Illini Football 2023

[Illini2010-11]

As someone who spent much of his life in Iowa City and has plenty of friends who are Iowa fans that I go back and tailgate with a lot (my parents still live in Iowa City), I think Illini fans REALLY underestimate how many people trickle into the stadium if the tailgating atmosphere around the stadium is elite. Or, on the flip side, a lot of people on the fence will buy tickets to the game "just in case" if they know they will have a blast tailgating.

Great teams will sell out no matter what, but if you are simply okay-to-good (6-7 wins or something), it is the teams with good tailgating that have a higher attendance floor - especially for students! I bet it is an amazing time, but the fact that "Block" at the Campustown bars even exists speaks to a massive, generations-long failure of Illini football gameday experience, haha. We need Memorial Stadium to be the absolute place to be.

While Grange Grove was an absolutely massive step in the right direction, it is indeed - and rightfully! - a very family friendly area. Sure, there are student tailgates ... but I walked over there before the PSU game just to check it out, and it was pretty tame. That isn't inherently a bad thing, but I will hypothesize that the average friend group at Kams would not exactly blend in, lol. Compare that to Iowa City where there are an endless number of cul-de-sacs literally across the street from Kinnick Stadium with backyards that look like this, many of which are rented out for specific fraternities that partner with different sororities for different weekends (similar to Block, I believe?):

Real good analysis but a couple points:

1) I am not sure that the tailgate analysis is fully accurate. Sure, if you can get more people to tailgate, a few more people will go into the stadium by nature. However, if they are having a blasting time at the tailgate and the on-field performance is terrible (which given Illini history is the case), almost all will completely drink for free/cheaper outside of the stadium during the game and continue their tailgating experience. I think we can envy to be close to what Iowa is producing, but the fact remains that they have been consistently an okay-to-good team for decades now. Illinois cannot even put back-to-back winning regular seasons together for 30+ years now. Once Illinois can start racking together some bowl games consecutively, I think the tailgating numbers will likewise increase (as will butts in seats).

2) Student tailgate atmosphere is much more difficult to accomplish. The location of the stadium does not exactly help much (it is on the far south end of the campus away from where many frats/sororities and students live). Frats will continue to do their thing at their own location, and other students are likely closer to the bars than the stadium. It is also definitely cheaper to drink at the bars than the stadium, so until the team can start winning consistently, I do not expect much of an increase in student participation from a tailgating or attendance standpoint. There will be those that say students should get into the game for free or very cheaply, and that is already the case (it costs less than $100 for season tickets or roughly 3-4 nights at the bar). The fact remains, the demand is low and will not increase until the team has some consistent hype (Zook had it going for a couple years after Rose Bowl until it collapsed).

3) Progress is being made, but it is a slow (maybe very slow) process.

 

[LocalChief505]

IFund members and/or season ticket holders get a survey after every home game regarding game day experience, and the DIA takes it very, very seriously. I've provided very specific feedback on everything from traffic control to specific vendors inside MS (I got a food vendor worker fired via the survey because he wasn't following food safety measures) to the entertainment that goes on during timeouts. I've had personal responses a couple of times to my suggestions and have seen some of them acted on as time goes on.

As to a "cheap unorganized production" - that's not my takeaway at all. The DIA has produced a lot of hype videos featuring players, coaching staff, and even the dearly departed Dick Butkus. The MI is heavily featured throughout the gameday experience (not just halftime), and that's an iconic part of the UIUC identity.

One of the biggest problems of our game day experience--at least this season--is ticketholders not showing up or selling their tix. The latter is a huge problem IMO because it makes tickets readily available, in prime seating, for opposing fans. Both the PSU and Nebraska games had at least 1/3 or more of the East Main filled with opposing fans. Nebraska's fans actually caused a delay of game penalty on our first offensive drive that game, and that is simply unacceptable.

TL;DR: Our gameday experience is fantastic and continuing to improve compared to what it was 10 years ago. The "fans" need to get over their "I'm owed a winning team" mentality and come out and support the team they have.

I am a season ticket holder/Ifund member and either dont recieve said survey or (more likely) dont realize ive been sent one.

