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All the freshest Iowa Hawkeyes coverage from across the web. · Updated Oct 20, 9:00 PM
Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 1
Week 1 (and Week 0) is in the books. Let’s go with a completely unscientific, definitely biased, definitely emotional Week 1 league power ranking. Not a great week for the league overall. A few teams looked mostly good to great. A few teams struggled. One team face-planted. Another committed a felony. Not great, Bob. 1. […]
KIRK SPEAKS: Iowa State
Folks, welcome to Week 2 of the CFB season! And it’s the best/worst week of the year: HATE WEEK! But this year it does feel a little different because almost everyone feels like Iowa will beat the pants off of Iowa State in…-checks notes- Jimmy Rogers’ debut season for the Cyclones after Matt Campbell left […]
Iowa Football: Former Hawkeyes in the NFL Week 1 Watch Guide & Schedule
The pipeline from Iowa City to the pros remains as strong as ever for the 2026 NFL season kickoff. A whopping 34 former Iowa Hawkeyes have cemented their spots across 21 different NFL teams on active 53-man rosters or injured reserve lists. This year’s group boasts an incredible influx of youth, featuring 9 rookies who […]
Hawkeye Marching Band Member Passes Away Following Heat Related Cardiac Arrest at Kinnick Stadium
Saturday’s season opener between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Northern Illinois Huskies was an absolute scorcher. Temperatures were in the mid-90s throughout the day with a heat index over 100. Temps on the field at Kinnick Stadium, where heat radiates off the turf, were several degrees warmer. Throughout the game, fans were encouraged to seek shade […]
Will History Repeat Itself in El Assico?
The Iowa Hawkeyes kicked off their 2026 season in style with a 40-0 drubbing of the Northern Illinois Huskies. NIU is the newest member of the Mountain West and clearly a program in transition that is not where it once was. Now, Iowa pivots from a G6 opponent to a rivalry matchup as the Iowa […]
Target Acquired: Charting Tony Diaz’s Hawkeye Debut
When Iowa landed Tony Diaz from University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, there was immediate hype and intrigue about what he could bring to this Iowa offense. There was the fact that he lead FCS freshman in receiving. There was the fact that he had a late Alabama offer in the portal. Mainly though, it […]
Iowa Football Depth Chart: Key Lineup Tweaks Week 2 vs ISU
Happy Monday might usually be an oxymoron, but today is a holiday and UI Athletics just gifted us the official depth chart for this week’s in-state rivalry with little brother. Since we have last week’s initial version to compare to, I will manage by exception and call out the deltas and key positions of interest […]
Iowa Football: Wound Up and Rewind
I’ve been savoring this tasty victory for some hours now. And now that I’ve calmed down and let it digest, it’s time to give the recording a rewind and see how it unfolded. In short, this game was like the Sunday buffet at the old Iowa River Power restaurant. So many good options, and all […]
The Morning After: Nearly Perfect
I woke up Saturday morning and just – this is blasphemy, I know – wasn’t ready for football. NFL preseason did nothing for me. I watched Rutgers-UMass and while that got me football-curious again, I still wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t watch anything on Friday. Just wasn’t ready. Then I got up, watched other sports […]
Hawkeye Football: Instant Reaction NIU vs Iowa
Now that. Was exhilarating! And in the brush of an eye, the painful scars from last year’s season opener were wiped away, as Iowa took NIU by storm. You could say the offense & defense were a one-two punch, but it was more like a TKO. By halftime Victor E. Huskie was dizzy from chasing […]
Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northern Illinois Huskies Fan Discussion
The long wait is officially over! After 248 days without Hawkeye football, Iowa is back in action in Kinnick Stadium as the Hawkeyes play host to the Northern Illinois Huskies to kick off the 2026 season. NIU comes to Iowa City with an entirely new look, head to toe. That is, the Huskies jumped ship […]
Iowa Football: How to Watch the Hawkeyes vs Northern Illinois
After months of waiting, game day is finally here! The Hawkeyes are set to open their 2026 season at home in the friendly confines of Kinnick Stadium as they play host to the Northern Illinois Huskies. The Huskies come to Iowa City with a new head coach, a new conference and hopes for a new […]
Iowa Football: Can Hawkeyes Avoid Rutgers-esque Mishap?
