Night, night, night games for the Hawkeyes

After two years without night games at Kinnick Stadium, the University of Iowa landed two last season.

Two again will happen in 2016, with another night game waiting on the road.

For the first time since 2002, the Hawkeyes will play host to state-rival Iowa State for a prime-time kickoff on Sept. 10 at Kinnick Stadium. ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy reported the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

.April 28, 2016

.@BigTenNetwork primetime: 9-1 OregonSt at Minnesota; 9-3 FresnoSt at Nebraska; 9-10 UNC at Illinois, ISU at Iowa; 9-17 Duke at N'western

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN)

Also, according to sources, Iowa's Nov. 12 game against Michigan at Kinnick and the Hawkeyes' Nov. 5 road trip to Penn State will be nighttime kickoffs, giving Iowa three night kickoffs for the first time since 2009 (at Penn State, at Michigan State and Michigan).

With the Iowa State game reportedly headed to the Big Ten Network, the Michigan and Penn State games will be televised by either ABC or ESPN.

Earlier this month, Iowa athletics director Gary Barta said he's 'had a lot of discussions' about hosting night games at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes had two last year, tipping Pitt with a 57-yard field goal on the game's final play and beating Minnesota in the first-ever Kinnick night game between the longtime rivals. Big Ten schools competed at night 22 times during the 2015 regular season.

Barta said in 2012 that he preferred the Iowa State game be played during the day. Obviously, that stance has changed.

Why? He believes the University of Iowa is now better at hosting night games, with last season's Pitt and Minnesota games as an example.

'I think the more we host night games, the more comfortable we get,' Barta said. 'We don't get to decide unilaterally if we get a night game. That's a television decision. But our fans have responded well, (they) love the night games, that's been clear. That's one of the things we've learned as we've hosted. I'm not going to rule anything out, but that will be a decision that the TV networks will make.'

And BTN has made it.

The first night game in the Iowa-Iowa State series was in Ames in 1999. In 2002, the rivalry game kicked off at 5 p.m. at Kinnick Stadium. The Cyclones won both of those games, including a massive comeback after a 24-7 deficit in 2002. In 2013, Iowa-ISU played at 5 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. The Hawkeyes won that one and the series has gone back and forth in the last two seasons.

Iowa last played a night game at Beaver Stadium in 2009, a game that Iowa won, 21-10, and was televised on ABC. Iowa's last night game against Michigan was 2009 at Kinnick, also an Iowa victory, 30-28. Since 2010, the Hawkeyes are 5-2 in games played at 5 p.m. or later.

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