Peterson: Amid realignment chaos, a plea: Leave Iowa State vs. Iowa football rivalry alone

AMES — My hope is that however college football ends up in five or so years that whoever’s in charge respects tradition.

Let’s hope the lure of almighty financial greed isn't strong enough to pull this game off the schedule.

Let’s hope there always will be an Iowa State against Iowa football game, although Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz wonders if there will be an extension after the contract runs out in 2025. Here's what he told Gary Dolphin on his Hawk Talk radio show Wednesday night:

"All bets are off on anything. I think we're probably safe for the next two years, but after that, who knows where college football is going?"

Matt Campbell was as close to adamant as he ever gets about big-picture matters like this when asked about what’s annually the state’s biggest one-day gathering outside the Iowa state fairgrounds. Even with an 0-5 record against the Hawkeyes since taking over the Cyclones’ job in 2016, Campbell’s an all-in Cy-Hawk proponent, and I know it’s just not just coach-speak bluster.

More: Avoiding 'ego or fear' key for Iowa State football quarterback Hunter Dekkers in early success

Here’s how that question and answer went down at the Big 12 Conference’s annual Media Days in July.

Reporter: Iowa State has managed to maintain a rivalry with Iowa, even though you’re in different conferences. As we see conference realignment progressing, we're starting to see more of those traditional rivalries disappear. How can schools manage to accept the change that realignment presents, while also maintaining those traditional rivalries?

Campbell: Man, great question. In our state, we're really fortunate. There are no pro sports teams. To have two Power Five conference programs playing, and able to compete against one another, I think it's really special for our entire state. I know that game has meant a lot to the State of Iowa. It certainly means a lot to our alumni bases and our universities. So for us, we're really grateful that's continued, and certainly has the opportunity to continue moving forward.”

That’s as close to a Campbell mandate as you’re getting. An Ohioan, he recognizes the significance of what happens at 3 p.m. Saturday inside Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. He knows it never has been, nor ever will be, a make-or-break game for either team.

He also knows it’s always a huge game for fans. And really, that’s what this should be all about.

There, I said it. Without fans, Jack Trice and Kinnick stadiums would be empty. Without fans, who’d be watching college football on TV, or wherever games end up being available? Without the annual CyHawk football game, what would our wonderful autumn months resemble?

We went through that for a year, and it wasn’t anything I want to endure again. Not only did COVID force the cancellation of the 2020 game, it did likewise with our treasured Iowa State Fair two summers ago.

“Talk about a one-two punch to the gut,” former Iowa State coach and Iowa player Dan McCarney said then about a game that had been played consecutively since 1977. “Those are fabrics of the state of Iowa. Even non-football fans look toward that special Saturday every season, that special fall tradition of the Iowa-Iowa State football game.”

More: Iowa State football's Matt Campbell on confidence in Hunter Dekkers, Tory Taylor's success

That was before any of this really serious talk about 32 or so of the nation’s biggest and best college programs splitting off on their own. That was before USC and UCLA announced intentions to join the Big Ten, and before the Big 12’s new commissioner, Brett Yormark, proclaimed publicly “we’re open for business” when asked his thoughts on expansion.

“Growing up in this state — this is the game,” Iowa State center Trevor Downing, of Creston, told me this week. “It’s bragging right for the fans and the players.”

He’ll be playing in this series for the third time Saturday, helping entertain fans in the stadium, people watching on television and people tuning in on radio.

A total of 2,704,218 tickets have been sold for this series since Cy-Hawk resumed in 1977. Bars and restaurants will be packed this weekend, just like they are when the game is in Ames. Hotels will bulge. Traffic around the stadium will be a mess. Beer and pop can collectors live for big-return days like this.

“These games are highly anticipated and substantial economic drivers for the schools and the communities,” Bob Bowlsby told me before retiring as the Big 12’s commissioner.

He’s also a former Iowa athletic director. He’s seen this game from multiple angles.

“The games never disappoint,” he said. “They are typically closer than anticipated, and lots of fun under any circumstances.”

More: Peterson: Iowa State fans' thoughts on Hunter Dekkers, the defense and, of course, Cy-Hawk

In the world of big-time sports, that's a word that needs to be focused on more: Fun.

“One of the great joys of being in this state, going on our seventh year, is the energy and the commitment and the excitement of the fan bases in the communities,” Campbell said Tuesday. “That makes it really special.

“There's a great loyalty and a great sense of pride. That's what makes games like this special, no matter what the sport, what the stadium or what the environment, fans show up and they care. They're passionate, and that part makes it really special to be certainly (at Iowa State), but also makes it really special to be involved with a game like this.”

So, to whoever decides the future of this still-great sport, please keep this in mind:

Cy-Hawk is our game.

Leave it alone.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson embarked on his 50th year of writing sports for the Des Moines Register in December 2021. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, 515-284-8132, and on Twitter at @RandyPete.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa vs. Iowa State football rivalry can't go away with realignment