The story is well-chronicled: when Gary Barnett began as Northwestern’s head football coach in 1992, he thought Northwestern needed a rival, and he chose Iowa. Barnett’s main requirements for a rival were 1) a high-level program and 2) a team on the Wildcats’ schedule for the foreseeable future. The Hawkeyes met both. It was a one-sided rivalry early on, but a rivalry nonetheless.
Iowa beat Northwestern 21 straight times from 1973-1994, but in 1995, in Pat Fitzgerald’s second season on the field as a player, the Wildcats beat the Hawkeyes. Northwestern is 11-9 against Iowa since that win in 1995.