Football
While the outcome may not have been desirable for the Hawkeyes in their last few showings, there’s no doubt that football is the best part of the Cy-Hawk rivalry. The main reason for this is the fact that college football at both Iowa and Iowa State is simply more enjoyable than college basketball.
While I once held the belief that Carver-Hawkeye Arena was the superior venue, my view has since shifted more heavily toward Kinnick Stadium.
It has a bigger capacity, more enthusiastic fans, and some of the best traditions in college football, from the team’s entrance to AC/DC’s “Back in Black” to the iconic Hawkeye Wave.
Kinnick Stadium only hosts every other Cy-Hawk game, but even Iowa fans can appreciate elements of Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. It’s grown significantly in capacity, from 42,500 in 1975 to 61,500 currently. It also has a rich history, being the only Division I FBS stadium or arena to be named after a Black athlete.
Jack Trice was Iowa State’s first Black athlete, and some have even credited him as the innovator of football’s “shovel” pass. Neither of those accomplishments should be taken lightly.
It’s no surprise that every Cy-Hawk football game is both heavily attended and endorsed. The days leading up to the game see both schools making signs and banners to root for their team, and while the festivities surrounding “hate week” may not exactly be wholesome, they culminate in what’s arguably one of the biggest rivalries in college football.
Yes, basketball is an exciting college sport, and yes, both the men’s and women’s squads at Iowa and Iowa State have proven staples of the sport.
But you just can’t compare the contests of Carver-Hawkeye Arena and Hilton Coliseum to the sheer spectacle of one of the NCAA’s greatest rivalry games – Cy-Hawk football.
Basketball
With origins all the way back to 1894, Iowa and Iowa State have been pitted against each other in a bitter in-state rivalry. Looking across the multiple sports, one sport distinctly stands above the rest as supreme – basketball.
When revisiting the history between these two programs, standout memories like Jordan Bohannon leaving his game-worn shoes at center court following Iowa’s 16-point triumph in 2019, and Caitlin Clark dropping 35 points in 2023 as the No. 4 Hawkeyes beat Iowa State, 67-58, amid a hostile Hilton Coliseum crowd immediately come to mind.
The rivalry has seen many college athletes move onto the NBA and WNBA, with famed Cyclones like George Niang, Tyrese Haliburton, and Bridget Carlton taking the next step. The Hawkeyes have also seen athletes make the jump to the next level as well, as Luka Garza, Keegan Murray, and Joe Wieskamp are all getting stints in the NBA.
With talent like this, fans are itching for more games with the same passion and effort displayed on the court.
While many like to think of the Iowa and Iowa State football match as the crown jewel of the rivalry, basketball involves the men’s and women’s teams, giving fans two separate opportunities to see athletes compete.
The women’s game has recently leaned in favor of the Hawkeyes, with an all-time series record of 32-23 and eight out of the last nine going to Iowa.
The same cannot be said for the men’s squad, which is fresh off an 80-89 home loss last season to then-No. 3 Iowa State.
However, with the departure of Fran McCaffery and the arrival of new head coach Ben McCollum and a 8-1 record many Hawkeye fans believe this year could be the year the tides change in favor of the black and gold.
The Cy-Hawk rivalry on the court has continued to deliver on the highest levels of excitement in the past and will likely continue for years to come.