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What time will Penn State-Iowa kickoff and what TV channel will it be on?

Mug-Shot 4x4by:Ryan Snyder•05/15/23•

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Penn State is set to host Iowa at Beaver Stadium at the end of September. (Credit: Steve Manuel/Blue White Illustrated)

Penn State fans learned just over a week ago that the season opener against West Virginia was set for a 7:30 p.m. eastern time kickoff on NBC. Now we’ve learned that it won’t be the only game the Nittany Lions play under the Beaver Stadium lights this upcoming season.

Now, CBS has also announced that Penn State’s Sept. 23 home game against Iowa is set for an 8 p.m. kickoff, giving fans two primetime games in the first four weeks of the season. The game has also been announced as Penn State’s annual White Out.

Head coach James Franklin’s side is a projected Top 10 team entering his 10th year at the program’s helm. Iowa currently checks in at No. 37 in the ESPN Football Power Index. The Nittany Lions are projected to be around a two-score favorite.

Last season, Kirk Ferentz’s team finished the year at 8-5 overall, totaling a 5-4 record in Big Ten play. Iowa’s offense was the second-worst in all of college football regarding yards per game, totaling just 251.6. They averaged just 17.7 points per game. Only Rutgers totaled less in the Big Ten conference. Defensively, however, the Hawkeyes were the exact opposite, finishing fourth overall nationally in yards per game (277.9) and sixth in points allowed (14.4).

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Since these two schools didn’t play last season, this will be the first time that Iowa and Penn State face each other since 2021 when both teams ranked in the top five nationally. After Sean Clifford got hurt following a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions went on to lose the game 23-20.

The game will also be remembered for what happened after PJ Mustipher left the field injured. With multiple injuries before him, Iowa fans booed Mutipher, believing that Penn State was trying to slow down Iowa’s offense.

As many fans will remember, Franklin responded the following week.

“How does this strategy make sense against a huddle team?” Franklin asked. “People use this strategy to slow people down — spread offenses, tempo offenses. [Iowa] huddle, so that strategy didn’t make sense in this situation. In our six years of playing them — six years straight, 4-2 with our record — has that ever shown up? Has anybody seen that? In my eight years as a coach at Penn State, has that showed up? In my 12 years as a head coach, has that shown up? It has not shown up.” 

All-time, Penn State holds a 17-14 record against Iowa. The Nittany Lions won six-straight against the Hawkeyes from 2011 to 2019. Iowa has since won the last two games in 2020 and 2021.

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