College football’s 2025 season opens not in some familiar Midwest stadium, but across the Atlantic in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, where two ranked Big 12 teams are about to write another chapter in one of the sport’s most enduring rivalries. The 17th-ranked Wildcats and 22nd-ranked Cyclones take their century-old “Farmageddon” battle overseas for Iowa State’s inaugural international contest. But before the kickoff, there seems to be some paternal confidence quietly building behind the scenes. 

Hours before kickoff, when reporter Rob Gray encountered Anthony Becht walking toward Aviva Stadium, the 11-year NFL veteran didn’t need to elaborate on his son’s preparation or mindset. Asked about Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht’s readiness for this massive stage, the former Jets and Cardinals tight end kept it simple and said, “Rocco feels good.” Three words that carry more weight than any elaborate scouting report, coming from someone who caught passes from Hall of Fame quarterbacks and knows what composure looks like under pressure.

That confidence from Dad tells you everything about where Rocco Becht’s head is at before the biggest season opener in Iowa State history. When your father spent over a decade in the NFL and still coaches professional football, his assessment is a professional evaluation. Anthony Becht has seen his son develop from a high school prospect to a quarterback who led Iowa State to 11 wins and a Big 12 Championship game appearance last season, throwing for over 3,500 yards in the process. If he says Rocco “feels good” before facing a ranked Kansas State defense on foreign soil, Iowa State fans should feel pretty good, too.

The numbers back up that optimism. The Cyclones have dominated this matchup in recent years, taking four victories in their past five encounters while maintaining a narrow 54-4-50 edge in the overall series that began with their inaugural meeting in 1917. Last year’s 29-21 victory over Kansas State saw Becht account for three total touchdowns, and the Cyclones have covered the spread in four of their last five games against the Wildcats despite being underdogs in this matchup.

 Both offenses bring serious firepower. Iowa State averaged 31.1 points per game last season, while Kansas State wasn’t far behind at 30.8 points per game. The Farmageddon rivalry has turned into a consistent shootout lately, with more than 50 points scored in three of the last four meetings between these teams. Despite Kansas State getting three points from the oddsmakers, Iowa State owns the recent history here, outscoring the Wildcats 113-86 over their last four head-to-head battles while covering the spread in three of those four games.

As thousands of Cyclones fans pack Dublin after yesterday’s pep rally in the city center, Anthony Becht’s simple assessment might be the most telling pregame insight of all. If Rocco Becht truly “feels good” stepping onto this international stage, Kansas State better be ready for a fight, because Iowa State’s recent dominance in Farmageddon suggests this Dublin debut could be special.

When your coach goes to war with you

In that Dublin crowd moment captured by Heather Burnside, Matt Campbell delivered what might be the ultimate quarterback endorsement when he declared, “I would want to go to war with any other quarterback in the country than this guy.” That goes beyond hyperbole from a coach trying to pump up his player—that represents a program-defining statement from someone who has coached in the Big 12 trenches for years. When Campbell uses war metaphors, he speaks about the level of trust that extends beyond playbooks and practice reps, the level where you know your quarterback will remain steady when everything hangs in the balance.

Campbell continued beyond the football aspects. He made it clear that Becht’s value runs deeper, “And what he stands for every day in our football program. His character, his leadership, and his ability to inspire everybody in our football program, Rocco Becht.” Those represent qualities you cannot measure on stat sheets, but they separate good quarterbacks from program-changers. Campbell’s emphasis on character and inspiration reveals that Becht has become the cultural heartbeat of Iowa State football, extending far beyond the player who throws the passes.

Now you understand why Anthony Becht’s simple “Rocco feels good” carries such weight. When your head coach willingly stakes his reputation on you in front of thousands of fans, and your NFL veteran father radiates quiet confidence before the biggest stage of your career, you have been built for moments like this. The combination of Campbell’s public declaration of trust and Anthony’s understated confidence creates the perfect storm of support around a quarterback who has already proven he can handle the pressure.