I will agree with you that things are trending in the a good direction from a few years ago. Hype videos have been good. Orange smoke and pyro is awesome. The music in between every down is rather obnoxious and i love hype music…it just doesnt fit and takes away from the game experience. How bout we use our band (which is excellent) instead of 5-10sec. Of a bell ringing every 2 minutes.

And yes….our fans are definitely apart of the problem. I sit in the horseshoe next to the opponents fans and it sickens me when they embarrass our fans on a weekly basis. Ive been at virtually every home game over the last 10years and if our students were given a better opportunity and location in the stadium to be effective and have fun this may help the issues the east side faces.

 

[IlliniKat91]

The main thing that would get greek life in the stadium is light on alcohol policing as mentioned above but also cheap drinks. No chance kids are paying $10 a beer so work out a deal with Joes/Kams for them to be the ones serving and the only ones in this area are students who bought a ticket that includes admission + X amount of wristband drinks already included or $3-4 beers

if they can do deals on Trulys in the State Farm Center, no reason we can't have them across the street, too

 

[Ransom Stoddard]

if they can do deals on Trulys in the State Farm Center, no reason we can't have them across the street, too

There is an "Illini Happy Hour" for an hour, starting at 90 minutes before kick, on domestics and Trulys. Craft beers not included.

Edit--and I think full price on domestics is $6 ,not $10. I think the craft beers are under $10 as well.

 

[Cook]

if they can do deals on Trulys in the State Farm Center, no reason we can't have them across the street, too

Saw on here in someone else's post that there are in fact legit reasons why... something about licensing, permit, and vendor hurdles.

 

[cfp32]

Bought tickets to the Illinois @ Iowa game. Has anyone been to Kinnick/Iowa City before? If so please let me know of some places to visit (campus, bar, restaurant, etc.). Also I am assuming this will be an 11AM game, but is anyone else speculating a different kickoff time?

 

[bluemountain]

Real good analysis but a couple points:

1) I am not sure that the tailgate analysis is fully accurate. Sure, if you can get more people to tailgate, a few more people will go into the stadium by nature. However, if they are having a blasting time at the tailgate and the on-field performance is terrible (which given Illini history is the case), almost all will completely drink for free/cheaper outside of the stadium during the game and continue their tailgating experience. I think we can envy to be close to what Iowa is producing, but the fact remains that they have been consistently an okay-to-good team for decades now. Illinois cannot even put back-to-back winning regular seasons together for 30+ years now. Once Illinois can start racking together some bowl games consecutively, I think the tailgating numbers will likewise increase (as will butts in seats).

2) Student tailgate atmosphere is much more difficult to accomplish. The location of the stadium does not exactly help much (it is on the far south end of the campus away from where many frats/sororities and students live). Frats will continue to do their thing at their own location, and other students are likely closer to the bars than the stadium. It is also definitely cheaper to drink at the bars than the stadium, so until the team can start winning consistently, I do not expect much of an increase in student participation from a tailgating or attendance standpoint. There will be those that say students should get into the game for free or very cheaply, and that is already the case (it costs less than $100 for season tickets or roughly 3-4 nights at the bar). The fact remains, the demand is low and will not increase until the team has some consistent hype (Zook had it going for a couple years after Rose Bowl until it collapsed).

3) Progress is being made, but it is a slow (maybe very slow) process.

When did this become an issue? Back in the 80's Block I was hopping and going to Kam's instead of the game for frats/sororities was not considered an option - we would party at the house before the game and bring our boda's and other drinking apparatus into the stadium

 

[IlliniReb]

Bought tickets to the Illinois @ Iowa game. Has anyone been to Kinnick/Iowa City before? If so please let me know of some places to visit (campus, bar, restaurant, etc.). Also I am assuming this will be an 11AM game, but is anyone else speculating a different kickoff time?

@fighterofthenightman, calling fighter of the night man

 

[gibb52]

What is a Truly? Never heard that term before. I am old so please excuse my ignorance.

 

[altgeld88]

Something the entire B1G can agree upon. Iowa’s extremely unbalanced team doesn’t represent the conference or the sport well.

https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/gophers/gophers-can-save-the-nation-from-iowa-being-in-college-football-playoff

Thank you. I've had a long day down the mine and that is well-needed hilarity. I can't believe that Iowa is 6-1 and that MN has not won in Kinnick since '99. Time for a cool change (yacht rock reference for those of my generation.)