Week one of the college football season kicked off on Thursday night with a bang as rutger decided to lay an absolute egg and then throw it all over the face of the Big Ten conference. In case you missed it, the Scarlet Knights paid $1.55M to bring in UMass to take a beating. Rutgers […]
Hawkeye Football: Updated Game Line, Weather Update for Northern Illinois-Iowa
WE’RE BACK! The sights. The sounds. The game. The…heat? Yeah, it’s gonna be a hot one Saturday in Kinnick Stadium as Iowa takes on the lowly Huskies. I pull up weather.com and the first thing I see is “Extreme Heat Warning” for Iowa City. That’s until Saturday at 7:00 p.m. So it’s going to be […]
Former Hawkeye Caitlin Clark Shines in FIBA World Cup Group Stage Debut
Early morning basketball? Only if Caitlin Clark is playing. And Caitlin was cooking when she saw the court this morning. The 7:00 tip time was too early for many but those who tuned in were treated to a spectacular debut from the Iowa legend. The Des Moines native put up an impressive 14 points and […]
Iowa Hawkeyes Football: Northern Illinois Game Preview
This Saturday, the Iowa Hawkeyes open their football season against the Northern Illinois Huskies. Last year, the Huskies went 3-9 which led to their coach voluntarily resigning. Their current coach, Rob Harley, is officially an interim coach. And they have exactly four returning starters, total, all on offense. Northern Illinois is not good. On its […]
The Pants Predicts: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northern Illinois
We are finally just one short day away from the triumphant return of Hawkeye football as Iowa is set to host Northern Illinois at 3:15pm CT on Saturday. With the return of the Hawkeyes comes the return of our weekly staff predictions! FanDuel Sportsbook has Iowa favored by 31.5 points (yes, really) and opened with […]
2026 College Football Watch Guide – Week 1
Week 0 is behind us and that means we have actual games to overreact to. Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels notched a surprising win over TCU in Dublin, Ireland. The Horned Frogs weren’t expected to be one of the country’s elite, but given the drama in Chapel Hill since Belichick’s arrival, the victory still […]
By The Numbers: Iowa vs. Northern Illinois
As I write this, it’s been 246 days, 7 hours, and 27 minutes since the sun set on the 2025 Hawkeye football season. I don’t recall, specifically, what I was doing in those final glorious minutes of a sound thumping of the Commodores of Vanderbilt (even if the final score didn’t reflect it), but I […]
Iowa Football – The Joe Moore Award, and its Significance to Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes
Teamwork. With a roster of 105 players coming from diverse backgrounds, it’s what defines football as a sport. The prestigious Joe Moore Award, given annually to the most outstanding offensive line unit in college football, is unique in multiple ways. It is the only major award in the sport that recognizes an entire group rather […]
KIRK SPEAKS: Northern Illinois
Folks…FOOTBALL IS BACK! While it may be only week 1 and the Hawkeyes haven’t played a snap of actual competition but y’all, we’re in midseason form already here. WE GOT NO QUARTERBACK. Well, we have OR quarterbacks. Sigh. You know what they say…if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. And if the current state […]
Iowa Football: Former Hawks Impacted by NFL Roster Cuts
The deadline for NFL teams to get down to their 53-man roster was Sunday at 4:00 PM EST, but the sand is shifting under our feet, as some players get picked up by other teams or signed to a practice squad in the fluid and frantic 48 hours that follow. The dust hasn’t fully settled […]
Get the best of Black Heart Gold Pants on the new SB Nation app
It’s a big day for Black Heart Gold Pants. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Hawkeyes on the go. You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android. As you’re surely aware, there have been a lot of changes on the back end […]
The Pessimist’s Guide to Iowa Football 2026
As the resident pessimist here at Black Heart Gold Pants, I have a confession to make: I was greatly debating switching things up this year and writing the optimist side of this post after…I don’t know how many years of writing the pessimist version. What changed? Well, nothing really. I think I’ve written a similar […]
Iowa Football Depth Chart: Hawkeyes Dodge Naming Week 1 Starting QB
