Iowa Hawkeyes' Kirk Ferentz Opens Up On Massive Big Ten Rivalry

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz recently spoke about his team's massive rivalry with the Minnesota Golden Gophers ahead of their Week 3 matchup.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz heads back to the locker room after orchestrating his Hawkeyes to a 27-22 win over Minnesota during the NCAA Big 10 conference football game on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. 20211113 Iowavsminn / Bryon Houlgrave/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Iowa Hawkeyes are preparing for their first Big Ten conference game of the season this Saturday when they head on the road to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

This isn't just an ordinary rivalry, either.

Each fall, Iowa and Minnesota compete against one another for the "Floyd of Rosedale," the bronze pig trophy awarded to the team that comes away with the victory.

Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz opened up on the rivalry ahead of the Week 3 matchup.

"It's a rivalry game, trophy game," Ferentz said, via transcript from Hawkeye Nation. "That says enough right there. But most importantly, if you look at the series the last three games, they have been decided by 10 points.

Iowa had won eight straight meetings with Minnesota before the Golden Gophers upended the Hawkeyes by a score of 12-10 last October.

Both teams are 2-1 heading into their contest this weekend, with each club suffering a hiccup over the first two weeks. Iowa lost to the Iowa State Cyclones in Week 2, and Minnesota fell to the North Carolina Tar Heels in its season opener.

However, Ferentz is still wary of the Golden Gophers, especially after the way they have played the last two games.

"A tough loss in the first game, they come back, and they've looked really good the last two weeks," Ferentz said.

Since 2001, Iowa has thoroughly dominated the rivalry, going 18-5 against Minnesota during that span. But, as last season proved, anything can happen in a Big Ten clash.