Minnesota dropped its second game and first conference contest of the season last week with a 41-13 loss to Purdue. The Golden Gophers will be looking for a bounce back win over Iowa to keep their Big Ten title and College Football playoff hopes alive. Following a Week 2 loss to Mississippi State, Minnesota bounced back with a 41-7 win over Akron.
Coming out of the bye week, the Hawkeyes have made a quarterback change. Jeremy Hecklinski is Iowa’s starter after leading a 41-24 win over Washington two weeks ago. He’ll look to lead the Hawkeyes to another win and extend their winning streak in the rivalry to three consecutive games.
In addition to winning the previous two meetings between the programs (by a combined margin of 72-17), the Hawkeyes have won 10 of the last 11 contests.
Despite the series’ recent history, Minnesota leads the all-time series 63-54-2. The Golden Gophers won 29 of the first 38 meetings before Iowa managed to turn its luck with a 20-19 win in Iowa City in 1945.
Forecast
Saturday’s forecast in the Twin Cities calls for in the high-60s to low-70s with a 60% chance of rain.
Gophers to know
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN GREG JOHNSON
A 2025 All-Big Ten honorable mention, Johnson is in his fourth season at Minnesota and third as a full-time starter. He’s the Gophers’ top offensive lineman with a 80.3 overall grade on Pro Football Focus (PFF).
A Cal transfer, Bush has been Minnesota’s best pass rusher through the first half of the season. The Woodbridge, Virginia, native leads the team with four sacks to go along with 23 total tackles, two passes defended and one fumble recovery.
CORNERBACK JOHN NESTOR
A former Iowa defensive back, Nestor transferred to Minnesota ahead of the 2025 season and became an immediate impact player for the Gophers with six interceptions and six passes defended last year.
He’s followed up his breakout season with a strong start to 2026. Nestor has one interception and two passes defended through six games and owns Minnesota’s highest overall PFF grade with an 83.1.
