Big Ten reveals Iowa’s 2016 and 2017 football schedules

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

Big Ten football schedules were released for both the 2016 and 2017 season by the conference Thursday and they features Iowa playing games against the five East division teams it will not face during the 2014 and 2015 seasons when Maryland and Rutgers both become official members.

The Hawkeyes’ 2016 slate in Big Ten play begins Oct. 1 with Northwestern visiting Kinnick Stadium, which is then followed by a stretch where Iowa plays four of the next five away from home. After consecutive road games at Minnesota on Oct. 8 and at Purdue on Oct. 15, the Hawkeyes return home to face Wisconsin, then play two more road games against Rutgers on Oct. 29 and Penn State on Nov. 5. The contest against Rutgers will mark the first time Iowa faces the Scarlet Knights as a member of the Big Ten, while the game with Penn State will mark the Hawkeyes’ first trip to Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., since 2011.

Iowa then concludes its 2016 season with a home game against Michigan on Nov. 12, a road game at Illinois on Nov. 19 and the annual season finale against Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium on Nov. 25.

In 2017, the only East team Iowa has a rematch with will be Penn State, while Michigan State and Ohio State replace Michigan and Rutgers on the schedule. The Hawkeyes’ Big Ten slate that season starts Sept. 30 with a road contest against the Spartans in East Lansing, Mich., followed by a stretch of four out of five at Kinnick Stadium.

Illinois (Oct. 7) and Penn State (Oct. 14) will make consecutive trips to Iowa City before the Hawkeyes head back on the road Oct. 21 to play at Northwestern. After that game in Evanston, Minnesota comes to town Oct. 28, followed by Ohio State on Nov. 4. Iowa then finishes with two of three on the road, starting with a trip to Madison, Wis., on Nov. 11 to face the Badgers. The home finale will be Nov. 18 against Purdue and the regular season finale Nov. 24 takes place at Nebraska.

Below are the new complete 2016 and 2017 schedules for Iowa, including non-conference games in 2016:

2016:

9/3/2016 – vs. North Dakota State

9/10/2016 – vs. Iowa State

9/17/2016 – vs. Central Michigan

10/1/2016 – vs. Northwestern

10/8/2016 – at Minnesota

10/15/2016 – at Purdue

10/22/2016 – vs. Wisconsin

10/29/2016 – at Rutgers

11/5/2016 – at Penn State

11/12/2016 – vs. Michigan

11/19/2016 – at Illinois

11/25/2016 – vs. Nebraska

2017:

9/30/2017 – at Michigan State

10/7/2017 – vs. Illinois

10/14/2017 – vs. Penn State

10/21/2017 – at Northwestern

10/28/2017 – vs. Minnesota

11/4/2017 – vs. Ohio State

11/11/2017 – at Wisconsin

11/18/2017 – vs. Purdue

11/24/2017 – at Nebraska