Iowa and Iowa State meet on the football field today (Saturday) for state football bragging rights — but how much academic impact does this game have? The coaches in the Hawkeye/Cyclone gridiron matchup are often asked whether winning the big game gives them a leg up in recruiting the best in-state players to their campus. In talking with university officials this week about enrollment numbers, Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson asked whether the winner of the game has an impact on attracting non-athletes to the schools. Iowa State University Admissions Director Marc Harding says he’d like to think students look at a lot of factors, not just a football game, when deciding on a school. He says the reality of it is there may be some people out there who swing one way or the other based on the ball game, but he says most will pick the school that best meets their interests. Harding says off the football field students can’t go wrong either way. He says “both institutions are fine institutions.” Over in Iowa City — site of this year’s game — U-of-I Admissions Director Michael Barron looked to keep the feud on the field, saying he thinks his counterpart at I-S-U “is a wise and honorable man, and I wouldn’t disagree with anything he said.” As for the game, Barron’s team is the favorite going in, but he says the odds don’t mean much between these two schools. He says “It’s State Day, and anything can happen on State Day, all bets are off.”
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