By Matt Girard
College football’s only uninterrupted rivalry game is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
On Aug. 23 all eyes will descend upon Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland as the Kansas State Wildcats and Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 meet in their annual rivalry game, dubbed “Farmageddon,” for the 109th time in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic to kickoff the 2025 season.
Although it is one of college football’s longest continuous series, outside of the Great Plains, the name “Farmageddon” hardly resonates and doesn’t invoke the idea of “storied rivalries” among college football fans. However, not only will the eyes of the college football world be watching but the entire world as the 2025 edition of the rivalry will feature just the second-ever top 20 matchup between the two “Ag schools” and will provide an early look at possibly one of the conferences’ College Football Playoff participants come January.
Farmageddon’s History
The series began in 1917 but only more recently has the rivalry gained significance outside of the two schools’ fanbases. Since 2020, the winner of Farmageddon has gone on to play in the Big 12 Championship game three times (Iowa State in 2020 and 2024, K-State in 2022). The Cyclones have won the last two meetings, have won five of the last seven since 2018 and lead the all-time series 54-50-4.
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Prior to ISU’s recent dominance in the series, K-State won 10 straight from 2008-2017. Since 2008, K-State and ISU have faced off seven times where at least one of the teams was ranked with the Wildcats holding a 4-3 edge in those particular matchups. In that same span the Cyclones have averaged 28.14 points per game to the Wildcats’ 22.6 ppg. ISU’s 29-24 win last year in Ames, Iowa, marked the first time the two teams were both ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of the game.
Normally played later in the season (October or November) this year will be the earliest the two have met in a season and is just the third time they will meet on a neutral field. The Wildcats won the previous two neutral field matchups in 2009 (24-23) and 2010 (27-20) in Kansas City.
Two of the Big 12’s best quarterbacks will also be on display in the Aer Lingus Classic in Iowa State’s Rocco Becht and K-State’s Avery Johnson. Becht led the Cyclones to their first 10-win season last year and has not lost to the Wildcats since becoming the starter (2-0). Against K-State Becht is 21-of-47 passing for 367 yards and six total touchdowns (five passing, one rushing). Johnson’s lone start against Iowa State came last season where he completed 12-of-28 of his passes for 280 yards, three touchdowns and added 64 yards on the ground in the loss.
Unprotected Rivalry
Just as the rivalry has been gaining momentum and significance, however, thanks to conference expansion Farmageddon’s uninterrupted continuous streak will come to an end in 2027 after the Big 12 gave just four rivalries “protected” status—rivalries that will be played every year over the next four years—BYU vs. Utah, Baylor vs. TCU, Kansas vs. K-State and Arizona vs. Arizona State.
While the rivalry will resume every other year as an “unprotected” rivalry, both Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell and K-State head coach Chris Klieman said the Farmageddon rivalry holds plenty of significance for them at Big 12 Media Days.
“Obviously, the respect that myself and our kids have for Kansas State and being a rival game and have a respect for their program and their players,” Campbell said. “I just have so much respect for the consistency that Kansas State football has had over, you know, two great coaches now during my time here in this league to what that team has stood for. So, I think from our perspective, we have tried to really make it equated to a rivalry game and to be able to get our football program to have, you know, the similar characteristics that you know, the consistency of excellence that that program has stood for.”
Klieman said the rivalry is in the DNA of both fan bases, but knows its part of the business side of college football.
“Yeah, it’s a great rivalry. I remember watching it all the time. I’m a college football fan and I’m a Midwest college football fan,” he said. “I think that was probably the unintended consequences with getting as many schools that you have is the imbalance of scheduling in every league.”
Despite the uninterrupted streak coming to an end Farmageddon deserves the international spotlight and the chance to show it belongs in the pantheon of the storied rivalries of college football, no matter how often K-State and Iowa State meet on the gridiron.
