In 2016, Iowa football was flying high after a 12-2 2015 season and a first-place finish in the Big Ten West. The horrific loss to Stanford in the Rose Bowl aside, Iowa had massive expectations for 2016, beginning with showing Iowa State's new head coach, Matt Campbell, who was boss.
Now almost 10 years later, Campbell is in State College, PA as the new head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, and while Ferentz still has a great amount of respect for Campbell, he also admitted that he is happy is has left the Cy-Hawk rivalry. Ferentz was asked about Campbell and Penn State during the Big Ten Football Media days, and his response didn't disappoint.
Ferentz sounded a little too happy that Campbell is gone
The annual Cy-Hawk rivalry had gone the way of the Hawkeyes entering the 2016 season, with Kirk Ferentz's squad winning six of the previous 10, but Campbell wasn't going to let Ferentz and the Hawkeyes run all over them. Campbell was a rising-star coach with Toledo, and even though he struggled against the Hawkeyes during his tenure in Ames (3-6 overall, excluding Iowa's vacated 2023 win), he proved to be a worthy opponent and staple of the Cy-Hawk rivalry, and Ferentz is happy he is no longer on the Cyclones' sideline.
Kirk Ferentz on Matt Campbell at Penn State: “To me, it’s going to be a really great marriage for both parties. I wish him luck. But obviously not too much, because we probably are going to have to compete against him at some point. But this year, I don’t have to worry about it.” pic.twitter.com/MUnLYxbZVw
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) July 28, 2026
Ferentz admitted that it is hard to get close to other coaches whom you constantly compete against, but he developed a strong admiration for what Campbell did during his 10 years with the Cyclones program. He noted that Dan McCarney did an excellent job rebuilding the program, and then Campbell took it to the next level. Ferentz also stated that people like Campbell are "great for college football, and wished him luck in his new Penn State endeavor.
He wished Campbell luck, but prefaced the comment by saying he doesn't wish him too much luck because they will likely match up with Penn State in the future. Ferentz finished by exclaiming he "doesn't have to worry about it" this season, and sounded pretty excited that Campbell is gone. Now in a full rebuild, the Iowa State football program and its fans are in a difficult position, and might find it even harder to knock off the Hawkeyes in the near future. New head coach Jimmy Rogers assumed Campbell's position in December 2025 when he left for Penn State, and the roster was decimated by transfers.
Rogers is a solid coach who definitely endeared himself to Cyclone fans during his expletive-filled rant about beating Iowa this season, but that doesn't change the fact that almost all of his roster is brand new to the program. The Iowa-Iowa State rivalry games are always close, but experts aren't giving the Cyclones a chance to go into Iowa City and knock off Ferentz and the Hawkeyes in his first season in charge. Oddsmakers have Iowa as an early 12.5-point favorite, which is very telling of the general consensus about Iowa State. The game is usually a one-score or less affair, and even though the spread seems high, it's also very revealing
Matt Campbell definitely made life difficult for the Hawkeyes, despite what his overall record in the Cy-Hawk game suggests. Most Hawkeye fans won't be very sad that he's no longer a part of the Cy-Hawk game, and Ferentz seemingly echoed those sentiments. While Hawkeye fans' happiness about Campbell being gone is most likely tied to lingering hatred for Iowa State overall and for winning three of the past four matchups, but Ferentz is happier that he received a great opportunity with a bigger program that he highly respects. Ferentz claimed that Campbell and Penn State are a "perfect marriage," but he won't be losing any sleep over Campbell heading for greener pastures with the Nittany Lions, ensuring he might not face him every season.
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