We’re getting at least six more installments of the Iowa-Iowa State football game.
More of this
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) June 3, 2019
Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series extended through 2025 | #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/BLhiUOmN11
The schools announced yesterday that the annual Cy-Hawk rivalry game is extended through the 2025 season—which just so happens to be the final year on Kirk Ferentz’s contract.
Some will say that this game does very little to help Iowa. There was a time when that was true, when playing Iowa State was more or less a lose-lose proposition in terms of weighing risk against Iowa’s strength of schedule. Lately, however, Iowa State has proved to have a pulse on the gridiron, a trend that seems to at least hold steady, if not improve under the direction of Matt Campbell.
For the past few seasons, Iowa State has served as a formidable opponent—and a good SOS booster. The wins over the Cyclones the past three years each hold as Iowa’s second most-impressive victory on its schedule according to postseason S&P. 2017’s overtime win over ISU in Ames is one of Iowa’s most memorable wins of the past few years. Iowa’s 13-3 victory this past season is a forgettable one.
Right now, this game is good for Iowa football. It’s good for students, fans, players and for the state of Iowa. When the Cyclones are playing something that resembles competent football, the positives involved in this matchup far outweigh the negatives.
More than anything, this game presents more opportunities to rattle some cages.