Iowa vs Northwestern rivalry
Iowa leads the series 55-28-3 in meetings on record since 1897.
All-time series
Iowa 5586 meetings since 189728 Northwestern
Series leader: Iowa.
See the full all-time Iowa vs Northwestern head-to-head record and every meeting on record.
By decade
1890s 1 0
1900s 0 0
1910s 6 3
1920s 4 2
1930s 2 3
1940s 1 0
1950s 3 1
1960s 2 3
1970s 7 2
1980s 10 0
1990s 6 4
2000s 4 4
2010s 5 5
2020s 4 1
Series notes
Meetings played86
Series wins, Iowa55 of 86
Series wins, Northwestern28 of 86
Decided by 3 points or fewer13 of 86
Side by side, 2026 season
Iowa Northwestern
- 29.0 15th
- Points per game
- 33.0 7th
- 12.6 2nd
- Points allowed
- 16.8 8th
- 390.8 13th
- Total yards per game
- 437.8 7th
- 6.2 9th
- Yards per play
- 6.9 5th
- 180.2 5th
- Rush yards per game
- 212.8 4th
- 210.6 15th
- Pass yards per game
- 225.0 14th
- 20.4 12th
- First downs per game
- 21.5 10th
- 40.3% 12th
- Third-down rate
- 41.3% 10th
- +2 9th
- Turnover margin
- +5 4th
- 5 11th
- Takeaways
- 7 7th
- 13 5th
- Sacks
- 6 15th
- 5 3rd
- Sacks allowed
- 8 12th
- 49.4 8th
- Penalty yards per game
- 64.0 12th
- 28:39 13th
- Time of possession
- 31:01 10th
Season totals from CollegeFootballData. Small figure: rank within the Big Ten; the better side is highlighted.
Recent meetings
Results are read from official box scores and republished after every meeting.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the record in Iowa vs Northwestern?
Iowa leads the series 55-28-3 in meetings on record since 1897. That is Iowa 55, Northwestern 28 across 86 meetings on record.
When do Iowa and Northwestern play next?
The next Iowa vs Northwestern meeting is around Week 10 of the 2026 season at Ryan Field.