As the Hawkeyes move further into the 2026 regular season, an intriguing matchup was added to their 2027 schedule.
Iowa traditionally uses the first three weeks of the schedule as a tune-up for the Big Ten conference slate, and that trend continued this season. The Hawkeyes faced Northern Illinois in week one, Iowa State in week two, and will face Northern Iowa in week three. With the grind of the Big Ten schedule looming, the Hawkeyes locked in a game for next season that will force them to ramp up preparation even sooner.
Iowa recently added North Dakota to Week Zero in 2027
Kirk Ferentz hasn't scheduled a Week Zero game since programs started locking in more a few years ago, and he usually avoids deviating from the normal schedule. The Iowa program has traditionally played three non-conference games before the Big Ten schedule begins near the end of September, but that will change in 2027.
Iowa will play on "Week 0" in 2027, it just announced. Game vs. North Dakota will be played on Aug. 28, followed by Ball State on Sept. 4 and at Iowa State on Sept. 11.
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) September 17, 2026
With the future of the College Football Playoff expansion still unknown, the Hawkeyes have locked in North Dakota in "Week Zero" of their 2027 schedule. The NCAA could still expand the CFP to 24 teams and move all regular-season games up a week, but it has not happened yet. If that happens, Week Zero would shift to Week One, and it could shift Iowa's strategy. Adding another opponent to the schedule in 2027 could be a move to beef up the non-conference schedule before Big Ten play, or it could be because Kirk Ferentz is convinced the committee will expand the CFP field before next season.
Either way, the program has revived a game against an opponent it hasn't faced in over 100 years, and it could be an early test for them. North Dakota has mostly been a hockey school recently, but it had significant success in the early 2000s as part of the North Central Conference (NCC). The Fighting Hawks won four conference championships (2001, 2003, 2005, 2006) before moving to the Great West Conference in 2011, the Big Sky in 2016, and finally the Missouri Valley in 2020. North Dakota went 7-5 last season under new head coach Eric Schmidt and has started 3-0 in 2026.
CFP expansion could affect who comes after North Dakota on the schedule, but Iowa got an early jump. If North Dakota lands in week zero, Iowa could easily face four teams before Big Ten play instead of three, or they could use an early bye week to get ready. It will be interesting to see where it all goes over the next year, but North Dakota has officially been locked in for next season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google