Whenever a ranked FBS team plays an FCS opponent, the chances of a blowout victory are pretty high. 

Iowa is a 40.5-point favorite (per Draft Kings) over in-state foe Northern Iowa at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday (3 p.m., FS1). The Hawkeyes will still have to show up and take care of business against a Panther team desperate to rejuvenate their struggling program, but if the oddsmakers are correct, there could be a lot of opportunities for Iowa's backups to see valuable game action. 

Every position group is worth watching on Saturday, but if there's a side of the football that needs to work out the kinks before Big Ten play, it's probably the offense. 

With that in mind, here are four position groups to keep an eye on for the non-conference finale: 

This one may be a mainstay on this list for the entire season. Kirk Ferentz and Co. have kept their discussions about the quarterback competition very private, but now is probably the time to make a decision on who is going to be the full-time starter. Hank Brown is very likely to win this job, but will Ferentz opt to give Hecklinski the bulk of the starting reps against Northern Iowa? Iowa won't need good quarterback play to win this game, so it will be interesting how much Tim Lester is willing to open the playbook with the Big Ten opener at Michigan looming. 

If you've read our players to watch, then you probably saw this one coming. L.J. Phillips and potentially Kamari Moulton could miss Saturday's game, which opens the door for Xavier Williams and Nathan McNeil to get valuable reps. An outburst on the ground is likely for Iowa against an FCS opponent, but we'll see how this group responds after struggling against Iowa State.

If you haven't noticed by now, the theme of this list is on the offensive side of the ball. It's not because the Hawkeyes are inept at moving the football, it's simply because there's so many playmakers waiting to dust their shoes off and make an impact in a game situation. 

We've already seen what Reece Vander Zee and Tony Diaz can do for this Iowa team, but this could be the game where some of the other young targets in the room make plays. Furman transfer Evan James made headlines with a punt return score in Week 1, but he has the speed to make plays in the open field. Then there's the 6-foot-5 Dayton Howard, who has yet to catch a pass this year after snagging eight receptions in 2025. 

UNI's defense will be physical, but it's hard to see the Panthers playing lock down defense for 60 minutes. There's going to be opportunities for wideouts to make plays in this game, it just comes down to who can get open. 

Speaking of opportunities, the tight end targets will be wide-open on Saturday. We've already mentioned the possibility for Addison Ostrenga to see a higher volume of targets with DJ Vonnahme likely to be out, but he's not the only man in this room that could succeed against Northern Iowa. Zach Ortwerth and Thomas Meyer are the names that are likely to see the No. 2 reps, but don't count out Mason Woods, too. 

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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]