CBS Sports picks one game that could define Iowa football in 2026
Iowa has a gauntlet in Big Ten play and one of those games could prove to be the season-defining moment for the Hawkeyes.
Sure, the Iowa Hawkeyes have three out-of-conference games to start the year, and should be favored in each of those games against Northern Illinois, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa, but after that, the heat turns up immediately. Iowa is thrown into Big Ten play with a trip to Michigan to open up conference play, which is followed by a date back at home against the Ohio State Buckeyes, two games the Hawkeyes figure to be underdogs in. After that, Iowa has been handed a trip out West.
Iowa will head to Washington for a Friday night game , creating a short turnaround against a team that always plays tough at home. The Big Ten showdown is one that CBS Sports believes could define Iowa's entire season. 18.
Iowa: at Washington, Oct. 9 The first half of the season is pretty brutal for the Hawkeyes, and it includes a three-week stretch that features games against Michigan, Ohio State and Washington. Let's assume Iowa will be an underdog in those first two.
It may well be an underdog in Seattle as well, but there's a decent chance the Hawkeyes will have to win this one in order to avoid an 0-3 start in Big Ten play. - Austin Nivison, CBS Sports Washington enters this matchup with the luxury of substantially less travel. The Huskies will open up the season with four home games against Washington State, Utah State, Eastern Washington, and Minnesota, before their first road trip, which is to USC.