Abbott said Iowa has a contract in place to host Arkansas State on Oct. 3, 2009, and has set its 2010 season opener, a Sept. 4 home date with Eastern Illinois. He said another game contract that would round out the ’10 season is in the works but has yet to be finalized.
The Hawkeyes 2009 nonconference schedule shapes up like this: They open with a home game against Northern Iowa, a formidable foe from the Football Championship Subdivision, play at Iowa State and then host Arizona the week before traveling to Penn State to open the Big Ten schedule. The Arkansas State game will provide a break between the Penn State trip and what figures to be a tough stretch of vs. Michigan, at Wisconsin and at Michigan State.
Starting in 2009, Iowa begins a new two-year conference rotation that will leave Illinois and Purdue off the schedule until 2011.
Arkansas State plays in the Sun Belt Conference and was 5-7 in 2007. The Red Wolves won’t come to Kinnick Stadium intimidated. They play Texas A&M, Southern Miss and Alabama in the nonconference schedule this fall.
Eastern Illinois, another FCS program, went 8-4 last season, losing to Southern Illinois in the first round of the playoffs. The Panthers played at Purdue last year, losing 52-6, will play at Illinois this season and at Penn State in 2009 before traveling to Iowa City to open the 2010 campaign.
Iowa’s nonconference schedule for 2010, as it stands now, is Eastern Illinois, a home game with Iowa State and a road trip to Arizona to finish the home-and-home series with the Wildcats. Open dates remain Sept. 25 and Oct. 9, one of which will be filled.
The Hawkeyes open their 2008 schedule Saturday with a home game against Maine, an FCS team from the Colonial Athletic Association that went 4-7 last fall.
Click here to view future Iowa football schedules
Contact Eric Page at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.
Comments
Central IA Hawk wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:10 PM:
" Don't dismiss the scheduling...its about money and having a preseason game to wow the fans at home while earning a notch up for a bowl game. Georgia, LSU, Miami, PSU and darn near every other school has an easy home win. Home games set the athletic budget up at a relativly small price. Home and home series cost big $$$ on the away years to ADs. "
hawkeye eddie in KC wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:54 PM:
" when does the series with UConn start? i read about that a few years ago, but it's not on the hawkeye website for "future" schedules.
and what about the rumor of an OU/ Iowa game in St. Louis? "
and what about the rumor of an OU/ Iowa game in St. Louis? "
KC Hawk wrote on Aug 27, 2008 7:02 AM:
" I concur that the Iowa football program needs to improve the quality of their non-conference games. I am not a season ticket holder, but if I were, I think I would sell me tickets to everyone of those games. I recently looked at the non-conference games scheduled by all of the Big 10 teams this season and they are an absolute farce. These games do nothing to get an Iowa or other Big 10 team ready to play the big boys in their own conference, let alone teams from BCS conferences in the bowls. Isn't Iowa and the Big 10 tired of being a 4th or 5th rated power conference and getting creamed by top tier teams like USC in bowl games? "
WTF wrote on Aug 27, 2008 2:26 AM:
" Excellent point and well said, Mark. "Pansie Day needs to stop! These lessor teams like to
have a chance to compete with the big schools, but there is really no benefit to IOWA. What about Norte Dame? "
have a chance to compete with the big schools, but there is really no benefit to IOWA. What about Norte Dame? "
Mark Swoboda wrote on Aug 26, 2008 8:49 AM:
" As a ticket holder for 15+ years I would like to see a non-conference schedule against some higher quality teams. I don't like how teams pad their schedule to try to get to 6 wins, just to meke it to a bowl game. I understand the Iowa State and UNI games, but why Maine, Eastern Illinois, Arkansas State, Montana? Maybe the Big Ten teams wouldn't seem as difficult if the non-conference teams were a challenge for the coaches and players. Bring back Florida, Nebraska, Arizona State, and the like, even if Iowa doesn't win. "