 

[altgeld88]

What is a Truly? Never heard that term before. I am old so please excuse my ignorance.

Hard seltzer. Google is your friend (and mine in this case)

 

[Dkayak]

It is also definitely cheaper to drink at the bars than the stadium, so until the team can start winning consistently, I do not expect much of an increase in student participation from a tailgating or attendance standpoint.

Couldn't this be addressed somehow?

 

[Pikeillinifan]

When did this become an issue? Back in the 80's Block I was hopping and going to Kam's instead of the game for frats/sororities was not considered an option - we would party at the house before the game and bring our boda's and other drinking apparatus into the stadium

We were still doing this in the 90s, was a great time, these kids are all too soft nowadays.

 

[Dkayak]

No incentives work for consistently bad football, viewed sober.

So maybe we need a dynamic drink pricing algorithm? Set the base price inversely proportional to preseason ranking, adjust +/- for each game based on the betting line, then offer half price specials after halftime during blowout games. This is nuts of course and couldn't/shouldn‘t be done for many reasons, but it does address your excellent observation.

 

[Marshall_Lucky]

I am a season ticket holder/Ifund member and either dont recieve said survey or (more likely) dont realize ive been sent one.

I will agree with you that things are trending in the a good direction from a few years ago. Hype videos have been good. Orange smoke and pyro is awesome. The music in between every down is rather obnoxious and i love hype music…it just doesnt fit and takes away from the game experience. How bout we use our band (which is excellent) instead of 5-10sec. Of a bell ringing every 2 minutes.

And yes….our fans are definitely apart of the problem. I sit in the horseshoe next to the opponents fans and it sickens me when they embarrass our fans on a weekly basis. Ive been at virtually every home game over the last 10years and if our students were given a better opportunity and location in the stadium to be effective and have fun this may help the issues the east side faces.

Agree on the piped in music, that's for the NFL that doesn't have bands and student sections. Illini football fans have been numbed or shellshocked or something by the on field product for years. Every time I want to stand up and cheer I feel like I will be a lone idiot in a sea of silence. Everyone is just quietly brooding..waiting for something bad to happen.

Can we use some scoreboard stuff and block I to get the fan base more involved? They do the cheerleader-led I-L-L before the game now, but most people are still filing in to the stadium and it seems to not flow well. Maybe give block I some I-L-L chant cards and use a scoreboard graphic to get the call and response going? If the students get loud people will follow along, but if it's just one or two random folks in the stands it never gets going. I think there are opportunities to do stuff like that with other block I traditions and get the larger crowd involved. Right now I think the loudest the crowd gets is cheering for McNuggets..

 

[Dan]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1714778710803395036

 

[Illini in Italy]

Thank you. I've had a long day down the mine and that is well-needed hilarity. I can't believe that Iowa is 6-1 and that MN has not won in Kinnick since '99. Time for a cool change (yacht rock reference for those of my generation.)

LRB, the first LP I purchased when I got to Italy in 1979. OUTSTANDING album and group.

 

[LouDou]

Agree on the piped in music, that's for the NFL that doesn't have bands and student sections. Illini football fans have been numbed or shellshocked or something by the on field product for years. Every time I want to stand up and cheer I feel like I will be a lone idiot in a sea of silence. Everyone is just quietly brooding..waiting for something bad to happen.

Can we use some scoreboard stuff and block I to get the fan base more involved? They do the cheerleader-led I-L-L before the game now, but most people are still filing in to the stadium and it seems to not flow well. Maybe give block I some I-L-L chant cards and use a scoreboard graphic to get the call and response going? If the students get loud people will follow along, but if it's just one or two random folks in the stands it never gets going. I think there are opportunities to do stuff like that with other block I traditions and get the larger crowd involved. Right now I think the loudest the crowd gets is cheering for McNuggets..

I will agree with you that things are trending in the a good direction from a few years ago. Hype videos have been good. Orange smoke and pyro is awesome. The music in between every down is rather obnoxious and i love hype music…it just doesnt fit and takes away from the game experience. How bout we use our band (which is excellent) instead of 5-10sec. Of a bell ringing every 2 minutes.

