The annual rivalry between the Cyclones and Hawkeyes will be available to the rest of the nation this season via ESPN2.

The Iowa-Iowa State football game on Sept. 14 will be televised nationally by the sports media giant, ISU’s director of athletic media relations Tom Kroeschell said.

The game will be held under the lights at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City and is slated to begin at 5 p.m, he said.

ESPN was unavailable for comment.

Kroeschell said he feels the Cyclones could benefit even more after media decisions are made at a meeting of Big 12 athletic directors in June.

“I think we’re going to have great exposure this year,” Kroeschell said. “We’re opening up against Florida State on national television.”

Kroeschell said not only does it give the school exposure, it also helps in the recruiting process.

“I don’t see how it hurts you [with recruiting],” Kroeschell said. “Obviously it’s a marquee game. It’s an intrastate rivalry that’s played early in the year, and I think that’s another thing that makes it attractive.”

Kroeschell said he couldn’t estimate on the number of viewers the game will have. He said the series against the Hawkeyes has had a national audience before.

“In 1998, when we had our big win over Iowa, it was also an ESPN2 game,” Kroeschell said.

That year, Darren Davis ran for 244 yards to lead the Cyclones to a 27-9 victory over the Hawkeyes. The win ended Iowa’s 15-year winning streak in the series.

Iowa State has won the last four games against the Hawkeyes, including last season’s 17-14 thriller on a dreary day at Jack Trice Stadium.