Kirk Ferentz and Iowa Hawkeyes football have officially published their first game-week depth chart of the season. The release fails to answer the biggest question of fall camp, listing the quarterback starter as Hank Brown OR Jeremy Hecklinski. The roster does name a starter for the intense battle at running back between Kamari Moulton and […]
Iowa Football: Hawkeyes Open Season as Big Favorites vs NIU
We are BACK! We are baaaaack! Welcome back to college football season and the return of Iowa Hawkeye football! Week zero kicked us off last Saturday but your Hawkeyes re officially back in action this Saturday as they open the 2026 season at home against the Northern Illinois Huskies. The Huskies come to Kinnick with […]
An Optimist’s Guide for the 2026 Football Season.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It’s Iowa pass catchers flying through the air. There is so much to love about the upcoming 2026 campaign for the Hawks. Iowa has been flying so far under the radar (thank you, Kyle Whittingham) that it can’t help but make you feel like Odysseus […]
The Pants Predicts: Iowa Football in 2026
The college football season officially kicks off today with week zero getting underway. Your Iowa Hawkeyes start things in week one with a home matchup against the Northern Illinois Huskies at 3:15pm CT. Iowa is a heavy favorite in each of their first three games this season – all at home and each against varying […]
Ohio State Buckeyes Picked to Win Big Ten Title
While the Iowa Hawkeyes don’t open their 2026 season until next weekend, college football officially returns on Saturday with a full slate of week zero matchups. As was noted in the week zero watch guide, there are a handful of high major matchups to kick off the year, but only one features a Big Ten […]
2026 College Football Watch Guide – Week 0
Like Punxsutawney Phil, I’ve roused myself from a long hibernation, emerged from my burrow and, seeing no shadow before me, declared an early end to the offseason. The 2026 season officially kicks off this Saturday with a slate of week 0 games, giving us just enough of a fix before the full college football world […]
Iowa Women’s Soccer – It’s a New Season With a New Head Coach
There’s something quietly brewing in Iowa City, and it might be happening right under your nose. The Hawkeyes soccer program has enjoyed the most successful multi-year stretch in its history in the last three years. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament three consecutive years in a row (2023 – 2025) for the first time in […]
Ranking Iowa Football’s Most Important Position Groups for 2026
The College Football Playoff (CFP) will not expand for the 2026 season and will remain at 12 teams, and the natives are getting restless. With so many gaps to fill, which position group will have the most impact to give the Hawks a chance to crack the 8-4 ceiling, and possibly vie for finally making […]
Hawkeye Football Opponent Preview: Northern Iowa
Week three of the 2026 season brings the in-state neighbor to Kinnick for Family Weekend, and for the first time since 2001 there will be no Mark Farley on the visiting sideline. UNI is a program in transition: a new(ish) head coach entering year two, a new quarterback with an Iowa recruiting backstory, and a […]
Five Things to Watch for from the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2026
Not a snap has been played, but that doesn’t stop us from running rampant with speculation about what is in store for the 2026 edition of Iowa Hawkeye football. Much of the hand wringing thus far has been about the quarterback controversy (or not?) surrounding Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski. But what are some of the other key watch items as we […]
Kids Day Practice Worst Case Scenario for Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz
If you’re a fan of offense and the forward pass, it was hard to leave Kinnick last Saturday and not feel pretty good. The same can be said for those that weren’t able to make it in person but have spent the last several days re-watching every throw from QB Jeremy Hecklinski. The former Wake […]
Iowa Football – Former Hawkeye Rookies in the NFL
Iowa football had seven players drafted into the NFL this season, which was a new record for Iowa and pushed Kirk Ferentz’s total number of players drafted to 101. On top of that, there were five Iowa Undrafted Free Agents (UDFAs) that were picked up by teams once the draft formally closed. Below is a […]
Iowa Football Position Breakdown: Tight Ends
The countdown to kickoff continues, as does our preseason positional breakdown of the Iowa roster. Quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers are done. This week we look at the one position on the offense that Kirk Ferentz described in the spring as “pretty established”. The tight end room enters 2026 with real answers and a […]