Amen to this observation. The scoreboard constantly blasting something every second of down time is awful. I hate to tell the AD, but some families don't even come into the game because the constant blasting of irrelevant noise can't be tolerated by little kids, so some families don't even come into the game. Obviously, some music and "noise" is expected, but tone it down. Find other ways to generate crowd noise (band, Block I, etc.) Real football game noise...crowd noise.

Again, I went to the Purdue game at Purdue and the way they manage this was far superior to our Illinois home games. Of course, this is just my opinion, but it seems to be shared by others.

 

[Grandpa]

I will agree with you that things are trending in the a good direction from a few years ago. Hype videos have been good. Orange smoke and pyro is awesome. The music in between every down is rather obnoxious and i love hype music…it just doesnt fit and takes away from the game experience. How bout we use our band (which is excellent) instead of 5-10sec. Of a bell ringing every 2 minutes.

Amen to this observation. The scoreboard constantly blasting something every second of down time is awful. I hate to tell the AD, but some families don't even come into the game because the constant blasting of irrelevant noise can't be tolerated by little kids, so some families don't even come into the game. Obviously, some music and "noise" is expected, but tone it down. Find other ways to generate crowd noise (band, Block I, etc.) Real football game noise...crowd noise.

Again, I went to the Purdue game at Purdue and the way they manage this was far superior to our Illinois home games. Of course, this is just my opinion, but it seems to be shared by others.

Loud PA noise quiets me. IMHO it's counterproductive. If I can be booing a call or cheering for the team, I am all about it. If I can't be heard over some noise blasted through a speaker I stay quiet and save my throat.

 

[LocalChief505]

Agree on the piped in music, that's for the NFL that doesn't have bands and student sections. Illini football fans have been numbed or shellshocked or something by the on field product for years. Every time I want to stand up and cheer I feel like I will be a lone idiot in a sea of silence. Everyone is just quietly brooding..waiting for something bad to happen.

Can we use some scoreboard stuff and block I to get the fan base more involved? They do the cheerleader-led I-L-L before the game now, but most people are still filing in to the stadium and it seems to not flow well. Maybe give block I some I-L-L chant cards and use a scoreboard graphic to get the call and response going? If the students get loud people will follow along, but if it's just one or two random folks in the stands it never gets going. I think there are opportunities to do stuff like that with other block I traditions and get the larger crowd involved. Right now I think the loudest the crowd gets is cheering for McNuggets..

The cheerleader ILL sounds terrible. It has like a pre recorded AI tone to it. The students need to be on the east side and lead it.

 

[blackdog]

The cheerleader ILL sounds terrible. It has like a pre recorded AI tone to it. The students need to be on the east side and lead it.

I really miss the back and forth ILL-INI chant across the stadium. Its way too difficult to do from an end zone even with amplification.

 

[Marshall_Lucky]

I really miss the back and forth ILL-INI chant across the stadium. Its way too difficult to do from an end zone even with amplification.

Back in 07-08 it felt loud as a student in the NEZ, but now it seems dead

 

[Illini2010-11]

Back in 07-08 it felt loud as a student in the NEZ, but now it seems dead

Completely agree. I was there at that time as well, and there was real noise in the NEZ (then again, we were just coming off of a Rose Bowl team and there was real excitement). I still remember how loud the NEZ got in 2007 when Benn took the return for touchdown vs Penn State. I also recollect the student section being so crowded that you needed to get in line on Monday to get the NEZ tickets; otherwise, you would be relegated to section 101 or 102 (unless of course you were in Block I). If the students were more active and loud in the game, the NEZ could really be a nuisance for the opposing team when they are attacking the NEZ.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

Bought tickets to the Illinois @ Iowa game. Has anyone been to Kinnick/Iowa City before? If so please let me know of some places to visit (campus, bar, restaurant, etc.). Also I am assuming this will be an 11AM game, but is anyone else speculating a different kickoff time?

Glad to hear it! My wife's baby shower will be that weekend, so I think I will be able to sneak away and go to that game, as no men are to attend ... I am currently being told I can anyway, but we will see, haha. This is definitely more than you asked for, but I figured you (or anyone else) can take or leave any or all of it! I will provide my Iowa City pointers first, and then for anyone as crazy as I am, my baseless and useless speculation on the game time will be below that.

