By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Some like it and some don’t.

But if Gary Barta has his way, the annual game between the Iowa and Iowa State football teams will continue past 2025 when the schools are currently contractually obligated to player one another.

In this case, however, Iowa’s athletic director might not get his way after the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 have agreed in principle to an alliance between the conferences that would create new inter-conference games.

“I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again today, I think the Iowa-Iowa State Cy-Hawk matchup is good for our state, good for college football, college athletics,” Barta said Tuesday. “That being said, I can’t predict the future. So I can’t go beyond where we are today other than what I just stated.”

According to a release by the Big Ten from Aug. 24, there is no set date for the alliance to begin, but current contractual obligations will be honored.

One potential problem with regard to the in-state rivalry is that, unless the Big Ten goes from nine conference games per season to eight conference games per season, Iowa may not want 11 of its 12 yearly opponents to come from Power Five conferences.

Currently, the ACC plays eight conference games while the Pac-12 plays nine.

Barta said Tuesday that no matter what, one of Iowa’s stipulations is that it must have seven home football games per season.

“There’s certain things at Iowa, we’re going to say, have to happen,” Barta said. “And then after that, having the opportunity to play some other games, I think it’s intriguing. Especially depending on where college football and college athletics goes in the future. But we are just not ready to say that as of today here’s what we should be doing.”

What direction college athletics goes is anyone’s guess after Oklahoma and Texas announced recently that they will eventually join the SEC, leaving the Big 12 with eight teams unless the conference dissolves or expands.

Amid all of the uncertainty one thing is for certain – nobody really knows anything at this stage.

“I think it is fair to say that we’re going to wait and see,” Barta said. “And there’s no reason to make a decision on August 31st.”