Iowa vs. Iowa State rivalry takes on greater importance in expanded College Football Playoff era

In every way, the Iowa vs. Iowa State rivalry is one of the ugliest games in college football. Last season, the teams combined for 12 punts and neither crossed 300 yards of offense. Iowa State had a chance to tie the game last year with 83 seconds left but to no avail. The year prior, Iowa missed a game-tying field goal as time expired. The last six matchups have been decided by 10 or fewer points. Over that time period, half were decided by three or fewer points. 

The Cy-Hawk can be an ugly mess, but it’s also emblematic of the best college football has to offer. At a time where people fret about the regular season meaning less in the expanded College Football Playoff era, Iowa vs. Iowa State — Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) — is a reminder that regular-season games are actually more important than ever. 

These two schools are separated by only 130 miles in America’s 31st biggest state. They’re programs built to drag their opponents to hell with dominant defense and ball-control offense. At a time when college football is changing rapidly, the Cy-Hawk Trophy is a perfect example of what the sport needs to preserve. 

“I think people want to watch rivalry football games and great games,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “I think that’s what this game has certainly stood for over the test of time. I think that’s what makes this game really special. The more you look at what you watch, everyone is tuning into the big games and games that mean a lot with a lot on the line.” 

Iowa and Iowa State first played in 1894, but Iowa coach Ossie Solem essentially ended the first run of the rivalry after dodging calls to schedule the next matchup. Forty years later, cooler heads prevailed and the…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/iowa-vs-iowa-state-rivalry-takes-on-greater-importance-in-expanded-college-football-playoff-era/

Author : Shehan Jeyarajah

Publish date : 2024-09-05 16:23:07

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.