Everyone had a reaction to the big news this week. The Big Ten officially unveiled its “Flex Protect Plus” scheduling model for the 2024 season and beyon.
In this new scheduling model, divisions are no more and each school will play every other school once every other year and host each school once every four years. There’s also permanent opponents for every school except for Penn State.
The Iowa Hawkeyes retained three permanent rivals under the new scheduling format: Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. That’s the most of any Big Ten program.
Most Hawkeye fans seem to agree that keeping these three trophy games on a permanent annual basis is what they wanted to see happen. Beyond that, Iowa gets to welcome the newcomers—USC and UCLA—to Big Ten play immediately.
Iowa makes a 2024 road trip to the Coliseum and USC, while hosting UCLA in what fans hope is a frosty Kinnick Stadium.
From jokes about UCLA’s first trip to Iowa City to thoughts on the permanent opponents, here’s the best reactions from Hawkeye Twitter and beyond to the Big Ten schedule unveiling.
Crushing development
No more Iowa Northwestern every year. Don’t call, don’t text. Need time to process.
— Lucy Rohden (@lucy_rohden) June 8, 2023
A brutal slate
It’s being reported that Iowa will have to travel to USC and Ohio State in conference play in 2024.
Brutal.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) June 8, 2023
Who could forget the last time against USC
The last time Iowa played USC, it scored 49 points (one defensive TD and one special teams TD) and a receiver scored three TDs in three different ways in the same quarter. https://t.co/OkgaK6nUKV
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) June 9, 2023
We absolutely need it
I hope UCLA comes to Kinnick Stadium in late November.
Snow on the ground. Iowa running a three TE set in negative degrees against a California based team.
Need It.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) June 8, 2023
Welcome to the show UCLA
UCLA’s first year in the B1G will feature 23,708 miles of travel🤯
at Hawaii
vs Fresno St
at LSU
at Indiana
at Iowa
at Michigan
at Rutgers
vs Minnesota
vs Nebraska
vs Northwestern
vs Ohio State
vs USC pic.twitter.com/afEF7m2YkQ— Sidelines Sports Network™ (@Sidelines_SN) June 9, 2023
Against the grain
I kind of wish Iowa’s only protected rival was Wisconsin.
Seems weird that Iowa has 3 when the rest of the conf looks like this:
Iowa 3
Mich 2
Wisc 2
Minn 2
Pur 2
ILL 2OSU 1
MSU 1
Neb 1
Mary 1
Rut 1
Mar 1
NW 1
USC 1
UCLA 1PSU 0
— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) June 8, 2023
America’s Team from sea to shining sea
Iowa has to play at Rutgers and USC? America’s Team from sea to shining sea, indeed
— PlannedSickDays (@PlannedSickDays) June 8, 2023
A look at Iowa’s future nonconference plan
iowa’s future non conf after seeing USC and ucla on the sked:
-coe
-purdue university global
-iowa state— Bennie Mac – What are we doing? (@BenMcC1908) June 8, 2023
Let’s figure this piece out
Maryland and Rutgers is now one of the 11 protected annual rivalries in Big Ten football.
Yet, it does not have a rivalry trophy.
To cement this rivalry as legitimate, a trophy is needed.
I now commit my life to finding the perfect trophy.
I am also open to suggestions.
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) June 9, 2023
Nebraska got what it wanted
Alberts says schools were asked if they could protect one opponent as a permanent rival, who would it be. He picked Iowa. If able to protect two, Alberts wanted Wisconsin. Minnesota as the third.
Ultimately, Nebraska got one protected permanently, the Hawkeyes.
— Mitch Sherman (@mitchsherman) June 8, 2023
Maybe this explains why Iowa State cares more about the Cy-Hawk
Honestly think this helps explain Hawk fans’ superiority complex over ISU. Hawk fans see Cyclone fans as desperate treating the CyHawk as their biggest rivalry (true!), while Iowa plays more annual trophy games than any program in the nation and the B1G had to make an exception! https://t.co/e5hMKQbXeD
— Alex Gookin (@_AlexGookin) June 9, 2023
On that note, why not end with a Cy-Hawk dig?
We should keep playing Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin and dump Iowa State.
— Irrational Hawkeye (@IrrationalHawk2) June 8, 2023
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