With the news of Wisconsin’s annual game vs Bama, some Iowa football fans want to know if we’ll schedule a premier non-conference game, but they shouldn’t.
It’s understandable that Iowa football fans would want a premier non-conference matchup with someone like Alabama or LSU or even Oklahoma (well I would like this at least), but to be honest, right now, it shouldn’t happen.
This is all coming on the heels of the announcement that Wisconsin and Alabama will be playing each other in the upcoming seasons.
I get it, we want to see the Iowa football team take on other conference’s powerhouse teams and see if they can hang.
Unfortunately, it shouldn’t and won’t happen and here’s why:
- The Big Ten requires nine conference games, more than other conferences.
- The Iowa football team has a rivalry game with Iowa State, and although they aren’t a premier program, it’s always a tough battle. Plus, State is a lot better now than they have been.
- The Big Ten West is actually a lot tougher than people realize, and the Iowa football team already has one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
Unless one of the top two things change, it’s unreasonable to think the Iowa football team should have 11 major D-1 programs on their schedule. That’s brutal, and it’s tough. For college football teams, especially, it’s important to get off to a hot start in non-conference games, and besides, going undefeated is already tough enough in college football. Making it more difficult honestly just hurts the Hawkeye’s chances.
Yes, there are certainly teams we would love to see the Iowa football team play, but until some major changes like conference realignment or a reduction in conference games, it shouldn’t happen now.