Iowa football: Ranking every road game from easiest to hardest

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IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 10: Quarterback Clayton Thorson #18 of the Northwestern Wildcats throws under pressure in the first half from defensive end Anthony Nelson #98 of the Iowa Hawkeyes, on November 10, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /

5. Northwestern Wildcats (Evanston, IL)

There are two main reasons the Northwestern game is the easiest on paper.

First, they are the only unranked team on this list, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be talented. They have a rare five-star quarterback leading the team, and as Pat Fitzgerald has shown in his tenure as head coach, this team is almost always at least competitive. Regardless, they just don’t have as much talent on paper as the other teams on the list.

Second, Evanston isn’t exactly a thrilling collegiate football environment. Ryan Field, home of the Wildcats, holds just 47,130 people in its stadium, and it more closely resembles a really nice Texas high school stadium than it does a Big Ten stadium.

Making matters worse for the Wildcats is the large population of Iowa football fans in the Chicago area. Despite being an away game, there is a strong chance 1/3 of the crowd is decked out in black and gold.

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