Future football schedules are usually set well in advance, but future Big Ten schedules have been in flux lately, due to upheaval caused by the slapped-together COVID year schedule in 2020 and the impending additions of USC and UCLA to the conference ranks. Those teams are set to join up in 2024, so we don't yet know what the schedule will look like with those teams in the mix. The Big Ten is expected to dump the divisional format when USC and UCLA join up, which will create a significant shake-up for Big Ten schedules and how often teams play one another.
But divisions will still be around for (likely) one last hurrah in 2023 and now we know what the last year of the Big Ten West and Big Ten East will look like:
Just in #B1Gtoday pic.twitter.com/rusNs2NgiO
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 26, 2022
And if you just want the Iowa games for next year:
Iowa's 2023 Big Ten schedule:
— Chad Leistikow (@ChadLeistikow) October 26, 2022
Sept. 23: at Penn State
Sept. 30: vs. Mich State
Oct. 7: vs. Purdue
Oct. 14: at Wisconsin
Oct. 21: vs. Minnesota
Oct. 28: BYE
Nov. 4: at Northwestern
Nov. 11: vs. Rutgers
Nov. 18: vs. Illinois
Nov. 24: at Nebraska
Here's Iowa's full 2023 schedule:
| DATE | OPPONENT |
|---|---|
| 9/2/23 | Utah State |
| 9/9/23 | at Iowa State |
| 9/16/23 | Western Michigan |
| 9/23/23 | at Penn State |
| 9/30/23 | Michigan State |
| 10/7/23 | Purdue |
| 10/14/23 | at Wisconsin |
| 10/21/23 | Minnesota |
| 11/4/23 | at Northwestern |
| 11/11/23 | Rutgers |
| 11/18/23 | Illinois |
| 11/24/23 | at Nebraska |
Nothing too crazy, really. The West opponents are obviously the same teams that Iowa has been playing since the East and West divisions began in 2014, with home/away designations flipped from this season. Iowa's crossover opponents from the East are Penn State (away) and Michigan State and Rutgers (home). Not too terrible.
One other item of note: that Northwestern road game on 11/4 is heavily rumored to be taking place at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Ryan Field is set to undergo an extensive, multi-year renovation, which will necessitate Northwestern moving out of their usual home stadium for a year or two. All of their home games won't be at Wrigley Field (the Cubs do have to use that field for at least the month of September, after all), but at least a few seem planned to be there -- including next year's Iowa-Northwestern game. That location hasn't been officially announced yet, but it seems very likely to be a real thing. We'll be sure to provide an update when everything is official on that front.
But overall -- that's Iowa's 2023 football schedule. Yay? Nay?
