesota. 

The Hawkeyes have absolutely owned this series in recent years, and they would be riding an 11-game winning streak over the Gophers right now if it weren't for what happened in 2023. Drake Lindsey and Anthony Smith are tough players for Iowa to handle, but until Minnesota proves it can match Iowa's physicality, I'm going with the Hawkeyes. 

Prediction: Iowa 28, Minnesota 17

Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA (TV/Kick Time TBD) 

Is Wisconsin turning into Nebraska? It sure seems like it. Luke Fickell seemed like the perfect hire when he replaced Paul Chryst in 2023, but it's been a disaster for him in Madison so far. 

The Badgers are hoping Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph will finally solve their problems at quarterback. Joseph may get Wisconsin back to a bowl game, but it's hard to see Bucky stealing a Halloween win in Iowa City. 

Prediction: Iowa 31, Wisconsin 17 

Location: Ryan Field, Evanston IL, (TV/Kick Time TBD) 

You have to give Northwestern credit for trying to upgrade its football reputation. Hiring Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator was a great move by head coach David Braun, and the shiny new Ryan Field is a major upgrade from the outdated old Ryan Field. 

But will it lead to a successful 2026 season? Aidan Chiles has the talent to be a good quarterback in this league (he showed it against Iowa two years ago), and Griffin Wilde is a legitimate wide receiver. Iowa should win this game on paper, but trips to Evanston often bring strange vibes. This is going to be one of those weird games. 

Prediction: Northwestern 31, Iowa 28

Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA (TV/Kick Time TBD) 

I still think Barry Odom is the guy to bring Purdue football back to respectability, but it's not going to happen in 2026. Ryan Browne is an experienced quarterback, but there's just two many moving pieces to consider the Boilers anything but a cellar-dweller in the Big Ten again this season. 

Iowa explodes for a big win in its penultimate home game. 

Prediction: Iowa 45, Purdue 14 

Location: Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL (TV/Kick Time TBD) 

Iowa's final road trip of the season should be a dandy. Illinois has taken big strides under former Hawkeye Bret Bielema and should be poised for another strong season in 2026. There are some new pieces, including East Carolina transfer Katin Houser at quarterback, but the culture Bielema has set in place in Champaign almost mirrors that of Ferentz in Iowa City at this point. 

Iowa will probably enter this game as a slight underdog, but this just feels like one of those games the Hawkeyes find a way to grind out a win. A lot of Iowa fans inside Memorial Stadium can only help, too. 

Prediction: Iowa 25, Illinois 22 

Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA (11:00 a.m. CT, CBS) 

Matt Rhule has slowly brought Nebraska out of the Big Ten's basement, but that's about it. The Huskers have defined the word mediocrity over the last two seasons, finishing 7-6 in both 2024 and 2025. 

There's always optimism for a football season in Lincoln, but 2026 figures to be a similar campaign. Anthony Colandrea is a decent option to replace Dylan Raiola at quarterback, but the schedule - Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon are all on it - is absolutely brutal. Like the Minnesota prediction, until the Huskers prove they can actually compete with Iowa in the trenches, I'm not picking them to upset the Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. A repeat of last season's clash is on the horizon. 

Prediction: Iowa 35, Nebraska 9

If you gave this Hawkeye team the 2024 schedule, they would probably have a very good chance to be a College Football Playoff contender. But the bottom line here is that the three-game stretch to open Big Ten play along with the youth at several key positions is just going to be too tough for Iowa to overcome. 

The Hawkeyes will salvage the season with a 5-1 mark against their old Big Ten West foes, but it's going to be a third straight 8-4 season in Iowa City. 

Don't miss out on our Roundtable community and the latest news! It's completely FREE to join.

Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members in the community section! Download the FREE Roundtable APP and stay even more connected!

Click here to join the fun and potentially win some FREE Hawkeye swag! 

HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]