IOWA CITY/GAMEDAY
Downtown --> Stadium
Downtown Iowa City is quite a walk from the stadium - about 25-30 minutes, and it feels longer walking across bridges and whatnot. With that said, you can definitely do it. There is TONS of great tailgating along Melrose Avenue (behind the south end zone) and all of the winding streets around there. There isn't really any area quite like Grange Grove where you can just show up and it's BYOB, though. Any friends in the area?? I can let you know if I end up going, haha.

Campus
As for the campus, it is my personal opinion that it's the town itself that is the draw, and the campus itself (which, unlike Champaign, is completely and totally intertwined with the city in a more hodge-podge way, for better and for worse!) is not too stunning. The Pentacrest (facing Clinton Street) is sort of Iowa's version of the Quad, and it is pretty cool with old stone buildings. However, I do not think it is as cool as the Quad at Illinois. Iowa City and Champaign are interesting in that where one excels, the other is kind of "meh" and vice versa.

Bars
For bars downtown, a lot of the "classics" you might get recommended are painfully collegey, haha. I would recommend the bars in the following ascending order:
1) If you MUST see the "college bar" vibe somewhere, the only ones I could in good faith recommend at least just checking out are DC's or Brothers - both in the Ped Mall. DC's is much more of a party atmosphere, but my not-very-crazy friends and I (all now in our 30s) never feel too out of place on a game weekend, and we have brought plenty of our parents/their friends there before, and it's never awkward or anything. Brothers is nice because it's at least big enough where you will not feel crowded. On that note, do at least walk through the Ped Mall if you're Downtown ... it's really cool, and I wish Champaign would take inspiration for its Taylor Street Alley area Downtown.
2) Joe's Place on Iowa Avenue is good for a semi-adultish party atmosphere in the Downtown area. Head up to their rooftop area if it is still open! It probably will not be crowded that time of year, and it's cool.
3) If you get a bit farther from Downtown on Gilbert Street (about a 10-minute walk from the Ped Mall), Mosley's is a cool BBQ setup with a great beer garden, The Vine is a great not-quite-dive-bar with good wings and Sanctuary is a really cool pub. They are all right next to each other.
4) My actual recommendation for bars is to just keep walking on Gilbert Street a little farther to Big Grove. It is absolutely massive, it's a really cool setup, it has a great atmosphere, the food/service/beer are all good and it's a go-to every time I am back in Iowa City visiting.
5) If you want to escape the orbit of Downtown altogether, there is an area called the Iowa River Landing that is RIGHT off of the interstate in Coralville. 30hop, the Athletic Club, Backpocket Brewing, Marquee (woodfired pizza), etc. are all right there. Much more of an adult vibe.

Food
I assume you are coming in Friday, so if you want to grab dinner somewhere...
1) For fancier environments, you cannot beat Orchard Green. It's by far my favorite restaurant in Iowa City. It is pretty reasonably priced (IMO), but it is definitely "nice." For a "vibe" comparison in Champaign, I would say Nando Milano (but different food). One Twenty Six is also good Downtown and slightly more casual. Joseph's Steakhouse is good and a cool atmosphere, but it is outrageously priced ... especially when they sell those exact same steaks at a grocery store a couple of blocks away.
2) Iowa City's Italian scene is kind of lacking, but Baroncini is good (but small), and Basta is decent. Both are Downtown.
3) For more casual food, Pullman (Downtown) has a VERY good burger. It's still a nice atmosphere, but it is not "formal."
4) As an Illinoisan and now a Chicagoan, I cannot recommend pizza in Iowa City that is better than what I have had in our great State of Illinois ... with that said, Wig and Pen (Coralville) is good thin crust, and Pagliai's is really good, too.
5) For breakfast, you cannot go wrong with Hamburg Inn or Bluebird (both just north of Downtown). Personally, I think Bluebird is better.

