By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Here’s an idea.

With this being one of the rare times when Iowa and Iowa State are both pretty good in football, why not seize the moment by moving their annual showdown to a high profile neutral site such as Soldier Field in Chicago or Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City?

You could play one year at Soldier Field and the next year at Arrowhead Stadium or vice versa to give it sort of a Big Ten and Big 12 flavor, and to be fair to the local economies in both Iowa City and Ames that would be impacted financially by not hosting the game for one year.

The strain on the two local economies is about the only problem to taking this rivalry on the road for a year or two, although, it’s a serious problem, because in both cases, we’re talking about a lot of money.

But there also would be advantages to playing the Big Game on an even bigger stage for a year or two, including better exposure for both programs and something new and exciting for the fans.

I interviewed a few Iowa fans before writing this column, including KCJJ radio partner Tom Suter, and most of them, including Suter, loved the idea of playing the Iowa-Iowa State game at a neutral site in a major city that is within driving distance for both fan bases.

Chicago and Kansas City seem like near-perfect fits due to proximity and because Chicago is in Big Ten country, while Kansas City is in what still should be considered Big 12 country.

The game should also be the season opener for both teams in order to take advantage of the hype that always surrounds a season opener.

It wouldn’t matter if the residents in Chicago or Kansas City embraced the game because there would be enough fans from both Iowa and Iowa State that would travel to the moon to see their teams square off, let alone to a bordering state.

Solider Field and Arrowhead Stadium almost certainly would be sold out and would have thousands of fans just hanging out near the stadium and soaking it all in.

Due to the heat factor in late August, the game should be played on a Saturday in prime time. Fans from both schools could arrive on Friday and make a weekend out of it.

Iowa and Iowa State both are coming off eight-win seasons that were capped with a victory in a bowl game, and both teams also return their starting quarterback.

The matchup between the two head coaches is another part of the rivalry that could be promoted on the national stage.

Kirk Ferentz is entering his 20^th season at Iowa and is the longest-tenured college football coach in the country, while Matt Campbell is entering his third season at Iowa State and is considered one of the young, rising stars in his profession.

It is no secret that some Iowa fans are bored or frustrated with playing Iowa State on an annual basis to where they’d like to see the series end, or at least discontinued on a yearly basis.

I know several Iowa fans who just don’t like traveling to Ames anymore to watch the game, and there are certainly Iowa State that feel the same way.

The Big Game needs a big spark.

Imagine if this past season’s overtime thriller would've been played at Soldier Field, the pageantry combined with the thrilling finish would have made quite a statement for both programs and for both schools.

Some might dismiss this idea as being impractical or too much of a financial burden on Iowa City and Ames, but there has to be a way to make the good outweigh the bad.

Especially with all the television revenue that is influencing decisions these days.

Others might resent the break from tradition because there is a buzz in both Iowa City and Ames when the Big Game is in town, while others might disagree with moving what is probably our state’s biggest sporting event to a different state.

But this would just be temporary, one or two years at the most, something different for a series that sometimes feels stale and forced.

Others might say why waste a game at Soldier Field or Arrowhead Stadium by playing your in-state rival when you could play somebody like Notre Dame or Missouri or Oklahoma?

That's a fair question, but there seems little chance of any of those matchups happening simply because Iowa and Iowa State already play each other on an annual basis, limiting their scheduling flexibility.

Both teams seem determined to keep playing each other every year, so why not add some spice to what can be bland gumbo?  

Both teams also recruit in Chicago and Kansas City, and to play their annual game in each city in back-to-back years would help build their brands.

Hawkeye fans might not like the timing of this idea with Iowa set to host Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium this coming season.

I also admit that playing the game at a neutral site in back-to-back years might be asking too much. 

But think about how much the landscape has changed just in the past decade. The Iowa men's basketball team now plays games on every day of the week, which would'vbe seemed absurd not so long ago.

The Big Ten Conference also has shown a desire to play football games on Friday night, but was met with heavy resistance.

The Iowa football team also played its most recent bowl game this past December at Yankee Stadium in New York City, proving that anything is possible.

Nothing is sacred anymore, including the two locations for the Iowa-Iowa State football game.

My idea would just be something different for a rivalry that rarely changes besides going back and forth from Iowa City to Ames.