The Cy-Hawk rivalry isn’t going anywhere, and Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz made that much clear in Chicago.
Speaking during Big Ten Football Media Days, Goetz said she and Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard are working toward a new agreement to keep the in-state matchup on the schedule. The current contract runs through the 2027 season, following the deal signed by Pollard and former Iowa AD Gary Barta in 2022.
A report from the Quad City Times said the two schools are discussing a four-year extension that would push the series through 2031 and keep the game in Week 2. Goetz said the next update on the contract will come “soon,” and described the talks as something that has been in motion for a while.
She said she and Pollard have already had “several conversations” this summer, and made it clear there’s no push from either side to let the rivalry lapse.
“We don't have any intention not to move forward with that,” Goetz said.
Goetz also said Pollard’s upcoming retirement next year should not affect the status of the series. The two athletic directors have also been working through changes in the college football calendar, including the addition of Week 0, but Goetz said the priority remains the same: keeping Iowa and Iowa State on the field every season.
“That game has been incredibly important to our fans and to our entire state,” Goetz said. “There could come a day where conference schedules and those types of things make it a little more difficult to play, but I think until then, we’ll continue to work through making sure that game’s on our calendar every year.”
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti also weighed in on nonconference scheduling and rivalry games, saying the league wants schools to have room to preserve them.
“What we want to do in the league is allow and encourage and have a system that allows our schools to make those decisions,” Petitti said. “That's the way we think about it. No matter what the rivalry game is, I think fans have an expectation about those two things and my senses in our league work hard to preserve them.”
Iowa is set to host this year’s Cy-Hawk game on Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m., and tickets are already sold out.
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