Iowa Fans
All jokes aside, they are great people ... but they are infinitely more "boarish" than Illinois fans. Having lived in Peoria when I was younger and then Iowa City for 20+ years and now Chicago since 2019, it has been really interesting realizing the subtle differences between Illinoisans and Iowans. I have found Illinoisans to be much more reserved and courteous vs. your more outgoing and outwardly "bubbly" Iowa people. I strongly prefer the Illinois vibe, haha. They HATE Illinois, but once a jab or two is out of the way, everyone has always been extremely nice to me ... they are PASSIONATE about their Hawkeyes, and they respect that passion from opposing fans.

GAME TIME
I am only confident that it will be 11:00 am or 2:30 pm (i.e., not a night game). However, beyond that it is a total guess, IMO. A lot will depend on if we keep winning ... if we don't have another loss heading into that game (not exactly "likely" but far from impossible if we have turned a corner!), that could be a massive game for the West. FWIW, these are the other Big Ten games that day, ranked in order of how desirable I think each will be for TV ratings:

#2 Michigan at Maryland
Minnesota at #3 Ohio State
Nebraska at Wisconsin
Rutgers at #7 Penn State
Michigan State at Indiana
Purdue at Northwestern

Those games have to fill at least some of the following spots, from what I can tell:

1) 11:00 am on FOX (Big Noon Kickoff) or 2:30 pm on FOX
2) 6:30 pm on NBC (Notre Dame is at 2:30 pm, so that slot is filled, and NBC hasn't broadcasted an 11:00 am game all year)
3) 11:00 am on BTN/FS1 or 2:30 pm on BTN/FS1
[ABC and ESPNPN seem to be done picking up Big Ten games anymore, but they technically still could for this season...]
[CBS is showing the SEC this week at 2:30 pm, and they are only doing two 11:00 am Big Ten games this year - October 28th and November 4th.]

The previous week (November 11th), Michigan/PSU is Big Noon Kickoff, and MSU/OSU is at 6:30 pm on NBC. So it's possible, they want to shake things up a bit? This is my wild-!!! guess for the "big two" spots that the Big Ten seems to be aggressively marketing.

11:00 am on FOX (Big Noon Kickoff): Minnesota at #2 Ohio State. Michigan and PSU will have just been on Big Noon Kickoff the previous week, and it will have been almost a month since OSU has been on the program (can't have that!!). I also think Big Noon will be spooked off by the potentially "dud" atmosphere in College Park for #2 Michigan at Maryland. Thus...
6:30 pm on NBC: #2 Michigan at Maryland. Again, I think this is mostly about getting Michigan, OSU and PSU on the big-time channels, and Big Noon Kickoff simply won't want to go to College Park, even though Michigan/Maryland is an enticing matchup. So, I think NBC picks up the scraps.

As alluded to above, I am going to assume all ESPN slots go to other conferences, especially the SEC and ACC. That leaves five Big Ten games, with only one true "prime" spot left - 2:30 pm on FOX. While Illinois/Iowa could be a huge game ... will it be that huge? FOX also has rights to the Big XII and Pac-12, and you have some really good games to pick from.

I will bet my life that CBS at 2:30 pm is #1 Georgia at #17 Tennessee, so that takes that away for ABC/ESPN. I think the ABC primetime game will absolutely be UCLA/USC or Washington/Oregon State, as 2:30 pm CST would be 12:30 pm PST and maybe a bit too early (i.e., I don't think either of those are taking the 2:30 pm FOX spot. I think the one that doesn't get that will get the late spot on ABC, so it will be back-to-back Pac-12 games. So, I think 11:00 am ABC will be Texas or Oklahoma, and the 2:30 pm spot will be for the other one so they have some Big XII action, too.

All of that babbling is to say that 2:30 pm on FOX will likely go to Penn State or a Big XII game, but it is not ENTIRELY impossible that it goes to our game with Iowa if it is going to be especially consequential for the Big Ten West. PSU gets stellar ratings, Illinois/Iowa get good ratings and Rutgers gets pretty bad ratings ... it might be a wash if FOX decides that spot is best used on the Big Ten. Long story short, I think the odds of it being at 2:30 pm are EVER so slightly higher than it being at 11:00 am.

Definitely my longest post ever.

