If you're curious to know more about NIU, I spoke with interim head coach Rob Harley about his new role, the 2026 team and the matchup with Iowa.

Written story: Get to know Northern Illinois, Iowa football's Week 1 opponent

Audio version: Northern Illinois interim coach Rob Harley previews matchup with Iowa

I knew we were replacing quite a few guys this year, but I didn’t realize the number was this low.

The Hawkeyes are returning 8 total starters: 5 on offense 3 on defense And the entire defensive line is basically being rebuilt after losing all four starters from last season.

There are obviously some important pieces back- Trevor Lauck and Kade Pieper on the offensive line- but that’s still a ton of turnover for a team that usually relies so heavily on experience, defense and avoiding mistakes.

Staying optimistic and ready to kick this off. Hoping for 9 wins! GO HAWKS!

Side note: I put together an Iowa football pump-up song/video for the new season if anyone wants some game-week noise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbJYp7guXg4

Traveling to Seattle for this game.

Any recommendations for tailgating, a good Iowa bar, etc.?

I saw on Hawkeye Nation a post regarding Hawktoberfest. No clue how that’s supposed to be.

All insights are appreciated, thanks.

GO HAWKS

I'm taking my daughter (Hawkeyes fan) to the Iowa vs Nebraska football game. Texas plays Texas A&M the same night so I want to get back to my car and on I-80 ASAP to get back to Omaha.

Where do you recommend parking for the game for a quick and easy exit to the interstate?

Go Hawkeyes!

I’ve been parking at the Former Roosevelt Elementary school parking lot for years. I’ve heard that they started construction on the building for the housing development. Does anyone know if you can still park there this fall?

I was following the saga closely after he was picked up for camp and couldn't be more excited to have another Hawkeye on my favorite NFL team. Going from an UDFA to making a 53 man roster is a big deal, hopefully Spags will see his potential. Love a good underdog story.

Hi everyone! NIU grad here coming in peace. My wife and I are heading to Iowa City this Saturday for the game. It’s our first time visiting. What are the best bars to pregame at and catch the other college football games? You guys will probably destroy us haha, but Kinnick is on my bucket list of big ten stadiums to go to. Thanks in advance!

We have a friend coming to town (not in Iowa) for the Iowa vs Iowa State game. Non of us are an Iowa fans but we want him to enjoy the game. So we are taking him to our local bar to watch the game. We are putting it on the main screen with the sound on. So I was wondering is there any mix drinks, beer, food ect. that Iowa fans drink or eat to make his experience even better. Thanks everyone!

I will be taking my 8 year old to the opener on the 5th. He enjoys football and loves a sporting event atmosphere. He is STOKED to get to have his first Hawkeye experience and has told everyone he has come across that he is going.

All that being said, he get bored waiting for things pretty fast. I asked him if he wanted to go and tailgate to get the full experience but he was hesitant. I don't think he understands what to experience and doesn't think he will have fun doing it. I don't know anyone who has a spot and I haven't been down there for years. Is it easy to immerse yourself in the tailgating experience if you don't have a family friendly environment already planned? Does the U offer a kid friendly tailgate zone? If so, what do they offer and how much does it cost?

Thanks in advance and sorry if there is a place to look all this up. Reddit is my natural instinct to find information.

UPDATE: Thank you everyone who replied and helped me bring ideas to the table! After giving him the options and talking with him a little more, it seems I was projecting my wants to have a tailgating experience onto him. He was cool with just going to the game and sitting in our seats. I told him there is a good chance we will be on TV during the game with our seats so that was more than enough excitement for him lol.

Thanks again for all the help and I can't wait to make this a great experience for him!

DM me if you know of anything secret/private we can do inside the stadium to make his experience even more cool

Scott Dochterman on ‘Legends and listeners’ podcast today suggested that CBS would have the first pick week 5 and they may be picking Ohio State at Iowa (2:30pm) … With less conviction he also hinted that Iowa at Michigan would be on Fox big noon

Not a shitpost… anyone in lincoln or omaha have a watch spot? Ill hang up and listen 🤐

My girlfriend and I are going to the Cubs game on the 12th. Looking for a good place to watch the Iowa, Iowa State game afterwards. Any suggestions?

A bit of an odd request, but I'm needing some help.

I run a crew in Grand Theft Auto for Hawkeye fans/Iowans in general (being The Hawkeye State and all). With the new game coming out in a few months, and for the overall longevity of the crew, I'm working on making new ones that are all system specific, as the current one is maxed out in membership.

Anyway, I'm wanting to flesh them out more than I have been to this point, and one of those areas that I want to improve are crew ranks. The system allows for 10 named tiers, but I need some help coming up with ideas to fill in the gaps between Tier 1: Hawkeye Wannabe and Tier 10: Hawkeye. Thoughts, anyone?

I'm not opposed to "insulting" names for the lower tiers, like "Cornhusker," but ranking those rival-based names is a bit of a challenge. I'd also like to avoid sport-specific names (unless one is absolutely PERFECT and too good to not use), as it's for everyone, and not just Hawkeye [insert sport] fans. I'm also not opposed to bumping "Hawkeye" down if there are good "super-fan"/"god"-like options, or moving "Wannabe" up from the bottom.