Iowa versus Western Michigan announced for 2028

College Football GameDay has six years to prepare its coverage for what should be the game of the century.

Think of the greatest college football game you have ever witnessed. Nobody will ever forget where they were when Appalachian State knocked off Michigan in the upset of the century back in 2007. That field goal block sealed one of the greatest moments in sports history. Who could forget the battle between Texas‘ star quarterback Vince Young and USC‘s Heisman winner Reggie Bush at the 2006 Rose Bowl?

Or, “Harvard Beats Yale 29-29,” and Nebraska‘s battles against Oklahoma in 1971 and Miami in the Orange Bowl of 1984 all go down as lore in college’s football legendary ever-expanding story.

Those games are all mere child’s play to the contest announced by the University of Iowa on Friday.

In a game so important it needed an announcement six years beforehand to prepare fans, Iowa will play Western Michigan in 2028. The official twitter account stated, “Can’t say we didn’t give you a heads up.” Thankfully they did, as the date is already saved in my calendar.

While the Hawkeyes won their last matchup against Western Michigan 59-3 in 2013, the two games prior against the Broncos are still a sore subject for those in Iowa City. Western Michigan stunned the Hawkeyes in both 2000 and 2007.

The Broncos have become a formidable opponent in the MAC, going 32-25 under coach Tim Lester. The Broncos have not had a losing season since 2013 when they finished 1-11 in the worst season in program history with a baby-faced P.J. Fleck. The current Minnesota coach knows a thing or two about losing to the Hawkeyes, unable to solve Iowa in his five years coaching the Golden Gophers. Guess who was also at the helm for Western Michigan in that beatdown by Iowa?

With the rapid changes to the college football world over the past season, who even knows what this matchup will look like when 2028 arrives? College football might just be Big Ten versus SEC at that point, the other conferences deciding to go and do their own thing while the Big 12 fruitlessly tries to keep up with their big brothers.

Maybe Western Michigan has joined the Big Ten by this next matchup?! Would they be the next Rutgers, or could they create a slugfest against their in-state rivals? Maybe the Broncos are the team that can permanently dethrone Ohio State as king of the Big Ten!

In 2022, this matchup might not seem like anything really, a tuneup game for the Hawkeyes against a group of five opponent. However, with the ever-expanding universe of college football, don’t be surprised when this matchup determines who makes the College Football Playoff.

Okay, maybe that’s all a bit much, but let’s hope there is in fact some excitement surrounding this paycheck game when it rolls around in 2028.

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Story originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire