NBC Picks Minnesota vs Iowa to Kickoff 2024 Primetime College Football Slate

Just days after fans got to see their first glimpse of how the Minnesota Gophers stack up vs the Iowa Hawkeyes in the upcoming College Football 25 video game, NBC has announced that their primetime college football lineup for 2024 will start with that same battle for the Floyd of Rosedale (except real life).

Minnesota Gophers vs Iowa Hawkeyes on NBC Primetime

The date, according to Brett McMurphy (Action Network), is set for the night of September 21. Not only will it be the first primetime game of the season on NBC, but it will be Minnesota’s first Big Ten game of the year, as well.

NBC’s preferred primetime lineup sources told @ActionNetworkHQ

Sept 21 Iowa at Minnesota
Sept 28 Illinois at Penn St
Oct 5 Michigan at Washington
Oct 12 Ohio St at Oregon
Oct 19 Iowa at Michigan St
Oct 26 Penn St at Wisconsin
Nov 2 USC at Washington
Nov 9 FSU at Notre Dame
Nov…

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) June 3, 2024

Despite a losing 5-7 record regular season record, the Golden Gophers landed a bowl game at the end of 2023, thanks to their academic excellence, defeating Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Now, with a new quarterback under center, in New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer, PJ Fleck will get an immediate opportunity to show how good his 2024 squad is.

For the Minnesota diehards!

Here's some more throws from today's #Gophers pro day ft new QB Max Brosmer
(cause I know y'all want them) 😉. pic.twitter.com/MTMtEWpDPv

— Kane Rob (@GophersKaneRob) March 14, 2024

The Big Ten has a substantially different look entering this fall, as four teams from the Pac-12 join the new 16-team super conference. You can bet that long-running rivalries, like the one between Minnesota and Iowa will continue to reign supreme though.

Related: Minnesota Gophers QB Max Brosmer Makes Senior Bowl Watch List

The Big Ten opener vs Iowa won’t be the Gophers’ first quality opponent of 2024, but a Drake Maye-less North Carolina in week one, followed by matchups vs Rhode Island and Nevada in weeks two and three should give the Gophers a solid chance at 3-0 entering this primetime conference opener.

Minnesota vs Iowa – Who ya got?

Iowa struggled mightily to score points last season, and they relied on a stingy defense to elevate them. Tim Lester has been installed as the new offensive coordinator for the Hawkeyes and Michigan transfer Cade McNamara will attempt to show something other than ineptitude at the quarterback position.

Related: Iowa Fan Holds Sign at World Series Reading “It Wasn’t a Fair Catch”

Expecting better than a 12-10 result would be nice to see for the Gophers, and NBC certainly is hoping to produce a more exciting game. There is a level of hype surrounding Minnesota this season, but they’ll need to come out strong if they want to live up to expectations.