Although it hasn’t been made official by either the athletics department at Iowa or Northern Illinois, the two schools will likely meet in Chicago to kick off the 2012 football season.

The possible matchup was revealed on Wednesday, when the Iowa sports information department released its 2010 spring football prospectus. On page 43 of the prospectus, under future schedules, it has the Hawkeyes and Huskies facing each other in the Windy City on Sept. 1, 2012.

However, a source close to the situation informed The Daily Iowan via e-mail that it was knowingly placed on the 2012 Iowa schedule despite its not yet being 100 percent certain.

The last meeting between the two teams came on Sept. 1, 2007, and the game was played at Soldier Field — home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears. Iowa won that contest, 16-3.

In the upcoming season, Iowa’s 2010 opener will be on Sept. 4, when the Hawkeyes will play Eastern Illinois in Kinnick Stadium.

— by Brendan Stiles