CLIVE, Iowa — When Iowa and Iowa State face off, fans of the schools break out their college’s colors and cheer on their team. It also means restaurants that focus on either school will see a lot of another color – money green.
The Front Row in Clive was a popular place for Hawkeye fans to watch the Iowa-Iowa State men’s basketball game Thursday night. Iowa came away victorious in this chapter of the Cy-Hawk rivalry, which invigorated the full crowd of black and gold inside the restaurant.
“Everyone here is all about the Hawkeyes, everyone is in a good mood, and it’s a great place to watch the games,” said Hawkeye fan and consistent Front Row customer Steve Goodrich.
The game came at the backend of an intense week in the Cy-Hawk rivalry. The schools faced off in wrestling and women’s basketball before the men’s basketball game, and the Hawkeyes won every matchup.
While Iowa was dominant this week, some Hawkeye fans say they are happy with the state of the rivalry because of how talented both schools are right now.
“We obviously killed them at football for 20 years, but it is good for the state when Iowa State gets a little bit better and can actually compete with us in some of those sports,” Goodrich said. “It’s great when Iowa State has a chance, but this game is looking a lot better than most, though.”