The kickoff time and TV information for Iowa football in 2023 continues to fall into place. Brett McMurphy of The Action Network released NBC's tentative schedule for Big Ten games this fall, which provided TV information for three more Iowa games this fall.
Per McMurphy's information, Iowa's games against Purdue on 10/7, Wisconsin on 10/14, and Minnesota on 10/21 are set to air on NBC. The Purdue and Minnesota games are home games, while the Wisconsin game is in Madison. The game against the Boilermakers is also Iowa's scheduled Homecoming game this fall.
Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge are expected to be the primary broadcasters for NBC's coverage of Big Ten games this fall. Eagle was the play-by-play voice for Iowa's 7-3 win over South Dakota State for FS1 last fall. Blackledge has called several Iowa games over the years for ESPN.
This information has not yet been confirmed by NBC or the Big Ten, so it's not a done deal yet. Additionally, games could get flexed to different networks depending on how the season shakes out and we see which teams are better than expected (and which teams are worse). But this information is a starting point and allows us to at least tentatively pencil in some information for Iowa's schedule in October.
In fact, including the NBC game information, we now have tentative kickoff times and TV broadcast information for seven of Iowa's first eight games this season and eight of 12 games overall. Here's what that schedule looks like so far:
Right now the schedule is set to include two night games -- away at Penn State on 9/23 and home against Purdue on 10/7. So far just two games (Utah State and Nebraska) are set to kickoff at 11 AM CT as well. Iowa's games against Iowa State, Western Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are all set for mid-afternoon kickoffs.
What's perhaps most notable is that as it stands right now six of Iowa's 12 games are set to air on broadcast networks (FOX, CBS, or NBC). Games on broadcast networks provide a big platform for schools and make it easier for recruits (and their families) to see games. They also obviously make it easier for fans to watch those games as well, which is a welcome development as the cost to access cable channels (either through cable subscriptions or streaming packages) continues to increase.
Fans will still need those expensive subscriptions to see all of Iowa's football games in 2023 -- to say nothing of needing those channels to watch men's basketball, women's basketball, and wrestling, as well as Olympic sports -- but the ability to watch more than one or two football games a season on broadcast networks wasn't really an option until now.
We'll update Iowa's 2023 football schedule as more information is confirmed.
