Brock Purdy’s NFL season may be over, but his college rivalries are not. The 49ers’ quarterback is doing media rounds before the Super Bowl, and in one such appearance at the Pat McAfee Show, he got into a friendly banter over the Cy-Hawk rivalry.

The conversation began with a simple question: if Purdy could go back in time, would he choose the Iowa Hawkeyes over the Iowa State Cyclones? Purdy’s response was firm.

“Never ask me that question again,” the QB said.

If you know anything about the rivalry, you can sense why it was blasphemous to ask Purdy whether he’d go back and join the Hawkeyes. He made his name at Ames before being drafted by San Francisco with the ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ pick.

However, even though he accumulated over 12,000 passing yards at the Cyclones, he failed to beat their in-state rival the two times he faced them. Ty Schmit, a contributor at the McAfee show and a lifelong Hawkeyes fan, reminded Purdy about that blemish on his record. The two got into a friendly argument over which is better: Ames or Iowa City. The conversation escalated when McAfee asked Schmit whether Iowa had found a good quarterback. That prompted a blunt response from Purdy.

“Oh my God. Dude, it’s bad. It’s been bad,” Purdy said.

Purdy’s response was a retort that Iowa has struggled at quarterback for some time. Schmit quickly replied to the dig by pointing to former Hawkeyes quarterback C.J. Beathard as an example of past success. He also brought up last year’s signee, Mark Gronowski, only for Purdy to dismiss that point with a simple “No.”

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Although the Hawkeyes did not reach the Big Ten Championship Game, they finished the season with a solid 9-4 record. Gronowski played a key role, completing 63.4 percent of his passes for 1,741 yards and 10 touchdowns in his final season.

Another constant in the Cy-Hawk has been the head coach of the Hawkeyes. Kirk Ferentz is in his 28th season with the program, making him the longest-tenured head coach in college football. Interestingly, he has a 14-11 record against the Cyclones. But that’s not it. Iowa has won 11 of its previous 16 matchups in the Cy-Hawk rivalry, dating back to 2008. Some of those games have lately been part of bets between Brock Purdy and his 49ers teammate (Iowa alum) George Kittle.

Brock Purdy has a lead over George Kittle

It’s strange to see a tight end and a quarterback not being on the same page. That has happened in San Francisco. Fortunately for Kyle Shanahan, it doesn’t have anything to do with how they play in the NFL. When Purdy got drafted by the 49ers, he formed a strong bond with his tight end, George Kittle. Together, the duo has excelled on the field. But this bond also includes their banter over the Cy-Hawk rivalry.

Every year, before the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones take on each other, Purdy and Kittle place a bet. It doesn’t involve any exchange of money. In fact, it’s simple. The loser has to do a forfeit. During the 2023 season, Iowa beat Iowa State 20-13. The forfeit? Purdy walked into a press conference wearing the mascot head of Herky the Hawkeye (Iowa’s mascot).

Looking at the previous results in the matchup, it seemed like Purdy would have to do the forfeit in this annual tradition every season. However, in the 2024 season, his Cyclones heroically rallied to beat the Hawkeyes (20-19). This time, it was Kittle who did the forfeit. During one of his media availabilities after the September game, the tight end appeared in Purdy’s Iowa State helmet. He jokingly said the helmet was too small for his head.

But it didn’t stop there, as Iowa again lost to the Cyclones last season (16-13). But Purdy didn’t let him get away with just wearing the helmet. Instead, Kittle wore a custom Iowa State-themed outfit before the 49ers played the Cardinals last year.