For the final time in 2025, the Iowa Hawkeyes are poised to take to the turf inside Kinnick Stadium. After back-to-back losses to Oregon and USC in heartbreaking fashion, the Hawkeyes look to finish strong with a big home win over the Michigan State Spartans before they hit the road for a Black Friday showdown with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The Spartans come to Iowa City riding a seven game losing streak and are winless in Big Ten play. But make no mistake, this is a team capable of pulling off the
upset. Just a year ago, a 5-7 Michigan State team took down the Hawkeyes 32-20 in East Lansing.
This one is in Kinnick, however, and Iowa is looking to send its seniors off on a high note. That includes transfer QB Mark Gronowski. While he certainly hasn’t lit up the stat sheet in the passing game, Gronowski’s legs have helped breathe new life into this Iowa offense for a season and should give Hawkeye fans some glimmer of hope that Tim Lester will continue to build on these first two years into the future.
In his final game in Kinnick, perhaps Gronowski will get those passing numbers boosted back to a level Iowa fans can be happy with. The Spartans are giving up 217 yards per game through the air, 66th nationally. The Hawkeyes will certainly be looking to get the ground game going as usual, but MSU is susceptible to the deep shot and with Iowa’s receivers seemingly finally coming into their own and freshman TE DJ Vonnahme emerging as a vertical threat, it would be a joy to see Lester open things up.
On the other side of the ball, the Spartans have really struggled. Michigan State enters the weekend ranked 108th nationally in total offense and 90th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 335.8 yards and 24 points per game.
To add insult to injury, it’s not clear whether starting QB Aidan Chiles will be available today. He’s missed the Spartans’ last two matchups with freshman Alessio Milivojevic filling in. Freshman QBs against a Phil Parker defense in Kinnick is always a recipe for success for the Iowa secondary.
As we countdown to kickoff, here’s everything you need to know about today’s matchup.
Date: Saturday, November 22
Time: 2:40 pm CT
Matchup: Michigan State Spartans (3-7, 0-7) at Iowa Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3)
Location: Kinnick Stadium – Iowa City, IA
TV: FS1
Updated Weather Forecast: mostly sunny with temps in the low 50s
Updated FanDuel Line: Iowa -17.5, O/U 42.5