 

[illini0440]

Glad to hear it! My wife's baby shower will be that weekend, so I think I will be able to sneak away and go to that game, as no men are to attend ... I am currently being told I can anyway, but we will see, haha. This is definitely more than you asked for, but I figured you (or anyone else) can take or leave any or all of it! I will provide my Iowa City pointers first, and then for anyone as crazy as I am, my baseless and useless speculation on the game time will be below that.

IOWA CITY/GAMEDAY
Downtown --> Stadium
Downtown Iowa City is quite a walk from the stadium - about 25-30 minutes, and it feels longer walking across bridges and whatnot. With that said, you can definitely do it. There is TONS of great tailgating along Melrose Avenue (behind the south end zone) and all of the winding streets around there. There isn't really any area quite like Grange Grove where you can just show up and it's BYOB, though. Any friends in the area?? I can let you know if I end up going, haha.

Campus
As for the campus, it is my personal opinion that it's the town itself that is the draw, and the campus itself (which, unlike Champaign, is completely and totally intertwined with the city in a more hodge-podge way, for better and for worse!) is not too stunning. The Pentacrest (facing Clinton Street) is sort of Iowa's version of the Quad, and it is pretty cool with old stone buildings. However, I do not think it is as cool as the Quad at Illinois. Iowa City and Champaign are interesting in that where one excels, the other is kind of "meh" and vice versa.

Bars
For bars downtown, a lot of the "classics" you might get recommended are painfully collegey, haha. I would recommend the bars in the following ascending order:
1) If you MUST see the "college bar" vibe somewhere, the only ones I could in good faith recommend at least just checking out are DC's or Brothers - both in the Ped Mall. DC's is much more of a party atmosphere, but my not-very-crazy friends and I (all now in our 30s) never feel too out of place on a game weekend, and we have brought plenty of our parents/their friends there before, and it's never awkward or anything. Brothers is nice because it's at least big enough where you will not feel crowded. On that note, do at least walk through the Ped Mall if you're Downtown ... it's really cool, and I wish Champaign would take inspiration for its Taylor Street Alley area Downtown.
2) Joe's Place on Iowa Avenue is good for a semi-adultish party atmosphere in the Downtown area. Head up to their rooftop area if it is still open! It probably will not be crowded that time of year, and it's cool.
3) If you get a bit farther from Downtown on Gilbert Street (about a 10-minute walk from the Ped Mall), Mosley's is a cool BBQ setup with a great beer garden, The Vine is a great not-quite-dive-bar with good wings and Sanctuary is a really cool pub. They are all right next to each other.
4) My actual recommendation for bars is to just keep walking on Gilbert Street a little farther to Big Grove. It is absolutely massive, it's a really cool setup, it has a great atmosphere, the food/service/beer are all good and it's a go-to every time I am back in Iowa City visiting.
5) If you want to escape the orbit of Downtown altogether, there is an area called the Iowa River Landing that is RIGHT off of the interstate in Coralville. 30hop, the Athletic Club, Backpocket Brewing, Marquee (woodfired pizza), etc. are all right there. Much more of an adult vibe.

Food
I assume you are coming in Friday, so if you want to grab dinner somewhere...
1) For fancier environments, you cannot beat Orchard Green. It's by far my favorite restaurant in Iowa City. It is pretty reasonably priced (IMO), but it is definitely "nice." For a "vibe" comparison in Champaign, I would say Nando Milano (but different food). One Twenty Six is also good Downtown and slightly more casual. Joseph's Steakhouse is good and a cool atmosphere, but it is outrageously priced ... especially when they sell those exact same steaks at a grocery store a couple of blocks away.
2) Iowa City's Italian scene is kind of lacking, but Baroncini is good (but small), and Basta is decent. Both are Downtown.
3) For more casual food, Pullman (Downtown) has a VERY good burger. It's still a nice atmosphere, but it is not "formal."
4) As an Illinoisan and now a Chicagoan, I cannot recommend pizza in Iowa City that is better than what I have had in our great State of Illinois ... with that said, Wig and Pen (Coralville) is good thin crust, and Pagliai's is really good, too.
5) For breakfast, you cannot go wrong with Hamburg Inn or Bluebird (both just north of Downtown). Personally, I think Bluebird is better.

