Iowa Hawkeyes Have 3 Games That Could Dictate Their Entire Season

As Iowa Hawkeyes' head coach Kirk Ferentz begins to prepare his team for the 2025 College Football season, it's time to look ahead at some of the program's key games.

Obviously, two of the Hawkeyes' toughest matchups this upcoming season will be against the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Oregon Ducks. However, this article will not highlight the hardest games for Iowa, rather the key games that could truly set the tone for Ferentz and the program.

Here are three critical games that could dictate the fate of Iowa's 2025 regular season.

Iowa State Cyclones (Week 2, at Iowa State)

There's no doubt that the annual Cy-Hawk matchup will be an important matchup for Ferentz and his squad in 2025.

Iowa has dominated the series in recent memory, however, head coach Matt Campbell and the Cyclones managed to walk away with the victory in 2024 on the road, 20-19. Despite missing the playoff last year, Iowa State has quickly become a top team in the Big 12 Conference under Campbell. And with the Cyclones continuing to grow their success with the football program, the Hawkeyes must find a way to set the tone earlier in the season and defeat their rival on the road in 2025.

Indiana Hoosiers (Week 5, at Home)

If head coach Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers are anything like the 2024-25 version of themselves, Iowa's week five contest against the program will have huge implications for the rest of the season.

Last year, Cignetti blew through expectations in his first season as the head coach, leading the Hoosiers to an impressive 11–1 regular season record and a trip to the 2025 College Football Playoffs. Indiana has a chance to maintain this recent stretch of success this season, which makes the Hawkeyes' second Big Ten Conference game important.

A victory over the Hoosiers at home would be a significant boost for the program as they head into a tough part of their schedule against Penn State and Oregon.

USC Trojans (Week 12, at USC)

After Ferentz takes on head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks at home, the Hawkeyes are set to fly out to Southern California for critical conference matchup against USC.

The Trojans are coming off an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign, after the program finished with a 6-6 regular season record. However, head coach Lincoln Riley and his team will be seeking redemption this season and will look to put USC back on the map in the college football world.

With the toughest part of their schedule behind them, Iowa could round out the 2025 season with three conference wins against USC, Michigan State and Nebraska. But in order to finish strong, the Hawkeyes must avoid a loss on the road to Riley and company.

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