Week 1 is done, and now Iowa turns its attention to the game that always grabs the state: Cy-Hawk week.
This year’s meeting sends Iowa and Iowa State to Kinnick Stadium, and the rivalry again puts state pride front and center even though the schools play in different conferences. The series has long been one of the few college football matchups that truly pulls in an entire state, and the 2026 edition carries a different kind of intrigue.
Iowa still leads the all-time series 46-25, but recent years have tilted toward the Cyclones. The Hawkeyes ripped off six straight wins from 2015 through 2021, then Iowa State answered with victories in 2022, 2024 and 2025. The 2023 game was a vacated Iowa win.
Close finishes have been a defining feature of this rivalry. More than 40% of the all-time meetings have been decided by seven points or less, and that edge-of-your-seat pattern has only intensified lately.
Over the last 15 seasons, 11 Cy-Hawk games have landed within a single score. The last two have been decided by late Iowa State field goals that stunned Iowa.
What makes 2026 stand out is how much change both teams are bringing into the matchup. Iowa’s offense is in the middle of a quarterback battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown, while the defense is counting on several new faces getting their first extended action in a game like this.
Iowa State, meanwhile, enters with Jimmy Rogers as its new head coach after Matt Campbell left. The Cyclones are also piecing together a revamped roster built largely through transfer portal additions, a lot of moving parts to sort out in one of the most difficult environments in the Big Ten.
That environment is Kinnick at night, on primetime, with Iowa looking for revenge after the last two seasons. The Hawkeyes’ 40-0 opener against Northern Illinois won’t be the template here, but this one doesn’t look like it’s headed for a runaway either.
In Other News...
Iowa Just Sent A Telling Message Before The Cy-Hawk Game
Iowa heads into the Cy-Hawk game with a depth chart that says plenty about how the Hawkeyes are approaching Week 2. The most notable detail is the quarterback spot, where Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski are both listed with an OR designation, a sign the staff is keeping the door open to shared playing time as it sorts through the position. At running back, the backfield will be thinner than expected with L.J. Phillips Jr. out because of a high-ankle sprain, leaving Nathan McNeil and Xavier Williams as the main options behind him.
There was also a small wrinkle on special teams that stood out after Week 1. Evan James, who had the kind of punt return performance that usually earns a bigger role, is still listed behind Reece Vander Zee on the depth chart. For a rivalry game that often turns on field position and a few timely snaps, those decisions suggest Iowa is still calibrating key spots even as the rivalry week pressure ramps up. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Keeps One Big Week 2 Decision Alive Before Iowa State
Iowas official Week 2 depth chart keeps the most interesting quarterback question intact heading into the Iowa State game. Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski are still both listed as starters, which means the Hawkeyes are carrying the competition forward for at least another week while leaving the rest of the offense largely unchanged. Theres also continuity up front on both the offensive and defensive lines, a sign the staff is comfortable with the foundation even as one of the teams biggest decisions remains open.
Elsewhere on the chart, Kamari Moulton sits atop the running back spot with backups behind him, while L.J. Phillips Jr. is absent because of a lower-body injury. Tight end is listed with four players in starter or backup roles, giving Iowa some flexibility there, and Evan James shows up as the backup punt returner behind Reece Vander Zee. But all the attention still circles back to quarterback, where Iowa has made clear it is not ready to close the book before facing its in-state rival. [Read more 🡒]
Iowas Backfield Suddenly Faces Pressure Before A Huge Iowa State Test
Iowas win over Northern Illinois came with a cost that could shape the next week of preparation, especially in the backfield. Offensive linemen Cael Winter and Kade Pieper both dealt with heat-related issues during the game, and running back L.J. Phillips Jr. came away with a high-ankle sprain that is expected to keep him out against Iowa State.
The Hawkeyes have built enough depth at running back to absorb the loss, but the timing is still less than ideal with a rivalry test looming. Any reshuffling behind the line will only add to the challenge of getting the offense settled before a matchup that already carries plenty of pressure for both sides. [Read more 🡒]