Penn State football looks to win seventh straight vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

Penn State head coach James Franklin high-fives fans after a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State, Saturday, Oct., 12, 2019, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.191012 Penn St Iowa Fb 077 Jpg
Penn State head coach James Franklin high-fives fans after a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State, Saturday, Oct., 12, 2019, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.191012 Penn St Iowa Fb 077 Jpg /
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Iowa dominated the rivalry during the 2000s (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Iowa dominated the rivalry during the 2000s (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Penn State football looks to win seventh straight vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

Looking Back

The rivalry between Penn State and Iowa reaches all the way back 90 years ago, with the first matchup coming in November of 1930. That game was a shutout victory by Iowa, and in 1971, the two programs started playing on a more regular basis, and it was all Penn State early on.

The Nittany Lions won five straight contests from 1971 through the 1975 college football season, before the two programs split the two games they played during the 1980s. In the 1990s, Penn State won three games in a row from 1993 through 1995, before splitting the final two games to close out the decade.

From there, the Iowa Hawkeyes made a mockery of this rivalry, as they absolutely dominated the 2000s, beating the Nittany Lions in eight of the nine contests. Some of those games were close, however, and the only victory Penn State was able to muster was a 27-7 win during the 2007 season.

Penn State has taken back the rivalry as of late, but it remains to be seen whether or not they can continue that trend Saturday.