How to Watch Indiana's Season Opener at Iowa on Saturday
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Game time has finally arrived for the Indiana Hoosiers, and the 2021 season kicks off with an epic challenge when Tom Allen's crew takes on Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.
- UPDATE: Iowa beats Indiana, 34-6. For the full game story, CLICK HERE
The Hawkeyes have always been formidable under Kirk Ferentz in his last two-plus decades in Iowa City, and they've had the Hoosiers number of late, winning three in a row and seven of eight. But the Hoosiers, who last played Iowa in 2018, are a different program since then. In the past two years, Indiana is 14-5 in the regular season and 11-5 in the Big Ten.
It's going to be great to see three Hoosiers back on the field after injuries last year. Michael Penix Jr. is ready to start at quarterback after an ACL injury, and the Hoosiers' defense gets two added boosts with the return of Husky Marcelino Ball and defensive back Raheem Layne, who both missed all of the great 2020 season.
This one should be a doozy. Here's everything you know about how to watch, and some key details on the game:
How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
- Who: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
- When: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Kinnick Stadium, Champaign, Ill.
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Stream: Watch FuboTV
- TV Announcers: : Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), James Laurinaitis (analyst), Rick Pizzo (sideline)
- Radio Announcers: IU Radio Network; Sirius 136, XM 196, SXM App 158: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Buck Suhr (analyst), Joe Smith.
- Point spread: Iowa is a 3.5 point favorite as of Friday morning, according to the sports gambling website FanDuel.com. The over/under is 46.5.
- Last season: Indiana 6-2; Iowa 6-2
- Last meeting: Iowa beat Indiana 42-16 on Oct. 13, 2018 in Bloomington, Ind.
- Series history: Iowa leads the season series 45-24-4 and has won the last three meetings and seven of the past eight games. Indiana hasn't won in Iowa City since 2007, and has lost its last three games in Iowa City.
- Coaches: Tom Allen is entering his fifth season as the head coach at Indiana. He has a 24-22 overall record, and is 14-5 in the past two regular seasons. His 24 wins are the most ever for an Indiana coach in his first four seasons. This is his first head coaching stop in college. Kirk Ferentz is entering his 23rd season at Iowa and is 168-106 (a .613 winning percentage) with the Hawkeyes. He is the school’s all-time winningest coach and sits fourth in wins in Big Ten history. Ferentz served as Maine’s head coach (1990-92) and owns a 180-127 career record.
- Rankings: Indiana is ranked No. 17 in both the Associated Press or Coaches polls, and Iowa is ranked one spot behind at No. 18 in both polls. It is the first time since 1969 that Indiana has been in the AP's preseason poll, and the Hoosiers are now ranked for the 11th consecutive week, a school record. This is only the second time in this rivalry that both teams are ranked. The only other time was in 1991. In Tom Brew's preseason Big Ten power rankings, Indiana is ranked No. 2 and Iowa is ranked No. 5. For complete rankings, CLICK HERE
- Weather: According to weather.com, cloudy skies and a temperature of 73 degrees is expected at kickoff, with just a 10 percent chance of rain.
Must Read: Breaking down the QBs
- INDIANA'S MICHAEL PENIX JR.: In any showdown of ranked teams, whichever quarterback plays better will probably wind up leading his team to victory. For Indiana, Michael Penix Jr. is back in the starting lineup after recovering from an ACL injury. He's tired of being asked how his knee is. He says he's 100 percent and ready to go. To read Tom Brew's column, CLICK HERE
- IOWA'S SPENCER PETRAS: Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras struggled in his first few starts last year, but much of that has been dismissed because of a lack of preparation with COVID. Big things are expected of him in 2021 after a normal summer, and it starts on Saturday against No. 17 Indiana. CLICK HERE
