For nearly five decades, every football fan in the state of Iowa has navigated to his or her recliner on the second or third weekend of the college football season to watch the annual rivalry clash between Iowa and Iowa State. 

No matter how many points one team is favored by, the entire state will still come out in droves to support their respective team on game day. 

Ten years ago, the thought of losing the Cy-Hawk game was unheard of, but the changing landscape in college athletics has undermined some of the sport's greatest rivalries. 

Bedlam (Oklahoma-Oklahoma State), the Backyard Brawl (Pittsburgh-West Virginia), and the Civil War (Oregon-Oregon State) are just a few of the well-known rivalry games that have been pushed to complete hiatus or relegated to infrequent meetings because of conference realignment. 

The 2026 edition of the Cy-Hawk game will be mark the 50th consecutive meeting between the Hawkeyes and Cyclones, but as it stands right now, it's the penultimate contest. 

Why? Because Iowa and Iowa State's contract expires after the 2027 meeting in Ames, which means time is running out for both schools to agree on a new contract. 

The general consensus seems to be that both schools are interested in renewing this longtime rivalry, but does Iowa still benefit from playing Iowa State each year? 

It's a complicated question, but my answer is no. 

Cyclone fans are probably going to fry me on X for this take, but they don't have much of a leg to stand on here. 

Though Iowa State has won three of the last four matchups, Iowa has and will always be the superior football program. The Cyclones barely found any historical success until Matt Campbell's arrival, and asking Jimmy Rogers to match or exceed that consistency won't be an easy task. 

Rogers certainly has the pedigree to do so, but it's probably going to take him at least two years to regain some momentum after Campbell's departure gutted the entire roster. 

Iowa State has produced better head-to-head results in recent years, but the Hawkeyes have everything the Cyclones do not - a larger, higher-revenue generating stadium, more bowl appearances and victories, more seasons with a final AP poll finish, and a nationally-recognizable brand. 

Not surprisingly, this disadvantage heavily benefits Iowa State in the win department. Whenever the Cyclones beat Iowa on the gridiron, it's much-needed morale and attention for their athletic department, but for Iowa, it's the exact opposite. 

The Hawkeyes are almost always the favorite (last year was a rare exception) in this game, so there's always an immense pressure to escape with a victory. An Iowa victory is also massive for its morale, but a loss to Iowa State isn't just a damaging blow for a week, it's detrimental to the outcome of the entire season. 

Playing in-state rivalries is healthy for the sport, but the bottom line here is that the Cyclones just aren't a quality football program. In an era where quality wins may make or break a team's College Football Playoff hopes, the Hawkeyes may want to look elsewhere. 

But that doesn't mean abandoning this rivalry completely. It still needs to be played, but I think the sweet spot would be to play every 3-4 years. This gap would allow Iowa to schedule more-prestigious non-conference games in between their matchups with Iowa State. The Cyclones could also increase their own brand by doing the same thing. 

If the Big 12 decides to implement the 10-game conference schedule it has proposed for weeks, this type of scenario will almost be required to save the Cy-Hawk game anyway.

For what it's worth, I believe that Iowa and Iowa State will renew their annual series if the Big 12 doesn't proceed with the 10-game conference slate idea. 

Remember that this article is simply my opinion on the direction Iowa's next contract with Iowa State should be heading. If my proposed idea fails, then the Hawkeyes can easily revert back to their annual meeting with the Cyclones. 

Why not give it a try in 2028 and see what happens? 

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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]