Hawkeye Football: What We Learned From Iowa’s Kid’s Day Practice
If Saturday’s open practice was any indication, the quarterback controversy will be short lived. Both Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski started a bit slow on their initial series. But Brown never got in the groove, while Hecklinski only got better as the day progressed. Heck went on to toss five TD passes, two 23+ yard […]
What to Watch for at Iowa Football Kids Day
Kids Day at Kinnick Stadium gets underway on Saturday, August 15th at 11am. The open practice will be the first time Hawkeye fans will have an opportunity to see the team in person since spring practice ended four months ago. We have to remember this is simply an open practice, much like the non-spring game […]
Hawkeye Football Opponent Preview: Iowa State
Cy-Hawk week comes early. Iowa State rolls into Kinnick in week two on September 12 with a new head coach, a new roster and back-to-back Cy-Hawk wins. The Hawkeyes will no doubt have a chip on their shoulder and be looking for their first win in Kinnick in the series since 2018 (yes, really). Let’s […]
Breaking Down the Hawkeye Football Backfield Timeshare
Iowa football’s DNA under head coach Kirk Ferentz for the last quarter century has been built on establishing the run, limiting opponent possessions and winning by out-executing those who get impatient. The philosophy is reliant on being better in the trenches than your opponent and having a consistently good defense. Check and check for Iowa […]
Iowa Football Position Breakdown: Wide Receivers
We’re off schedule, but the position breakdown series marches on. Quarterbacks and running backs are in the books. This week we take a hard look at the group that has held the Iowa passing game hostage for the better part of 15 years and ask the question we ask every summer: is this the year […]
Iowa Football: Hawkeyes Expected to Outperform in 2026
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Iowa fans and fans across the country. Big Ten Media Days wrapped up last week and with the annual trek to Chicago came the media projections for each and every team in the […]
Iowa Football Position Breakdown: Running Backs
Welcome back to our weekly position breakdown series. We’ve already explored the quarterback situation. Now the spotlight shifts to a running back room that’s been through one of the more dramatic offseasons of any position group on the roster. Old faces gone. A national-level newcomer arrived. The depth chart is essentially being redrawn from scratch. […]
KIRK SPEAKS: Big Ten Media Day
Folks, somehow the calendar is about to switch to August, and somehow, Big Ten Media Day is here. Football is close, y’all. I don’t know about you, but I could definitely use a crisp football Saturday right now to get a break from this awful heat and wildfire smoke. On that note, I have a […]
Black Heart Gold Pants is Hiring!
Have you ever dreamed of making big time money just for doing what you already do? Have you ever had aspirations of living a life of glamour as a real life journalist? Are you looking to gain access to people inside the Iowa athletics department and have in depth conversations with coaches, players and staff? […]
Iowa Football: Hawkeyes Picked to Finish 8th in Big Ten Preseason Poll
Big Ten Media Days kick off on Tuesday, July 28th in Chicago and with the annual event comes the official start of preseason poll season. The most notable one comes from Cleveland.com, which polls a total of 31 writers who cover the Big Ten across several different outlets. This year’s results come without a ton […]
The 3 things I’m most excited for right now about Iowa Women’s Basketball in 2026
Helllooooo!! It’s been a crazier than expected summer, but I am back with a vengeance to talk about Iowa Women’s Basketball, because, and I’m going to be honest here, the more I think about the possibilities of this team in 2026-2027, the more excited I get. Am I setting myself up for extreme disappointment? Possibly! […]
Iowa’s DNA Positions Hawkeyes for Future
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Iowa fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. For a generation, Hawkeye fans have taken pride in doing […]
NBA Draft Preview: Bennett Stirtz
Just when you thought basketball season was over until the fall! The New York Knicks win their first NBA title since the Nixon administration and they get precisely 10 days to enjoy it, as the NBA calendar quickly moves on to the the NBA Draft and later free agency set to begin on June 30. […]