Dec 30, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz watches from the sideline against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Early Look at MSU's 2025 Opponents: Iowa

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 8:00 PM ET

Michigan State will likely be coming off a loss -- if we truly want to be realists here -- and will need to defeat Iowa for the second year in a row in Week 13.

The Spartans' Homecoming victory over the Hawkeyes last season was their best game of their 2024 campaign. There's a path for them to come away victorious this time around as well, as it's really anyone's guess how this Iowa team fares this season as it looks to build off an eight-win 2024 season.

Iowa lost quarterback Cade McNamara but brought in one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal, Mark Gronowski, who led South Dakota State to an FCS national title two seasons ago.

The Hawkeyes have the benefit of returning their receiving corps, but none of them really stood out last season. In fact, the best receiving mark was by Jacob Gill, who only posted 411 receiving yards in 13 games.

They did lose the conference's leading rusher last season in Kaleb Johnson, who was the 2024 Big Ten Running Back of the Year. With those being tremendous shoes to fill, the ground game will be a major question.

Defensively, Iowa lost linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson, their top two leading tacklers last season. But it did add some key players in the trenches with defensive tackle Jonah Pace and Iose Epenesa, one of the top defensive linemen from the class of 2025.

Iowa is still a team with a lot of questions, but Gronowski is expected to lead the offense to new heights.

Michigan State is going to need to put pressure on him as much as possible and take him out of the game. As of now, that seems like it's going to be the biggest key.

This will be the Spartans' final road game, considering its season finale at Ford Field will be in-state.

Michigan State could make a huge statement with a win in Iowa City, a game in which the Spartans could very well clinch bowl eligibility.

We could be seeing another great performance from the Spartans, but a lot of that will depend on how they're impacted by the hostile away crowd.

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