The Northern Iowa football team will open their season at Iowa State, August 30th. While playing a Division-One school is a huge challenge for the Division-One-Double-A Panthers, it does help the Northern Iowa athletic program financially. Athletic director Rick Hartzell says playing a guaranteed game against a Division-One program is a huge economic windfall for the Panthers.UNI, like many college athletic programs, has been faced recently with a tight budget. Hartzell says the game against a division one team isn’t all negative. He says it puts the program in a position that it helps to pay the bills. The Panthers look to play Iowa State again in 2004 and are in the process of scheduling games in the future against Wyoming, Minnesota and Northwestern.
