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It was James Joyce who said, “When I die, Dublin will be written on my heart.” Come Saturday, it will be college football sectarians saying things like, “eat ’em up, eat ’em up” and “so good, so good, so good.” One of the sport’s oldest rivalries is getting shipped out to Ireland, where ranked Iowa State and Kansas State uncork the 2025 season.

How to watch No. 22 Iowa State vs. No. 17 Kansas State
Venue: Aviva Stadium — Dublin
Kickoff: Noon ET, Saturday
TV: ESPN
Streaming: Fubo (Save $30)

ESPN broadcasts are also available with an ESPN DTC subscription.

This annual grudge match has been played continuously since 1917, yet this is the very first time it won’t be in Ames, Manhattan or Kansas City. Last year’s Big 12 expansion failed to prioritize or protect the “Farmageddon” rivalry, which means the historic uninterrupted streak is actually in jeopardy after 2026. Iowa State has won four of the last five meetings. The 2022, 2023 and 2024 installments were all one-score affairs, ranging from a gnarly 10-9 grinder to an explosive 42-35 “Snowmageddon” finish.

Branded as the “Aer Lingus College Football Classic,” Saturday’s season opener is loaded with offensive talent. Quarterback Rocco Becht spearheaded a program renaissance in 2024, and Iowa State earned double-digit wins for the first time in 127 official collegiate seasons. Matt Campbell, three-time Big 12 coach of the year, is already the school’s winningest HC, and his Cyclones come into 2025 fresh off a Pop-Tarts Bowl win. This instant classic came with cardinal and gold sprinkles:

The Cyclones are countered by a dynamic Wildcats duo. K-State’s Dylan Edwards looked like a star in his last outing, the 2024 Rate Bowl win against Rutgers. The shifty Edwards put up 196 yards on just 18 carries, and he anchored the second-half comeback effort with two long-distance touchdowns:

Avery Johnson returns under center. He threw 25 touchdowns to 10 interceptions last year and emerged as a high-volume rushing option. Johnson, a Wichita native, totaled four scores in that Rate Bowl thriller.

Iowa State is No. 27 in Chris Vannini’s ranking of 136 programs: “QB Rocco Becht must find new favorite receivers, but the Cyclones return a ton from a team that reached the Big 12 title game.”

Kansas State is No. 21: “Quarterback Avery Johnson has playmakers around him, but a new offensive line will have to hold up.”

Iowa State’s Rocco Becht is No. 14 in the QB rankings, from Sam Khan Jr. and Antonio Morales: “The Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP and son of former NFL tight end Anthony Becht led the Cyclones to their first double-digit win season in school history. Iowa State leaned on him more as a passer in his second year as the starter, but he also became a real rushing weapon (318 yards, eight TDs). His 35 rushes for first downs as a QB trailed only Garrett Greene and Avery Johnson in the Big 12 (41). He’s not the most physically imposing quarterback, but he has good anticipation and consistently gets the ball into tight windows over the middle with plenty of velocity.

‘Good decision maker, processes well, does everything quickly,’ a former Power 4 scouting director said. ‘He manages the position and the game well.’”

Kansas State’s Avery Johnson is No. 22: “Johnson’s first year as K-State’s starter had its ups and downs. There were nights when it all came together and he was the dual-threat star many projected, and others when he was bit by the turnover bug, which doomed the Wildcats in losses to BYU and Houston. He’ll have to do a better job of understanding coverages and identifying defensive looks pre-snap to cut that down. But when he takes care of the ball, there are few more electric than Johnson, who has the acceleration and burst to eat up chunks of yards on the ground (605 rushing yards, seven TDs). Coaches love Johnson’s upside.

‘Supreme athlete,’ a Power 4 general manager said. ‘It’s really a good fit for that offense. It’s third-and-2, third-and-3 and he scrambles around and escapes.’”

Domonique Orange, Iowa State DT, is No. 25 on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List: “Making another appearance on the Freaks List, Orange had a solid 2024 season, making 24 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss — 3.5 of those TFLs came in the last five games of the season. The 6-4, 325-pound Orange, who spent much of his offseason refining his diet, has benched 450 pounds, squatted 650 and cleaned 365. He also has vertical jumped 34 inches.”

Iowa State vs. Kansas State odds

Head-to-head records
All-time: Cyclones lead 54-50-4. Yup, four ties.
Longest win streak: 10 games (1943-52 for Iowa State, 1994-2003 and 2008-17 for Kansas State)
Biggest blowout: 51 points (Wildcats won 58-7 in 2002)

Each program claims three first-team All-Pros in the NFL. Iowa State yielded LB Matt Blair (1974 NFL Draft), DB Marcus Robertson (1991) and OL Kelechi Osemele (2012). Kansas State produced DL Ron Nery (1956), RB Larry Brown (1969) and current wideout Tyler Lockett (2015).

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(Photo of Rocco Becht: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)