Should Iowa extend the series with ISU?

AFM22

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I remember a radio interview with Bowlsby I believe before he left, and Dolph asked him about scheduling and getting better opponents. He replied that he had talks with just about everybody P5 (whatever you want to call it back then) and it always boiled down to programs need home games, period - from a revenue standpoint because you never get as much money playing on the road as you do at home.

A school like Iowa (and pretty much all major schools), losing home games hurts the pocketbook.

If you're an SEC team, would you be willing to give up a home game? To play up at Iowa? Hell no. And TV $ isn't going to make that money up even if you do a neutral site. They'd LOVE to see Iowa travel down south, but them coming back up to Iowa? Nope, not happening.

I mean...you can also sit there and state today's overall TV money makes up for the loss...but why not have the TV money AND home game revenue?


I believe a 10th B10 conference game is much more likely - if the money is there to make it great for all schools. As for any other major conference, only some sort of contractual agreement between say the SEC and B10 that guarantees "scheduling fairness" as well as being 100% revenue fair for all schools would something like that be possible. I just don't see that happening unless say an Amazon throws out obscenely huge money - not impossible, but highly improbable. Do I want to see Iowa get some big names on the schedule? Sure. But again, if it were (snaps fingers) that easy, we'd have seen it by now.

Money is the issue - always has been, always will be. EVERY program wants more. And in today's financial climate, if you want to compete, you need simply "more".
Alabama, Auburn, and Texas have all done home and home's with Big 10 teams in the last 6 years.
 
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AFM22

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NBC put the Iowa v Iowa State game in the evening on national TV.
NBC to the rest of the nation

 
Feb 25, 2008
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Besides, we all know if the game went away, all we'd do is schedule a MAC cupcake or something similar almost every season.
To this point, they're actually trying to mandate that all P4 programs play at least 10 P4/major teams each season.

Iowa would need to schedule another team from the B12, ACC, or SEC.
 

Kceasthawk@77

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SEC won't happen because of greed. B10? Maybe.

I'd believe the only chance of either occuring would be if a merger of sorts occurs between the 2 conferences.

Money, as always, will make the decisions on any/all of this.
I believe there actually is a discussion between the two conferences about an annual SEC vs B1G series like the basketball one with the big east
 

oldxbbc

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Everyone has an opinion on this, personally I say play ISU every year unless something weird happens regarding conference expansion etc.
 

HMB Trumpet

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Iowa is in a no-win situation playing this game. If they win, it’s viewed the same as beating a MAC team, which is simply expected. But if they lose, it’s treated like losing to a MAC team, making the downside far greater than the upside.
That hasn't been the case for several years now.
 
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OnlyTheObscure

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Iowa is in a no-win situation playing this game. If they win, it’s viewed the same as beating a MAC team, which is simply expected. But if they lose, it’s treated like losing to a MAC team, making the downside far greater than the upside.
Meh. Hasnt had any effect on them making or not making playoff.

really nobody cares about generic bowl game tiers
 

MeetTheFerentzes

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Everyone has an opinion on this, personally I say play ISU every year unless something weird happens regarding conference expansion etc.
This is basically where I am. I’m not a big fan of having this game every season, but there’s enough interest that I’m ok with it. However, it would have to be dropped if the game started holding the program back. For instance, if a 10th conference game or mandatory home/home with an SEC team were mandated, but the regular season remained 12 games, there would simply never be room for an away game at Iowa State without the program losing revenue, so Iowa would have to drop the series or only play ISU at home for the sake of self-preservation.
 
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2D

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I would say no. Instead, we should play once every few years. There's never any benefit to beating them. The nation sees Iowa State as a bottom feeder, so beating them doesn't impress anyone.
 
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Clonewithasigh

Heisman
Jun 18, 2001
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I say no . . . unless it's only played once every three or four years. Iowa needs to have schedule flexibility. Playing ISU every year does nothing for Iowa. As a fan, I'd love to see Iowa play some different teams. Playing ISU once every three or four years would keep the series alive but allow fans, and players, to experience some new opponents and new stadiums. After all, Iowa managed quite well without playing ISU at all for about 40 years. So I say stop the annual series and let's see something new.
Absolutely not….get rid of this series as it has run its course. There is going to be a fairly seismic shift coming in 5 or 6 years and most of the P4 conferences are going to be reorganized, including small market teams in the higher revenue conferences.
 

rchawk

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Absolutely not….get rid of this series as it has run its course. There is going to be a fairly seismic shift coming in 5 or 6 years and most of the P4 conferences are going to be reorganized, including small market teams in the higher revenue conferences.
The series will die a natural death. I predict the Big Ten and SEC will absorb one independent/ACC school, four or five from the ACC, and one (two tops) Big 12 school. This is for all sports of course.

