Iowa State Cyclones running back Aiden Flora celebrates a touchdown. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on Google The annual Cy-Hawk Game between Iowa State and Iowa is everything that we love about college football.
The encounter, which is almost always played during Week 2, is one of the first rivalry games each season and puts a flyover state with no professional sports teams in front of a national audience.
And while Iowa vs. Iowa State may not jump to the front of mind when it comes to college football’s fiercest rivalries, the atmosphere before and during the Cy-Hawk Game is as colorful as any gridiron-based feud in the country.
These two programs and their fans can’t stand one another.
After losing six Cy-Hawk Games in a row from 2015-21, Iowa State has won three of the last four encounters with their hated rivals.
The bookmakers don’t see that trend continuing, however, as Iowa is a 14-point favorite at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday.
Both of these programs were the picture of stability for the last 10 years.
And while the Hawkeyes remain so, the Cyclones are in a new era after Matt Campbell bolted for Penn State. A whopping 55 players also left Ames, with a large portion of them joining their former head coach in Happy Valley.
In comes Jimmy Rogers, who admirably guided Washington State to a 7-6 season in his one year in Pullman. Prior to that, Rogers was at South Dakota State, where he won a national championship in 2023.
Iowa quarterback Hank Brown. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect There is a lot to like about the potential of Rogers building on the foundation that Campbell laid in Ames, but it’s likely going to take some time before we get close to that level.
That said, there is some potential for fireworks when the Cyclones have the ball.
Rogers brought his offensive coordinator, Jesse Bobbit, with him from Wazzu, and recruited high-ceiling quarterback Jaylen Raynor from Arkansas State.
If the other transfers around Raynor work out, the Cyclones should score plenty.
Whether that will be enough to support a defense that projects to be a work in progress remains to be seen.
When Iowa State goes up against the offensive juggernauts in the Big 12, things could go south pretty quickly, but I’m skeptical that Iowa’s offense will pack that kind of punch.
The Hawkeyes were able to overwhelm Northern Illinois in a 40-0 victory, but something tells me that the Cyclones will be more competitive against an Iowa offense that still prefers to plod its way down the field rather than take the top off the defense.
Iowa may be in much better shape for this season than Iowa State, but it’s going to be hard to trust the Hawkeyes until they show the ability to rip off big plays against a quality opponent.
The Play: Iowa State +14 (-110, DraftKings)
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
