I would like to say it is a pleasant surprise, but it is more of a fact at this point. The Iowa Hawkeyes are the gold standard of college football in the state of Iowa and their consistent production and success speaks for itself.
The Hawkeyes were selected over the underwhelming Iowa State Cyclones and a feisty Northern Iowa Panthers team from the FCS as the best team in the state of Iowa entering the 2022 college football season by CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee.
The Hawkeyes have won six straight Cy-Hawk trophies over arch-rival Iowa State and finished in the AP Top 25 in each of the last four seasons. They also went 10-4 last season, winning the Big Ten West Coach Kirk Ferentz has established one of the most stable programs in the country, and that doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy anytime soon. – Sallee, CBS Sports.
As stated, Iowa is turning the Cy-Hawk rivalry into a rather one-sided affair that is appearing more and more like an early season game for the Hawkeyes than it is an in-state rivalry game. Kirk Ferentz has utterly dominated Matt Campbell as the Cyclones head coach is still winless against Iowa.
Iowa is undoubtedly the best team in the state entering 2022 after their performance in 2021 but they have also earned this in head-to-head matchups as well.
Iowa is 7-0 all-time against Northern Iowa and has more than doubled up Iowa State with a commanding 46-22 advantage in the all-time series. The Hawkeyes host Iowa State on September 10 in the annual Cy-Hawk matchup and will have an early season opportunity to stake their claim once again as the best college football team in Iowa.
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