Another year means more high expectations for Jan Jensen and Iowa women's basketball. 

The preseason polls haven't been released yet, but the Hawkeyes are expected to be at or very close to the top-10. That kind of hype can overwhelm a a basketball team, but Jensen and Co. have embraced it. 

"Yeah, I think there's a gradual acceptance and a growth for that, and that's one thing -- when I started coaching, that's what you're shooting for always," Jensen said at media day on Oct. 13. "That's what you want to be, a perennial top-10 team. I'm very proud of that." 

The Hawkeyes will be a highly-ranked preseason team first and foremost because they return many key starters from a 27-win squad, but another aspect that fuels such a ranking is the schedule. 

Iowa hasn't been afraid to schedule tough in the non-conference, and it's safe to say Jensen crafted another excellent schedule in 2027.You all know the opponents by now, and considering how loaded the Big Ten is expected to be this year, the Hawkeyes will be very battle tested for postseason play. 

But which games are the easiest? The hardest? We tried to break it down by using four quadrants. No it's not the NET ranking, it's simply a fun way to categorize these games. You've already read the men's basketball version , so now it's time to do the same thing for the women's team. 

Here we go. 

Games: Towson on Nov. 2, Eastern Illinois on Nov. 5, Montana State on Nov. 19, Southern on Dec. 13, Northern Illinois on Dec. 20 

There's nothing much to say here. Iowa is paying these teams to come to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for what will probably be a beatdown. One interesting note here, though: Montana State forward Addison Harris is the older brother of Ethan Harris, a freshman guard for Iowa men's basketball. 

Games: Northern Iowa on Nov. 12, Navy (Bahamas) on Nov. 25, @ Drake on Dec. 1, Rutgers on Jan. 5,  Northwestern on Jan. 14, Indiana on Jan. 17, Wisconsin on Jan. 31, @ Penn State on Feb. 18, Purdue on Feb. 21 

This tier features the games that Iowa should be heavily favored in on paper. Playing Northern Iowa and Drake in non-conference action is always great for the state of Iowa, but the Hawkeyes are just on a different level compared to those teams. The same thing goes for Navy in the Bahamas and the Big Ten teams that are listed here. 

Games: Utah (Bahamas) on Nov. 23, Nebraska on Dec. 5, Iowa State on Dec. 9, @ Oregon on Jan. 24, @ Washington on Jan. 27

Spoiler alert: Iowa has a ton of games that are going to fall in the hardest category, but we have to save a few in the "tricky" section. Utah hasn't been the same since Lynne Roberts left for the WNBA, but playing a neutral site game on Thanksgiving weekend always seems to bring out the weirdest moments in the sport. Iowa State has a lot of questions in Bill Fennelly's final season, but it's still a rivalry game. 

Games: @ UConn on Nov. 8, Vanderbilt (Sioux City) on Nov. 15, @ Illinois on Dec. 29, @ Michigan State on Jan. 1, @ Minnesota on Jan. 9, @ Michigan on Feb. 7, USC on Feb. 11, UCLA on Jan. 14, Maryland on Feb. 25, Ohio State on Feb. 28 

Is the Big Ten the best conference in women's basketball this year? It sure seems like it. We'll get to this loaded league slate in just a second, but we first have to address the elephant in the room - the titanic non-conference matchups against UConn and Vanderbilt. Iowa will have a better chance to take down Vanderbilt because the game takes place in Sioux City, but we're going to find out how good the Hawkeyes can be in those November contests. 

Then there's the Big Ten slate. That three-game stretch of Michigan, USC, and UCLA is probably going to decide whether or not Iowa is going to be in Big Ten championship contention, but you can't look past back-to-back road games at Illinois and Michigan State. Both of those programs are on the rise and have given the Hawkeyes plenty of trouble in recent years.

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]