Same here, Mikey. ISU is one of my favorite teams to beat, but my days of pathological Clone hatred are behind me. A combination of old age and living out of state, I think.
I grew up in Iowa, it wasn't till I left that it really sunk in for me how small that place really is. It's not a bad thing, I enjoyed my time living there and there is a sentimental part of me that still thinks of it as home, but the the reality is that Iowa takes up approximately 0.0% of the national consciousness. Once every four years the national media converges on the state, but even then I think it's little more than a backdrop (to a coastal dweller, it might as well be any number of flyover states).
But it is a nice place with a whole lot of enthusiasm for college sports. I find it impossible to explain to people from more populated areas really how big of a deal college sports are in Iowa. The Iowa/ISU rivalry being a top 15 match up this year is a great way to showcase the rivalry and the state as a whole.
Honestly, Hayden's 15 year win streak - does anyone really care all that much? Iowa State was pathetic. Putting that win streak on a list of Fry's top 5 or even top 10 greatest accomplishments would feel like revisionist history, IMO. Clone fans probably cared back then because I'm sure it made some of them miserable, but I can tell you as a Hawk fan who grew up during that era, the ISU game wasn't even on my radar. That's not smack talk, that's the truth. I literally did not even consider the possibility of losing that game - hardly a foundation for a compelling rivalry.
I think it's way more fun now. Of course I want to see the Hawks rattle off another 15 in a row (we're 1/3 of the way there), but what makes it fun is knowing what an accomplishment such a feat would be today given ISU's improved status as a program.
I'll also risk a ban hammer and say, the ISU fanbase...eh, not so bad. Really their number 1 crime from an Iowa fan's perspective is proximity. They love and support their team with a passion that matches Iowa's despite the fact that their program (football, at least) was, up until very recently, historically one of the absolute worst in all of P5. I admire the passion, tenacity, and irrational hopefulness. Seriously, I'd rather be stuck in an elevator with 10 Clone fans than 1 Nebraska fan. I for one know what an obnoxious fanbase looks like.
