Iowa football schedule 2020: Predicting every Iowa Hawkeyes game
By John Buhler
Iowa State and Minnesota are early-season tests on the Iowa football schedule.
Sept. 5: Northern Iowa Panthers
It’ll be a nice fall Saturday in Iowa City when the Northern Iowa Panthers come to town. Though they play at the FCS level, Northern Iowa has had its moments vs. the big boys in years past. Too bad Iowa is too excited about playing at home in front of the Kinnick faithful. The Hawkeyes put three first-quarter touchdowns on the board and never look back. Iowa, 41-21.
Sept. 12: Iowa State Cyclones
38. 837. 27. 878. Prediction
Will this be the year the Iowa State Cyclones finally beat Iowa in the CyHawk. Iowa State has an outside shot of winning the Big 12, certainly a more realistic path than what Iowa has in 2020. Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy will have his coming out party at Kinnick, as a five-touchdown performance from him lifts Iowa State to an impressive early-season victory. Iowa State, 38-27.
Sept. 18: at Minnesota Golden Gophers (Minneapolis, MN)
Prediction. 24. 878. 33. 852
Massively disappointed with how CyHawk went, Iowa has to pick up the pieces and venture to the Twin Cities to take on the Big Ten contender Minnesota Golden Gophers. Iowa will play hard for about a quarter or two, but the Iowa secondary has no chance to stop the aerial assault coming from quarterback Tanner Morgan and wide receiver Rashad Bateman. Minnesota, 33-24.
Sept. 26: Northern Illinois Huskies
Immensely frustrated with how the season is going thus far, Iowa will regroup to try to salvage its season when the MAC’s Northern Illinois Huskies come to town. It won’t be as one-sided as the Week 1 home victory over Northern Iowa, but the Hawkeyes will go 2-0 vs. the two directional schools on their early-season schedule. They go 2-2 in September. Iowa, 30-21.