College Gameday gave Iowa something it almost never gets: a full-on vote of confidence.
That matters this week because the Hawkeyes are in a spot they rarely occupy. Before the Cy-Hawk Trophy showdown, Iowa is a two-touchdown favorite over Iowa State, a heavy line for a program that usually lives in the underdog lane. The pregame buzz has leaned firmly toward the Hawkeyes, and the College Gameday crew followed suit by unanimously picking Iowa to beat Iowa State in Week 2.
Oh boy pic.twitter.com/8AmuMi7gqW
- Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) September 12, 2026
For Iowa, that kind of attention is unusual. For a rivalry game, it is even more striking.
The Hawkeyes have spent years being the team that bettors take the under on and the squad that is seldom asked to carry the weight of heavy-favorite expectations. This time, though, they are the ones expected to handle business, and that brings its own kind of pressure.
The danger, at least from Iowa’s point of view, is simple: all of this praise can turn into fuel for the other sideline. Iowa State would love nothing more than to walk into Kinnick, spoil the party and knock the early hype off course. Nobody is saying the Cyclones are about to storm in and run away with it, but they do not need much encouragement to keep things tight and make the game uncomfortable.
That is why the spotlight now shifts back to Iowa and how it handles the moment. The Hawkeyes have to tune out the noise, stay locked in and carry out the game plan cleanly. They have talent across the board, but this is still about what happens on the field, not what looks good on paper.
If Iowa can come out sharp and set the tone early, it has a chance to control the game in a way Hawkeye fans have been waiting to see. The benchmark for that kind of performance has been a while: Iowa’s last blowout win in this series was a 42-3 result in 2016.
In Other News...
Iowa Is Using Cy-Hawk Weekend To Win Over Priority Targets
The Cy-Hawk game has long been one of the biggest dates on Iowas calendar, and this weekend it is doubling as a recruiting showcase. More than 20 football prospects are expected to be on hand, giving the Hawkeyes a chance to put their atmosphere, tradition and game-day routine in front of a group that includes both committed and uncommitted targets.
It is not just football being spotlighted, either. Iowa is bringing in recruits across womens basketball and mens basketball as part of the weekend push, turning one of the states signature sporting events into a broader pitch for the program. Former Hawkeyes quarterback CJ Beathard is also set to serve as honorary captain, adding another familiar face to a weekend designed to connect current targets with Iowas past and present. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Turns To A Familiar Tone Setter For Huge Cy-Hawk Night
The Cy-Hawk rivalry is set for a familiar kind of spotlight Saturday night at a sold-out Kinnick Stadium, with Iowa leaning into the kind of setting that has long defined these games. The Hawkeyes will be in all-black uniforms for the annual showdown with Iowa State, and the occasion will carry extra weight with the quarterback competition still unfolding as Iowa looks for a clear answer behind center.
C.J. Beathard, who quarterbacked Iowa from 2013 to 2016, is part of the nights build-up and gives the program a direct link to one of its steadier recent eras. For a team trying to find its next leader under center, having a former quarterback from a successful stretch back around the program is the sort of familiar tone setter that can matter on a stage like this, even before the first snap is taken. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa May Have A Rare Chance To Dominate Cy-Hawk Again
The 73rd meeting of the Cy-Hawk rivalry is shaping up as one of those games that can say as much about momentum as it does about bragging rights. Iowa and Iowa State have spent years trading blows in a series that tends to distort expectations, and this matchup has drawn attention because it comes with the kind of context Hawkeye fans know well: a familiar in-state opponent, plenty of history, and a national audience that always seems ready to treat September football in Iowa as something bigger than it looks.
The comparison that keeps surfacing is the 2016 game, when Iowa turned the rivalry into a runaway and left little doubt about which sideline controlled the day. The setup this time is different enough to make the projection interesting, with both programs in new coaching eras and plenty of fan anticipation around whether Iowa can once again turn a rivalry game into a statement. The numbers point toward a lopsided feel, but the real question is whether this Cy-Hawk meeting can match the rare kind of dominance that made that earlier result so memorable. [Read more 🡒]