Let's just face it, rivalry games are a weird, weird thing in college football. They don't make much sense half the time. Weird plays somehow decide games.
After holding out for so long and retaining the geographical in-state rivalry, the Cy-Hawk game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones could be the latest casualty of the ever-changing world of college football that we live in.
Phil Parker's defenses are built upon elite defensive back play. You know the history. It's what Iowa does. This year, that distinction belongs to Zach Lutmer, the Iowa Hawkeyes' do-it-all safety, cornerback, and coach on the field.
It has been a bit of a roller-coaster season for the unranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, and that's something longtime Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz can understand.
Sitting idly, the Iowa Hawkeyes are some of college football's biggest beneficiaries of the chaos that this sport always seems to drum up. Iowa is 5-1 and has a six-game stretch of tough but very winnable games against the old Big Ten West.
What fun would the Iowa Hawkeyes be if they made things easy and straightforward? That would take half the fun out of this whole thing! We saw chaos across the college football world create a College Football Playoff path for Iowa, so what about a quarterback controversy to boot?
Come on, now. Did any of us really think that Kirk Ferentz was ever going to even slightly show his hand? That's not how he rolls. He's been around the block a few times - actually more than any other coach in college football - and he has a plan.
The Battle for the Heartland has seen some snoozers in recent years, but for the most part, this rivalry between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers is a vintage Big Ten showdown that brings the best of the old, traditional aspects of the sport to center stage.
The Iowa Hawkeyes had the weekend off after jumping out to a 5-1 start to the season, which came at just the right time. Iowa had a grind of a stretch against Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are lurking. Like they so often do in games, where they just hang around, don't beat themselves, and somehow find a way late, they are replicating that strategy in the polls, which are slowly starting to reward the Hawkeyes.
There was something in the air across the entire college football landscape yesterday. Upsets, tight games, and chaos ruled the week, despite the Iowa Hawkeyes sitting idle on a bye week.
Phil Parker has built the Iowa Hawkeyes into a defensive unit known not only for shutting down opponents but also known for creating timely, game-changing turnovers.
Come to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Play linebacker. Reap the rewards. That's the recipe, and it's rather simple. This defense produces top linebacker talent year after year.
It's the story that is going to dominate the headlines surrounding the Iowa Hawkeyes for the next week and a half until they step on the field against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
How many of the winningest football coaches in Big Ten history can you name?
How can you dismiss getting out to a 4-1 start that included a Cy-Hawk win over Iowa State and a walk-off touchdown pass on the road to stun the Michigan Wolverines?
If the quarterback controversy for the Iowa Hawkeyes was supposed to end when Hank Brown took all of the snaps against Iowa State and Michigan, Jeremy Hecklinski must not have gotten that memo in the mail.
A 5-1 record makes it hard to not say that the Iowa Hawkeyes are passing the 2026 season test with great marks so far. The Hawkeyes continue to grade out well each week on offense, defense, special teams, and coaching, but how about by position group?
The Iowa Hawkeyes got some unfortunate injury news Friday morning ahead of a pivotal Big Ten showdown against the Washington Huskies.
The challenges won't end for Iowa just because one of the best teams in the country is now in the rearview of the schedule.
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has his eyes on the prize. The Buckeyes wide receiver had another spectacular outing Saturday against the Iowa Hawkeyes, leading his team to a 31-14 win at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Pat McAfee’s Kicking Is Easy contest hit a rough patch in Iowa City on Saturday as Iowa freshman Finley Banfig missed a seven-figure field goal opportunity
For the first time in two decades, the eyes of the college football world will be on Iowa Saturday when the No. 14 Hawkeyes host No. 5 Ohio State in Iowa City.
Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes don't have much time to celebrate their Week 4 last-second win over the Michigan Wolverines at the Big House.
Jackson was an all-around contributor for the Hawkeyes.
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