CHICAGO - There will be Cy-Hawk football beyond the 2027 season. 

Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz confirmed that she and Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard have begun negotiations to continue the state of Iowa's most intense sporting event. 

"We don’t have any intention not to move forward with that,” Goetz said at Big Ten Media Days on July 28. “Jamie and I have talked several times this summer. We were both juggling the changes to the Week Zero format and were looking at games we already had on the schedule and things like that. I would expect you’ll see that soon. We’ve talked through dates and will be ready to move forward.”

The series' current contract was announced in November 2022 and was slated to run for five years. A similar scenario appears to be in the cards for this next contract, as the Quad City Times reported it would be a four-year contract through the 2031 edition. 

UPDATE: One day after this article was posted, Iowa State officially announced the series would indeed continue through 2031 with Week 2 matchups. Here are the dates. 

Sept. 9, 2028: Iowa City

Sept. 8, 2029: Ames 

Sept. 7, 2030: Iowa City 

Sept. 6, 2031: Ames 

Goetz doesn't believe Pollard's upcoming retirement will impact any future discussions, and she also confirmed the game would remain in its traditional Week 2 slot, though there were talks of moving the game to Week Zero. 

"We talked a little bit about exploring Week Zero," Goetz told the Quad City Times. "I think there's a couple of things. Is that too early in terms of what general fans are thinking? Are they ready for that game? Are they still taking vacation? Those dates are going to get a little bit earlier in the years to come. So, I just think it makes sense for us to stay where we are."

Hawkeye and Cyclone fans have argued back and forth on social media about the continuation of the rivalry for weeks, but now that it's finally settled, it's time to bring some hypothetical responses in to this. 

Not only have fans argued about the meaning of the game, they've also bickered about when it should take place. It sounds like Week 2 is the plan again, but imagine if it took place on the final week of the regular season during Rivalry Week? 

So when is the best time to play the Cy-Hawk game? I've got my thoughts here. 

The only reason why Pollard and Goetz discussed this was likely because of the strong likelihood that a 24-team College Football Playoff will be implemented in the near future. If the CFP does indeed expand to 24 teams, the schedule that we know today will be no more, and it's likely that Week Zero would become the new Week 1. 

Though playing the Cy-Hawk game in the season opener would be a ton of fun (and also be the most toxic week in this state's history), rivalry games should always be reserved for much later in the season. 

Frustrated Iowa State fans complained about the Week 2 slot during the Cyclones' six-game losing streak from 2015-2021, but I don't have much of a problem with it. 

Week 2 is very early for a rivalry game to be played, but it just fits this rivalry perfectly. Both teams are always unpredictable at this point, which makes for a wild (and sometimes ugly) football game. Iowa is usually the favorite in this rivalry, but any good Hawkeye team usually takes time to gel, which makes an Iowa State upset bid highly likely compared to if it had been played later in the season. 

Any great rivalry game is historically played on the final day of the regular season during Rivalry Week. Iowa-Iowa State would instantly get similar national attention to the Egg Bowl (Ole Miss-Mississippi State) if it was played the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but the logistics are a little harder here. 

While Iowa State doesn't have a traditional game on Rivalry Week anymore, Iowa has its own tradition of playing Nebraska on Black Friday every year. And if the Nebraska tradition ends, Wisconsin and Minnesota could easily fill that slot. 

Though it would be intriguing to see this game take place on a different date, Week 2 just seems like the best fit for this game because it just adds a layer of character that not many games that take during Rivalry Week have. 

Washington (Washington State), Clemson (South Carolina), Oklahoma (Oklahoma State) are just a few of the many teams that are already well on their way towards excellent seasons by the time they play their struggling in-state rivals, and it just feels like that could be the case while a consistent Iowa team takes on rebuilding Iowa State the next few years. 

If Jimmy Rogers completes a Matt Campbell-esque rebuild, then consider moving the game to a different date in the next contract. But until then, keep it at Week 2. 

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This is easily the biggest giveaway we've ever done on this site, and it's a great opportunity for two lucky fans to experience the joy of attending a Hawkeye football game at Kinnick Stadium. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]