Iowa football announced its 2025 schedule on Wednesday afternoon. The Hawkeyes play eight games at home and another four on the road. Iowa’s upcoming opponents averaged about 6.6 wins last season.
The Hawkeyes open the season at Kinnick Stadium on Aug. 30 against UAlbany, an FCS school that finished 4-8 this season and finished 12th in its conference. The team then travels to Ames for a rivalry matchup against Iowa State, which compiled 10 wins and finished second in the Big 12 in 2024. The Hawkeyes haven’t lost in Jack Trice Stadium since 2011.
Iowa then hosts UMass, which will play in the Mid-American Conference for the first time in 2025. The Minutemen finished 2-10 in 2024. The following week, Iowa opens Big Ten play on the road against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have yet to top the Hawkeyes in their four previous meetings.
On Sept. 27, Indiana comes to Iowa City after a surprising 11-1 season under new head coach Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers haven’t topped the Hawkeyes since 2012.
Following a bye week, Iowa travels north to Madison for a duel against a new-look Wisconsin squad, who failed to qualify for a bowl game last season for the first time since 2001. The Badgers fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo in November and have had three quarterbacks enter the transfer portal, including leading passer Braedyn Locke.
The Hawkeyes then spend the next four weeks at home, hosting Penn State, Minnesota, and then Oregon following a bye week. The Nittany Lions and Ducks played for the Big Ten title last season while Minnesota earned a 7-5 record and qualified for a bowl game for the fourth straight season.
Just like last season, Iowa ventures west to California, this time to compete against USC in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Trojans haven’t played the Hawkeyes since the 2019 Holiday Bowl. The two teams haven’t met in the regular season since 1976.
Iowa’s final two contests are a home duel against Michigan State followed by a trip to Lincoln for a Black Friday matchup against Nebraska. The Hawkeyes fell to the Spartans in 2024 in East Lansing but haven’t lost in the Huskers’ Memorial Stadium since 2011.