Iowa and Iowa State are moving toward keeping one of the state’s biggest fall fixtures exactly where fans expect it.
During Big Ten Football Media Days in Chicago, Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz confirmed that an extension for the Cy-Hawk football game will be completed and that the details will be released “soon.” The current contract runs through the 2027 season, but the matchup is not in danger of disappearing.
According to a report by the Quad City Times, the two schools are working on a new agreement that would extend the series through the 2031 season and keep it in Week 2. Goetz said she and Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard have had multiple conversations this summer, and she made it clear there was never any real uncertainty that a deal would get done.
The rivalry has been part of the state’s football fabric since 1894, with the Cy-Hawk Trophy introduced in 1977 after a 43-year break in the series. Every September, the game divides Iowa in the days leading up to kickoff and beyond, with both programs fully aware of what it means to the people who follow them.
That urgency matters even more in a college football landscape that keeps shifting. With conference realignment, expansion and the added complexity of Week 0 games, preserving matchups like this has become harder across the sport.
The source article points to other rivalries that have been lost along the way, including Michigan vs. Notre Dame and Nebraska vs.
Oklahoma, as examples of what can disappear when scheduling gets squeezed.
For Iowa, the Cy-Hawk game remains one of four regular rivalry games played for a trophy each year, and keeping it on the calendar is viewed as a priority. Locking it into Week 2 also preserves a familiar spot on the schedule, giving fans, players and coaches something to circle early every season.
Goetz and Pollard’s push to keep the game in place reflects how deeply it matters on both sides of the rivalry. With no professional teams in the state, the annual meeting between the Hawkeyes and Cyclones remains one of the defining events on the Iowa sports calendar.
In Other News...
Iowa Freshman Earns Rare Basketball Honor That Has Hawkeye Fans Proud
Miles Degners summer took an unusual turn for an Iowa high school basketball player, landing him a spot with the Student Athlete World program and a trip to Costa Rica for an international tour. The Iowa native was the lone player from his state on the United States team, a small distinction that made the experience feel even bigger for someone who hopes to keep playing college basketball.
Degner earned the opportunity through a competitive application process, one that accepted only a small slice of applicants. The U.S. side went unbeaten on the trip, finishing 4-0 for the first time in the programs Costa Rica run, giving Degner a memorable line on his basketball resume and Hawkeye fans another reason to take notice. [Read more 🡒]
Kirk Ferentz Just Said What Hawkeye Fans Long Felt About Matt Campbell
Big Ten Football Media Days brought an unexpected moment of candor from Kirk Ferentz, who offered clear respect for Matt Campbell when asked about the coachs move and the ripple effect it could have around the league. Ferentz framed it as a strong fit for Campbell and, in the process, gave Hawkeye fans a familiar feeling back: the sense that one of Iowa States most recognizable figures had long been a central part of the Cy-Hawk buildup.
For Iowa, the timing also changes the texture of the rivalry this season, even if only temporarily. Ferentz made it clear he is glad not to have Campbell looming over that matchup in the immediate future, while also acknowledging that the two programs may well cross paths again down the road. Meanwhile, Iowa State now turns to Jimmy Rogers and a roster that has already taken hits through transfers, making the transition in Ames one of the more consequential storylines in the Big 12. [Read more 🡒]
Kirk Ferentz Just Put Tony Diaz In Rare Hawkeye Company
At Big Ten Football Media Days, Kirk Ferentz singled out transfer wide receiver Tony Diaz as one of the more intriguing additions to Iowas offense, and not just because of what he can do with the ball in his hands. Ferentz pointed to Diazs work ethic and his clear desire to be a pass catcher, the kind of trait that can stand out in a program built on toughness, repetition and doing the little things right.
Diaz arrives from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley after a strong redshirt freshman season, and Iowa is already treating him like someone who could matter right away. The comparisons Ferentz drew put Diaz in rare Hawkeye company and hint at how much the staff believes in his makeup, but the bigger question now is how quickly that drive translates once the games count and the offense needs him to become more than just a promising newcomer. [Read more 🡒]