Farmageddon is going global — and it’s bringing the heat.
Kansas State and Iowa State will open the 2025 season on Aug. 23 in Dublin, Ireland, and their long-running rivalry just earned national attention, cracking The Athletic’s top 10 list of college football rivalry names.
The quality of the rivalry doesn’t matter for this exercise. You don't get points for simplicity.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 8, 2025
In this ranking, you want to be as creative as possible.@chrisvannini lists the best college football rivalry nicknames: pic.twitter.com/E2AbvfWXH7
Chris Vannini’s rankings slotted Farmageddon at No. 8, just behind heavy hitters like the “Brawl of the Wild,” “Bedlam” (Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State), “The Holy War,” “Iron Bowl,” and “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” (Georgia vs. Florida).
Noticeably missing? The “Sunflower Showdown” between K-State and KU.
Farmageddon has been played every year since 1917 — making it one of the longest uninterrupted rivalries in college football history. It’s the only rivalry never to have missed a season.
That streak, though, is on the clock. In November 2023, the Big 12 rolled out its four-year scheduling matrix. Unless something changes, 2027 will break the streak.
Century-Long Series
K-State and Iowa State first squared off in 1917 as Missouri Valley Conference rivals. The series has continued annually through conference changes and realignment, including both schools’ move into the Big 12.
While the rivalry didn’t always carry national weight, that changed in the late 2000s. To boost visibility and fan engagement, the schools moved the 2009 and 2010 games to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City — and that’s when the name “Farmageddon” was born, a nod to both schools' land-grant, agricultural roots.
Iowa State leads the all-time series 54–50–4, but Kansas State has dominated the past few decades, going 26–9 since 1989. Both teams have enjoyed 10-game win streaks in the rivalry.
Wildcat Watch: 2025 Outlook
K-State heads into the 2025 season with plenty of returning firepower — and a roster that’s drawing national attention.
Quarterback Avery Johnson returns after a breakout season, leading an offense featuring explosive talents like Dylan Edwards, Joe Jackson, and Jayce Brown.
On defense, Austin Romaine and V.J. Payne return to anchor the unit that is seeing a youth movement.
National rankings reflect the hype. The Wildcats sit at No. 12 in USA Today’s preseason Top 25, No. 16 in Joel Klatt’s post-spring rankings, and No. 21 in ESPN’s Football Power Index — the highest FPI rating among Big 12 programs.
Coming off a 9–4 season capped by a thrilling 44–41 bowl win over Rutgers, Kansas State enters 2025 with Big 12 title hopes — and a chance to open the season with a bang in one of college football’s most uniquely named rivalry games.