2021 Iowa football kickoff times announced, including Iowa State and Wisconsin

Kirk Ferentz is a fan of routines. And while the opponents look demanding, there at least won’t be much shakeup in routine for Ferentz's Iowa football team during the start of the 2021 season.

The Hawkeyes’ first three games will kick off at 2:30 p.m. Central Time, it was announced Thursday as the university revealed start times for seven of the regular season’s 12 games.

Those back-to-back-to-back Saturday 2:30 kicks include the Sept. 4 home opener against Indiana (to air on Big Ten Network), the Sept. 11 showdown at Iowa State (to be televised on ABC) and the Sept. 18 home game vs. Kent State.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Iowa would face Maryland on a Friday night, Oct. 1, in College Park. That game will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and air on Fox Sports 1.

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Iowa is involved in two homecoming games, and those times were announced, too — home against Purdue on Oct. 16 at (shock!) 2:30 p.m.; and on the road against Wisconsin on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. That game against the Badgers in Madison could have major implications for the Big Ten Conference’s West Division title. Both teams are the betting favorites to win the division.

The seventh and final kick time announced was the Heroes Game on Black Friday (Nov. 26) at Nebraska. That one will start at 12:30 and air on BTN. Iowa has beaten the Huskers in each of the last six years.

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As stated in Iowa’s release Thursday, kickoff times for the other five games (home games against Colorado State, Penn State, Minnesota and Illinois; road date at Northwestern) will be announced “no later than 12 days prior to the game, per the media rights agreements between the Big Ten and its television partners.”

Iowa’s Oct. 9 game against Penn State has been designated for a Fox network. 

Season tickets are on sale now at Hawkeyesports.com/tickets. Mini-plan ticket packages will go on sale to the general public at 9 a.m. on June 10. Single-game tickets will go on sale in July.

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Iowa's 2021 football schedule (times CT)

Sept. 4: vs. Indiana, 2:30 p.m., BTN

Sept. 11: at Iowa State, 2:30 p.m., ABC

Sept. 18: vs. Kent State, 2:30 p.m., BTN

Sept. 25: vs. Colorado State, TBA

Oct. 1: at Maryland, 7 p.m., FS1

Oct. 9: vs. Penn State, time TBA, Fox or FS1

Oct. 16: vs. Purdue, 2:30 p.m., TBA

Oct. 30: at Wisconsin, 11 a.m., TBA

Nov. 6: at Northwestern, TBA

Nov. 13: vs. Minnesota, TBA

Nov. 20: vs. Illinois, TBA

Nov. 26: at Nebraska, 12:30 p.m., BTN