As No. 21 Iowa and Iowa State get set for the 73rd meeting in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, College GameDay is leaning hard toward the Hawkeyes.
The crew split their picks ahead of Saturday night’s matchup at Kinnick Stadium, but every single one of them backed Iowa. That includes Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, celebrity guest picker Glen Powell and Kirk Herbstreit, all of whom picked the Hawkeyes to handle the Cyclones in front of a sold-out crowd.
Iowa enters at 1-0, same as Iowa State, but the setup around this one is different. Iowa State has taken three of the last four in the series, yet Iowa is trying to take back the Cy-Hawk trophy against a Cyclones team that is in its first season under new head coach Jimmy Rogers.
Howard called for a tight finish, saying, "I think it's gonna be a highly-contested matchup coming down to the final possession, but the Hawkeyes will win by a field goal."
Saban also sided with Iowa, pointing to the Hawkeyes’ ability to pair offense and defense in this rivalry. "Well, this is a rivalry game, so they're always hard to predict, but Iowa may have a quarterback to go with their great running game, and they've always played outstanding on defense with Phil Parker as the defensive coordinator. I'm going with Iowa."
McAfee’s pick came with his usual edge, and he stuck with the Hawkeyes too. "Yeah, the Hawkeyes beat Iowa State, and the 14-point spread was crazy, especially at night at Kinnick.
Normally very close. We'll see if Iowa can run away with it or if they poop the bed to Iowa State."
Powell, serving as the celebrity guest picker, also chose Iowa. "I think Iowa State, obviously, is a rebuilding year.
I think Iowa finally has an offense. I'm gonna go with the sweetest rivalry, the most mild-mannered rivalry in sports.
I'm going Iowa."
Herbstreit closed the list with a turnover-based case for the Hawkeyes. "This is a game that, since Kirk Ferentz has been there, turnovers decide this game.
In the 26 games that he's gone up against Iowa State, whoever wins the turnover margin wins the game. The quarterback for Iowa State is from Arkansas State, Jaylen Raynor, with 28 career interceptions.
Because of that, Phil Parker's going to get those turnovers. Iowa wins."
Kickoff is set for 6:36 p.m. CT Saturday, with NBC carrying the game.
In Other News...
Iowa Escaped Cy-Hawk Trouble But One Concern Just Got Louder
Iowa got out of the Cy-Hawk game with a win, but it hardly left the field looking settled. The Hawkeyes leaned on a game-winning field goal to survive a tense rivalry matchup against Iowa State, and the final stretch only sharpened the familiar questions about how much margin this offense can afford to lose. There were bright spots elsewhere, including a special-teams finish that held up when it had to and a defense that delivered enough disruption to keep Iowa in control of the larger moments.
The offensive issues, though, were hard to miss, and they now sit louder after a game like this because Iowa did not exactly overwhelm a very competitive Iowa State team. The Hawkeyes can point to defensive standouts and a few encouraging individual efforts, but the imbalance remains the same story line: when the offense stalls, every possession feels heavier. Even with the victory in hand, the way this one played out left a clear reminder that Iowa may have escaped trouble, but it still has work to do before the concerns stop following it from week to week. [Read more 🡒]
Kirk Ferentz Just Kept Iowas Quarterback Debate Alive
Iowas in-state rivalry win gave Kirk Ferentz enough reason to sound encouraged about a young roster still learning on the fly, and quarterback Hank Brown was a big part of that. Brown handled a tough defensive atmosphere with poise, completing 21 of 30 passes for 191 yards and adding a rushing touchdown, the kind of performance that suggested he can keep the offense steady even when the pocket gets busy.
Still, the postgame message left the larger quarterback picture open. Ferentz said the position will be evaluated week by week, and he made clear the staff still believes in both Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski, which keeps the discussion alive as Iowa moves deeper into the season. For a team trying to build around development as much as results, the next decision at quarterback may matter just as much as the last one. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Win Came Down To One Overlooked Hawkeye Play
In a rivalry game at Kinnick Stadium, the spotlight usually settles on the kicker when a game-winning field goal is on the line. But the operation only works if every piece is clean, and Iowa had one of those hidden moments go exactly right against Iowa State. Tanner Philpott was part of the sequence, handling the pressure that comes with a kick that can swing the whole day.
The snap came in awkwardly, leaving Philpott to react quickly and get the ball set in place. He did his job well enough for the kick to stay true, and Caden Buhr finished the play with the game-winner. It was the kind of detail that can get lost in the postgame rush, even though it was central to how Iowa came away with the result. [Read more 🡒]