The Northern Iowa Panthers have added the Butler Bulldogs to their 2027 football schedule, FBSchedules.com has learned. A copy of the football game contract with Butler University was obtained from the University of Northern Iowa via a state public records request.
Northern Iowa will host Butler at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2027. The Panthers will pay the Bulldogs a $170,000 guarantee for playing the game, according to the copy of the contract.
The 2027 Butler at Northern Iowa contest is part of a two-game contract that also includes a contest in Cedar Falls on Aug. 30, 2025, which was previously announced. The Panthers will pay the Bulldogs a $160,000 guarantee for that game, per the contract copy.
Northern Iowa is a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), while Butler competes in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League (PFL). The 2025 contest will mark the first-ever gridiron meeting between the two schools.
Butler is the second scheduled non-conference opponent for Northern Iowa in 2027. Two weeks after the season-opener against Butler, the Panthers are slated to play a road contest at the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sept. 18. UNI will receive a $600,000 guarantee for that game.
Northern Iowa is the first known non-conference opponent for Butler’s 2027 football schedule.
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