The more marketable of the remainder of the ACC and Big 12 will merge to form a conference that will be Power Two and a Half. The leftovers will find homes elsewhere.
 
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paednoch23

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The series will die a natural death. I predict the Big Ten and SEC will absorb one independent/ACC school, four or five from the ACC, and one (two tops) Big 12 school. This is for all sports of course.

The more marketable of the remainder of the ACC and Big 12 will merge to form a conference that will be Power Two and a Half. The leftovers will find homes elsewhere.
It won’t be a power 2.5. It will be a G5 type thing. The distance between the super conference will exceed the difference between current D1 and D2. In 5 years big 10 teams will score 60+ points against any leftovers. This has been coming and it’s finally on the doorstep. ISU sports is going to decline into the same category as UNI. It’s inevitable. And it works out perfectly for a state our population. 20 years from now clown fan decadents won’t exist. They will be Iowa fans and ISU fans similar to the current uni Iowa relationship. Iowa will be the big show. And the whole state will pull for them.
 
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Kceasthawk@77

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It won’t be a power 2.5. It will be a G5 type thing. The distance between the super conference will exceed the difference between current D1 and D2. In 5 years big 10 teams will score 60+ points against any leftovers. This has been coming and it’s finally on the doorstep. ISU sports is going to decline into the same category as UNI. It’s inevitable. And it works out perfectly for a state our population. 20 years from now clown fan decadents won’t exist. They will be Iowa fans and ISU fans similar to the current uni Iowa relationship. Iowa will be the big show. And the whole state will pull for them.
Iowa had to block two field goals in the last 15 seconds to beat UNI in a season where they almost went undefeated. NEVER underestimate the in state rivals, no matter the talent discrepancy.
 

Amahawk

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I say no . . . unless it's only played once every three or four years. Iowa needs to have schedule flexibility. Playing ISU every year does nothing for Iowa. As a fan, I'd love to see Iowa play some different teams. Playing ISU once every three or four years would keep the series alive but allow fans, and players, to experience some new opponents and new stadiums. After all, Iowa managed quite well without playing ISU at all for about 40 years. So I say stop the annual series and let's see something new.
ISU 3 out of the last 4. Get revenge first!
 

Driftless_Hawk

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Oct 12, 2025
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It won’t be a power 2.5. It will be a G5 type thing. The distance between the super conference will exceed the difference between current D1 and D2. In 5 years big 10 teams will score 60+ points against any leftovers. This has been coming and it’s finally on the doorstep. ISU sports is going to decline into the same category as UNI. It’s inevitable. And it works out perfectly for a state our population. 20 years from now clown fan decadents won’t exist. They will be Iowa fans and ISU fans similar to the current uni Iowa relationship. Iowa will be the big show. And the whole state will pull for them.
Agree. This is the inevitable future, and clown fans know it.
 

Driftless_Hawk

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Within 10 years B1G and SEC will split from NCAA with their own commissioner setting the rules. TT, Miami, Florida State and Clemson will join SEC while ND and North Carolina will join B1G.
 

OLeeeHawk

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In-state rivalries are one of the beautiful things about college football.

I can't believe how many people want the game gone.
 

rchawk

All-American
Oct 27, 2001
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Agree. This is the inevitable future, and clown fans know it.
Whoever the Big Ten adds, you can be sure their addition WILL NOT make current members' piece of the money pie smaller. I also think a school had better be in the AAU if they want Big Ten presidents to vote them in.

The SEC may not care about the AAU, but like the Big Ten they are going to take teams that make everybody money, not lose. There may be six to eight schools total in the ACC and Big 12 that can do that.

The Big 12 screwed up when they panicked with schools quitting the conference. They added new schools that made existing members' piece of the pie SMALLER. Fortunately for them the Pac 12 blew up. If they lose anybody else (Texas Tech) they can always invite North Dakota State to join.
 
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