The Floyd of Rosedale rivalry between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Minnesota Golden Gophers rarely needs any extra juice added to it to get these teams up for this Big Ten showdown.
Before the Big Ten expanded, this game was often a key game in determining the Big Ten West, back when it existed. Recent years have seen more fuel added to the fire with the Cooper DeJean invalid fair catch signal debacle.
In 2026, the matchup remains big, and as we enter game week, things have gotten a whole lot bigger with the circumstances surrounding the Hawkeyes and the season-long implications at stake for Kirk Ferentz and Iowa.
Iowa's dreams start with this game at Minnesota
After complete and utter carnage across the college football world, where seemingly every ranked team was in a fight or got upset, the Iowa Hawkeyes remained idle on a bye week, which might have them as the biggest winners in college football.
Somehow, Iowa's College Football Playoff chances look even better after this week, despite not playing. The overall landscape of college football looks wide open, with no one separating themselves from the back, which is a great thing for Iowa, which is lurking in the shadows.
Iowa can only lurk quietly for so long, though, and it starts with a road trip to Minnesota. There is a case to be made that Iowa could sneak into the CFP at 10-2 and go on the road, but the Hawkeyes would be wise to treat every game as a pseudo-playoff game for the rest of the regular season.
Iowa's culture doesn't need extra motivation
The Hawkeyes know how big every game is from here on out, but this game has every ounce of their focus. The Hawkeyes have a culture that very few programs have retained in college football, where rivalry games and old-school trophies are near the top of the goal list each year.
Winning rivalry games in the Big Ten is never easy, no matter who you are or how good you are. Teams step up and play to another level in these games, but so does Iowa. The Hawkeyes have been elite in rivalry games lately.
Going into Minnesota, handing the Golden Gophers and PJ Fleck a loss, and bringing the Floyd of Rosedale, one of the greatest trophies in all of sports, back to Iowa City is enough motivation for Iowa to stay more than focused.
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