Iowa Football: 5 reasons the Hawkeyes will beat Iowa State

The Cy-Hawk rivalry is always a hotly contested ball game, but with Iowa State’s cancellation against SDSU, it gives Iowa football an advantage over ISU.

It’s a game people in the state of Iowa wait for every 365 days and the seven days leading up to it is a time for trash-talking on both sides. This  year, however, is likely the most hyped-up, anticipated Iowa-Iowa State game in the history of the rivalry.

Both teams are coming off 8-5 seasons, but were met with much different reactions. Iowa State’s was seen as a landmark season under now third-year head coach Matt Campbell. Iowa’s was seen as a season of missed opportunity, but tons of promise.

For Iowa, week 1 went according to the script for Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes, after only leading at halftime 3-0, Iowa scored 30 unanswered points in the second half, mauling Northern Illinois up front in the 33-7 win, Kirk Ferentz’s 144th at Iowa, a new school record. However, Iowa State only managed to play a handful of snaps against South Dakota State before severe weather ultimately canceled the game. Other than Deshaunte Jones, who took a screen pass 55-yards for a touchdown, not much could be gathered after that.

Saturday’s game is crucial for both sides for more than just bragging rights. For Iowa, it’s a chance to keep on schedule and keep pace for a possible Big Ten West crown, and for Iowa State, a chance to prove how good they really are under Matt Campbell. But here is why Iowa will emerge from Kinnick Stadium victorious on Saturday.