Iowa Fans
All jokes aside, they are great people ... but they are infinitely more "boarish" than Illinois fans. Having lived in Peoria when I was younger and then Iowa City for 20+ years and now Chicago since 2019, it has been really interesting realizing the subtle differences between Illinoisans and Iowans. I have found Illinoisans to be much more reserved and courteous vs. your more outgoing and outwardly "bubbly" Iowa people. I strongly prefer the Illinois vibe, haha. They HATE Illinois, but once a jab or two is out of the way, everyone has always been extremely nice to me ... they are PASSIONATE about their Hawkeyes, and they respect that passion from opposing fans.

GAME TIME
I am only confident that it will be 11:00 am or 2:30 pm (i.e., not a night game). However, beyond that it is a total guess, IMO. A lot will depend on if we keep winning ... if we don't have another loss heading into that game (not exactly "likely" but far from impossible if we have turned a corner!), that could be a massive game for the West. FWIW, these are the other Big Ten games that day, ranked in order of how desirable I think each will be for TV ratings:

#2 Michigan at Maryland
Minnesota at #3 Ohio State
Nebraska at Wisconsin
Rutgers at #7 Penn State
Michigan State at Indiana
Purdue at Northwestern

Those games have to fill at least some of the following spots, from what I can tell:

1) 11:00 am on FOX (Big Noon Kickoff) or 2:30 pm on FOX
2) 6:30 pm on NBC (Notre Dame is at 2:30 pm, so that slot is filled, and NBC hasn't broadcasted an 11:00 am game all year)
3) 11:00 am on BTN/FS1 or 2:30 pm on BTN/FS1
[ABC and ESPNPN seem to be done picking up Big Ten games anymore, but they technically still could for this season...]
[CBS is showing the SEC this week at 2:30 pm, and they are only doing two 11:00 am Big Ten games this year - October 28th and November 4th.]

The previous week (November 11th), Michigan/PSU is Big Noon Kickoff, and MSU/OSU is at 6:30 pm on NBC. So it's possible, they want to shake things up a bit? This is my wild-!!! guess for the "big two" spots that the Big Ten seems to be aggressively marketing.

11:00 am on FOX (Big Noon Kickoff): Minnesota at #2 Ohio State. Michigan and PSU will have just been on Big Noon Kickoff the previous week, and it will have been almost a month since OSU has been on the program (can't have that!!). I also think Big Noon will be spooked off by the potentially "dud" atmosphere in College Park for #2 Michigan at Maryland. Thus...
6:30 pm on NBC: #2 Michigan at Maryland. Again, I think this is mostly about getting Michigan, OSU and PSU on the big-time channels, and Big Noon Kickoff simply won't want to go to College Park, even though Michigan/Maryland is an enticing matchup. So, I think NBC picks up the scraps.

As alluded to above, I am going to assume all ESPN slots go to other conferences, especially the SEC and ACC. That leaves five Big Ten games, with only one true "prime" spot left - 2:30 pm on FOX. While Illinois/Iowa could be a huge game ... will it be that huge? FOX also has rights to the Big XII and Pac-12, and you have some really good games to pick from.

I will bet my life that CBS at 2:30 pm is #1 Georgia at #17 Tennessee, so that takes that away for ABC/ESPN. I think the ABC primetime game will absolutely be UCLA/USC or Washington/Oregon State, as 2:30 pm CST would be 12:30 pm PST and maybe a bit too early (i.e., I don't think either of those are taking the 2:30 pm FOX spot. I think the one that doesn't get that will get the late spot on ABC, so it will be back-to-back Pac-12 games. So, I think 11:00 am ABC will be Texas or Oklahoma, and the 2:30 pm spot will be for the other one so they have some Big XII action, too.

All of that babbling is to say that 2:30 pm on FOX will likely go to Penn State or a Big XII game, but it is not ENTIRELY impossible that it goes to our game with Iowa if it is going to be especially consequential for the Big Ten West. PSU gets stellar ratings, Illinois/Iowa get good ratings and Rutgers gets pretty bad ratings ... it might be a wash if FOX decides that spot is best used on the Big Ten. Long story short, I think the odds of it being at 2:30 pm are EVER so slightly higher than it being at 11:00 am.

Definitely my longest post ever.

I’m winded