Hlas: Cy-Hawk rivalry doesn't grab national attention

Sure, Iowa-Iowa State has ingredients necessary for a great in-state college football rivalry.

There's plenty of they-don't-like-us and we-don't-like-them among fans of both teams. The atmosphere at each year's game is tense and intense.

But is this a storied intrastate series, one needing no introduction to the other 49 states? If only.

The date

Among this season's games scheduled for Nov. 28: Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, Florida State-Florida, Utah-BYU, Clemson-South Carolina, UCLA-USC, Georgia Tech-Georgia, Washington State-Washington, Virginia Tech-Virginia.

Alabama-Auburn is the day before, Texas-Texas A&M the day before that.

Those are regular-season finales, renewals of in-state feuds anticipated all year, every year.

As it is, the season has just begun when Iowa and ISU are thrown together.

When the Iowa-ISU game of 2001 was postponed until late November because of 9/11, the timing of the game felt right. It was icing on the season's cake.

The name

The Iowa-ISU game is part of the Cy-Hawk Series. Hopefully, it took no more than six seconds to come up with that handle.

Alabama and Auburn meet in the Iron Bowl. Ole Miss and Mississippi State have the Egg Bowl. They're two wildly different images, but they're distinct and unique.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State play the “Bedlam Game.” Oregon and Oregon State have “The Civil War.” Utah and BYU? “The Holy War.”

Those names paint emotion-splashed pictures, wouldn't you say?

The Des Moines Register has taken to calling Iowa-ISU “The Big Game” and “Big Game.” That isn't nearly as bad as the state pondering “Iowa: A State of Minds” as its license plate slogan years ago, but it's not good. Or original.

California-Stanford has been termed “The Big Game” since 1900. They were first. There should be no second.

The trophy

At the Iowa Hawkeyes' booth at last month's Iowa State Fair, the Heartland Trophy (Iowa-Wisconsin, a bull), Floyd of Rosedale (Iowa-Minnesota, a pig) and the Outback Bowl trophy (a boomerang) were on display. Iowa won all three last season.

Where was the Cy-Hawk Trophy, also currently in the Hawkeyes' possession? It was no slap to Iowa State that it wasn't brought to Des Moines. It's simply not much to see.

It consists of a ball carrier doing a stiff-arm on one side, and a football on the other. Beer-league bowling champions have won better hardware.

A state of minds can create something better.

The history

Iowa-ISU's history as a football rivalry is cut virtually in half by a 43-year period in which the teams didn't play each other.

There was a lot of bad blood between the two way back when, and there weren't even Internet message boards to blame.

U.S. Commissioner of Education Philander P. Claxton sent UI President Virgil Hancher word that the Iowa-ISU game was a source of feuds and allegations between the two schools. Claxton said there was no reason for its existence to continue.

The schools halted the series after the 1934 game in Ames. It was three decades before serious movement occurred to restart the series, another decade to make it happen.

South Carolina and Clemson have met every year since 1909. Texas A&M and Texas will hook up for the 115th time come this Thanksgiving. That “Civil War” in Oregon between the Beavers and Ducks has been fought since 1894.

If Iowa-ISU endures for another 40 or 50 consecutive years, it might build history to brag about. But its present run is younger than Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston.

The games

Iowa and Iowa State haven't co-produced many games worthy of ESPN Classic.

A truly great rivalry needs greatness. It takes two to tango. Very rarely have both the Cyclones and Hawkeyes come in to this game nationally ranked. That has mostly been Iowa State's fault.

Iowa hasn't won a BCS-type bowl game in a half-century. Iowa State has never even been to one.

If both were in the Top Ten when they met ... hey, a state can dream.

The challenge

This rivalry's status could grow quickly under the right conditions.

If the Hawkeyes and Cyclones have a few epic encounters with each other, become powerful in the same era, and start luring the eyes of America to this game?

By Jove, you'll have something huge here.

Until then, at least give the series a snappy name.