Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

FOX announces star-studded lineup for Big Noon Kickoff broadcast from Iowa City

Scott Schultz

By Scott Schultz

Published:

It’s going to be a good one in the middle of the nation on Saturday, when No. 4 Penn State takes to the field against No. 3 Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.

The crew at FOX Sports will be on hand for their Big Noon Kickoff from the Old Capitol Building in downtown Iowa City, with an all-star lineup set for the broadcast.

So why all the excitement?

This game will mark the first time Iowa and Penn State have met as top-5 foes, and the series has been riddled with excitement in the past.

The 2008 matchup saw then-No. 3 Penn State show up with a perfect 9-0 record and looking at a BCS Championship Game appearance. After leading by 9 points at the start of the fourth quarter, they eventually fell to the Hawkeyes after Daniel Murray hit a 31-yard field goal as the clock ran out to give Iowa a 24-23 win.

2017 saw then No. 4 Penn State trailing 19-15 with 1:42 to go, only to see QB Trace McSorley march the Nittany Lions downfield to hit Juwan Johnson for a walk-off TD and the win.

There have been nine one-score games in the series since 1996, with a pair of games running over to extra time. Saturday’s game will mark the first time the two have met as top-5 teams and will be the first top-5 clash at Kinnick since Iowa beat Michigan in 1985 when the pair were ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

Scott Schultz

Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.