Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz would like the football season to begin a week earlier. With the season expanding to 12 games the Hawkeyes will not have an off-week in the middle of this upcoming season and Ferentz says while the Big Ten coaches were split on expanding the season they all would like to have a week in the middle of the season where there is no game.
Ferentz says the coaches would like see the season start one week earlier to keep the bye week during the conference schedule, and then have the season done the week before Thanksgiving so the players can go home and be away from football for a while.
Ferentz says the time before Thanksgiving is about the only week they have to get away and relax. Ferentz says the players would like to start earlier too and keep the bye week.
In the past few years the Hawkeyes have had a bye week in the middle of the Big Ten season and quarterback Drew Tate says it has always given them a chance to heal up and rest. Tate says the players all like the bye week as it’s nice to relax a little bit. Tate says the 12th game is good for the fans and helps bring the school more money, but he says he likes the bye week better.
This season Iowa will play on 12 consecutive Saturday’s beginning with a September second matchup at home against Montana.