Iowa Football: Why does Michigan schedule the Hawkeyes on Homecoming?

The Iowa football team goes into Ann Arbor for their homecoming, just like 2002 and 2010. Why are you scheduling the Hawkeyes on your homecoming, Michigan?

In 2010, a 4-1 Iowa football team went into the Big House to take on a Wolverine team that had just gotten pummeled by a conference opponent. Luckily for Michigan, there are absolutely no similarities this year.

In Michigan’s most recent homecoming game against the Iowa football team, they committed countless penalties and turned the ball over four times. Of course, the Wolverines have nothing to worry about, as they are not turnover prone this year.

The Iowa football team had a third-year starting quarterback, Ricky Stanzi, under center in that 2010 game. In this year’s iteration, third year starter, Nate Stanley will be leading the Hawkeyes.

Unlike in 2010, the first homecoming game in Ann Arbor against the Hawkeyes featured two ranked teams. In 2002, #13 ranked Iowa visited # 8 ranked Michigan.

I attended my only Michigan vs. Iowa game in the Big House in 2002. I remember the confidence both fanbases had prior to the game.

That confidence was gashed for one side well before the final whistle blew.

Michigan has been outscored 72-37 in their homecoming games against Iowa. In fact, these two games represent the only two games that Kirk Ferentz has won in Michigan Stadium.

This Saturday is one of two games Michigan will play in Ann Arbor in the month of October, the normal month for homecoming. The other opponent, Notre Dame, is likely to have been perceived as more of a toss-up game than was their game against the Hawkeyes.

Why? What has Michigan seen to lead them to believe that their chances against the Iowa football team are better than Notre Dame?

Since 2002, Michigan is 5-1 against Notre Dame in Ann Arbor. That is a dominant record considering Notre Dame during that period of time has either played in the College Football Playoff or the BCS National Championship twice.

Against Iowa during the same period, Michigan is a much more pedestrian 3-2 at Michigan Stadium.

As Iowa fans, we know what it is like to be underestimated. Another team was picked to win the West over Iowa by the Big Ten media. That does not look like a good prediction now. Neither does Michigan’s homecoming gambit.

Like the 2002 game, I will be in the Big House this year, probably outnumbered by 100,000 fans rooting for the other team. If the outcome of the game is anything like what it was in 2002, I would recommend that Michigan never schedules their homecoming against Iowa again.