The Iowa Hawkeyes have added the North Dakota Fighting Hawks to their 2027 football schedule, FBSchedules.com has learned. A copy of the football game contract with the University of North Dakota was obtained from the University of Iowa via a state public records request.
Iowa will host North Dakota at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2027. The Hawkeyes will pay the Fighting Hawks a $550,000 guarantee for playing the game, according to the copy of the contract.
In their only previous meeting on the gridiron, the Hawkeyes defeated the Fighting Hawks 40-17 at Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 9, 1926.
North Dakota is currently a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Fighting Hawks won a share of the MVFC championship in 2020 and the school has made five appearances in the FCS Playoffs.
North Dakota is the third and final non-conference opponent for Iowa in 2027. The Hawkeyes are scheduled to open the season on Sept. 4 at home against the Ball State Cardinals before traveling to Ames to face the in-state rival Iowa State Cyclones on Sept. 11.
Iowa is the second scheduled non-conference opponent for North Dakota for the 2027 season. One week prior to facing Iowa, the Fighting Hawks are slated to host the Idaho Vandals at the Alerus Center on Sept. 11.
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I’d like to see Mercyhurst play Iowa in ’28
Dodging NDSU, I reckon.
Most everyone is dodging NDSU. Or NDSU doesn’t want to schedule FBS opponents every season. Likely a mixture of both. NDSU did not have FBS opponent in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020*, 2021, 2023, and 2025. And nothing yet yet for 2026 or 2027. Since 2014, NDSU has played Iowa St (2014), Iowa (2016), Arizona (2022) and Colorado (2024). Appears to be (mostly) an even year/odd year decision. FCS are now playing 12 games every season. Oregon is on NDSU 2028 schedule (rescheduled 2020 PPD game). Hope the Ducks keep NDSU on the schedule, but understandable if they do not. Would be cool to see a #1 FBS vs #1 FCS play each other..
@Willy So if you have the 2028 preseason rankings, roll those out for all of us to see. That is very presumptive indeed to have them at #1 three seasons out.
How have they gone that long without playing? They´re not that far away from each other.
UND has only been D1 since 2008
Really? I did not know that. This makes a lot more sense now.