Cy-Hawk Rivalry Heads to NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night as Iowa State Visits Ranked Iowa

One of college football’s longest-running in-state rivalries takes the national stage Saturday night, when Iowa State travels to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City to face No. 21 Iowa with the Cy-Hawk Trophy at stake. It will be the 73rd meeting in a series that dates to 1894, and the broadcast slot underscores the value marquee matchups carry for the game’s new media rights holders.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with streaming available on Peacock. Pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Big Ten College Countdown. The night’s coverage opens earlier, at 3:30 p.m. ET, when No. 3 Notre Dame hosts Rice, following a 3 p.m. edition of College Countdown.

A tight series with recent Cyclone momentum

Iowa holds a 46-25 all-time edge, but Iowa State has claimed the last two meetings by a combined margin of four points. The matchup has been remarkably close in the modern era: since 1998, Iowa leads just 14-13, and 12 of the past 14 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

A roster remade under new leadership

Iowa State enters its first season under head coach Jimmy Rogers, who succeeded Matt Campbell after his departure to Penn State. The Cyclones opened with a 38-10 win over Southeast Missouri State and are chasing a 2-0 start for the third straight year — a feat they managed only once between 2013 and 2023.

Few contributors remain from previous squads: the roster features 83 new players and no returning starters. Among the holdovers is kicker Kyle Konrardy, now a redshirt junior, whose 54-yard field goals delivered wins over Iowa in each of the last two seasons.

The offense is now guided by senior quarterback Jalen Raynor, a transfer who started 36 games at Arkansas State from 2023-25. In the opener, he accounted for four touchdowns — two passing and two rushing — while throwing for 184 yards on 8-of-16 passing.

For Comcast, which owns NBC and Peacock, high-profile Big Ten windows like this one are a visible piece of its media strategy; the company’s shares recently traded at $25.30, up about 1% on the day, with a market cap of roughly $92.5 billion.

What to watch

• Whether Iowa State can open 2-0 for a third consecutive season under a first-year coaching staff.
• Whether Iowa can end its two-game skid in the series at home.
• NBC and Peacock’s remaining Big Ten Saturday Night slate as the season progresses.
• Comcast’s upcoming quarterly earnings, which will detail Peacock subscriber trends and media segment performance.

Source: original release