The opener went about as cleanly as Iowa could have asked. A 40-0 win over Northern Illinois got the Hawkeyes rolling, and now the attention shifts to a much different kind of test: Iowa State coming into Iowa City for the Cy-Hawk showdown.
The Cyclones arrive with plenty of their own change after Matt Campbell left for Penn State in the offseason and Jimmy Rogers took over following one season at Washington State. Rogers doesn’t bring a long high-major résumé, but his success at South Dakota State gives Iowa State a coach with a proven track record.
The new-look Cyclones handled Southeast Missouri 38-10 to start the year, and while they threw the ball only 17 times, they still produced 195 passing yards on a string of explosive plays. Dominic Overby had catches of 40 and 45 yards, and Omari Hayes matched him with a team-high two receptions, going for 34 and 20 yards.
That big-play ability is one of the first things Iowa has to bottle up if it wants the kind of result it got last week. Vegas likes the Hawkeyes’ chances.
FanDuel Sportsbook opened Iowa as a 12.5-point favorite in May, and that number climbed to Iowa -14.5 after the first week of the season. That’s a hefty spread for this rivalry, and it’s been a while since the market has felt this confident.
The last time either team was favored by 14.5 points or more came in 2016, when Iowa was a 15.5-point favorite in Kinnick and rolled to a 42-3 win - the most lopsided result of the Ferentz era.
Saturday will be the 73rd meeting in the series, but only the third played in primetime, with kickoff set for 6:30pm CT. The other two night games were both in Kinnick as well.
In 2002, Iowa State walked out of Iowa City with a 36-31 win. In 2016, Iowa delivered that runaway victory.
Officially, Iowa leads the all-time series 46-25, though that count reflects the vacated 2023 result. Since then, Iowa has not officially won this game since 2021 and hasn’t officially won in Kinnick since 2018, which is a sharp turn from the stretch when the Hawkeyes won six straight from 2015 through 2021.
Under Kirk Ferentz, Iowa is unofficially 14-12 against the Cyclones, or 13-12 once the 2023 win is removed. The Hawkeyes are 10-16 against the spread in those meetings. Rogers, meanwhile, is officially 0-0 against Iowa; his South Dakota State tenure came in 2023 and 2024, after Iowa’s 7-3 win over the Jackrabbits in 2022.
The betting history adds another layer to this one. Iowa has been favored by 14.5 points or more 12 times in the series and is 10-2 straight up in those games, but only 7-5 against the spread.
Iowa State has never been favored by more than 5.5 in the rivalry, a line that came in 1979 when Iowa won outright. The Cyclones have been favored only eight times since 1978.
In the Ferentz era, Iowa has been a touchdown-or-more favorite against Iowa State eight times. The Hawkeyes are just 2-6 against the spread in those games and have lost outright three times, in 2005, 2007 and 2014. And if you want the wildest line in the series, look back to 1998, when Iowa closed out the Hayden Fry era with a 27-9 loss that stands as the only time the Hawkeyes have lost as a 25-plus-point favorite since 1978, and the biggest spread upset in Cy-Hawk history.
For Iowa, the hope is obvious: something closer to 2016 than 1998.
In Other News...
Iowa Band Community Rocked By Heartbreaking Week 1 Medical Update
The Week 1 atmosphere at Kinnick Stadium was shaken far beyond the score when Derek Phillips, a third-year student and member of the Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band, suffered cardiac arrest during the game against Northern Illinois and was rushed to the University of Iowa Hospital. What began as a routine September afternoon for Iowa football quickly turned into a deeply personal crisis for the band community, which has spent the days since absorbing the sudden turn and leaning on one another.
The University of Iowa has since offered condolences and support resources as the band community confronts the emotional weight of the update. Phillips condition underscored how quickly a celebration can become a tragedy, and for those around the program, the focus now is on comfort, care and helping students and staff navigate a loss that has left a lasting mark on the opening week of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Former Hawkeye Mark Gronowski Just Landed A Better NFL Opportunity
Mark Gronowskis NFL path has already taken a few turns this offseason, and the latest one gives the former Hawkeye a more promising landing spot. After being waived multiple times by the Miami Dolphins and eventually released from their practice squad, Gronowski has resurfaced in Houston, where the Texans added him for quarterback depth after Graham Mertz was placed on injured reserve.
For Gronowski, the move is more than just another transaction on a crowded waiver wire. Houston offers a clearer runway to compete for a backup job, and with the Texans needing help behind center, he suddenly has a real chance to stick in a role that was far less secure in Miami. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Faces 3 Early Depth Chart Calls Before Cy-Hawk Showdown
Iowas Week 2 depth chart already feels a little more meaningful than most, because the Cy-Hawk game has a way of putting every small decision under a microscope. After a Week 1 offense that looked smoother with Hank Brown at quarterback, theres at least a case to keep that momentum going as the Hawkeyes head toward Iowa State, especially with the staff still sorting out how best to stabilize the early-season rotation.
There are also a couple of special teams questions that deserve attention before the rivalry game arrives. Evan James has the kind of explosiveness that can change field position in a hurry, and moving him back to punt return duty would also reduce the injury exposure for Reece Vander Zee, while Eli Ozick could get a look at kicking after Caden Buhrs uneven start. None of those calls are final, but they are the kind of early-season decisions that can shape how Iowa looks when the spotlight gets brightest. [Read more 🡒]