Iowa Hawkeyes 2023 Schedule Breakdown: Minnesota

It’s Week 8 and time for the ANF Black & Gold Spirit Game in our 2023 season preview as the Hawkeyes welcome in rival Minnesota.

Game week against Minnesota means one thing for the Iowa Hawkeyes: They are in the thick of their West divisional schedule.

The Hawkeyes’ late-season matchup against the Golden Gophers typically promises two things. Cold weather and some hard-hitting, old-school football. These two teams have a long and storied past, their first matchup dating all the way back to 1891. It is Iowa’s longest-running rivalry game, with 116 iterations being played.

The two teams have played for the “Floyd of Rosedale” trophy every year since 1936, the year prior being played for the actual pig itself.

Minnesota controls the series at 62–52–2, with Iowa leading 44–42–2 since the introduction of the trophy to the mix. Much of Minnesota’s dominance came early on, winning the first 18 contests. Iowa has dominated in recent years, only losing once in the past decade and nine times since 1990. The Hawkeyes are currently on an eight-game winning streak over their border rivals.

P.J. Fleck and the entire school of Minnesota will be chomping at the bit to finally end that losing streak and return Floyd back home to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Here is a look at the squad that seeks to do just that in 2023 for the Golden Gophers.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]