Kickoff is coming. The Cy-Hawk game is nearing its 2025 rendition, and it pits the 1-0 Iowa Hawkeyes against the 2-0 Iowa State Cyclones for a seismic matchup in the great state of Iowa.
This game always serves as a measuring stick for both teams, and this year, it could be one of the most important Cy-Hawk games of the last decade, if not more. Both teams are dreaming big things for this season, and it begins with this college football headlining matchup.
With kickoff nearing, ESPN dug deep into the rivalry and provided their preview of what to look out for, expect, and the projections.
Iowa State’s season
Iowa State is prepared for this game. They have had the luxury of two games to work through things and have come out unbeaten. They are entering this game with a lot of confidence, as they should, given their early-season showings.
Few teams have proved more through two games than Iowa State. The Cyclones outlasted Kansas State in a massively important Week 0 contest in Ireland, then returned home and mauled both jet lag and a solid South Dakota team last Saturday. They’re tackling well, defending the run effectively and forcing loads of turnovers. Basically, they’re doing the things Iowa typically does to win lots of games. – Bill Connelly, ESPN
Iowa’s season
Iowa’s Week 1 game was rather ho-hum and what you would expect from a Kirk Ferentz team. They ran the ball, controlled the clock, played good defense, and put things on cruise control to an easy win. This week will be much more testing and require a four-quarter effort, something Iowa did not do last week with its slow start.
Iowa wasn’t tested much against Albany in Week 1; the Hawkeyes ran the ball at will — Terrell Washington Jr., Xavier Williams and Jaziun Patterson had 33 combined carries for 238 yards — and they neither asked for nor got much from new quarterback Mark Gronowski. The defense gave up a single, 68-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter but otherwise allowed 2.9 yards per play. – Bill Connelly, ESPN
Quarterback play
The quarterbacks in this game are supremely talented veteran leaders. Mark Gronowski could become the winningest quarterback in Division I history with a win. Rocco Becht is playing lights out. These two know big games, like the big moment, and know they will be called on for a big play down the stretch.
A two-time FCS national champion at South Dakota State, Gronowski disclosed that he had some “anxiety and anxiousness” in his first FBS start, and he suffered some misfires while going 8-for-15 for just 44 yards. (He had 47 non-sack rushing yards, too, which was something.) He’ll have to get over that pretty quickly in Ames. And against ISU quarterback Rocco Becht, who was ever-so-slightly better Saturday (19-for-20 for 278 yards and three TDs), the Iowa defense will have to prove that it remains plug-and-play — Becht & Co. will test the Hawkeyes’ five new starters in the back seven. – Bill Connelly, ESPN
What this game means
Both of these teams have dreams of breaking through and getting into their first College Football Playoff. Whoever wins this one will add a massive boost to their resume and set themselves up for a run to the postseason. The loser isn’t necessarily out of the race, but things get a whole lot harder for whoever drops this game.
Enough Big 12 teams looked awesome in Week 1 that the conference doesn’t have to think about settling for being a one-bid league just yet. Still, with a loss Saturday, ISU could focus on reaching the CFP with a conference title. Iowa probably won’t have that luxury; this one is therefore a bit more important for the road team. But considering the Hawkeyes’ recent record in Ames, that probably doesn’t scare them all that much. – Bill Connelly, ESPN
Odds and projections
ESPN’s projections, the SP+ and FPI, are big on the Cyclones this week, with both projecting them to come out on top and by more than the current spread. The shocking one is the SP+ projection, which has the Cyclones coming out by nearly a touchdown over the Hawkeyes.
Current line: ISU -3.5
SP+ projection: ISU by 6.5
FPI projection: ISU by 3.8
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: ESPN previews Iowa vs. Iowa State Cy-Hawk matchup
Reporting by Riley Donald, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
