Iowa State has had some good years and a few great seasons, but here is the turning point on when ISU could have really put things together to actually dominate.
Iowa State, in Earle Bruce's last three seasons of 1976, 77 and 78, went a combined 24-11 finishing second in the Big 8 in 77 and third in 78 when Nebraska and Oklahoma were the nation's elite teams.
Iowa State, and some of the blame goes to the Board of Regents as well, then p*ssed down their legs in hiring Donnie Duncan to replace Bruce as head coach instead of going after a big time coach.
That horrible hiring was followed by another horrible hire in Jim Criner. Jim Walden wasn't too bad, but the damage was done under Criner when scholarships were taken from Iowa State due to some NCAA violations.
The reason I bring all this up is that had Iowa State gone after a coach like Fry at that time, I think Iowa State would have been the dominate team in the state during the 20 years Fry lead Iowa, Speculation on my part? Sure. But Iowa was a horrible program in much worse shape than Iowa State ever was.
So since that time, high schoolers in this state have only known Iowa as the top college team in the state and thus that is why Iowa wins the recruiting battle. Iowa State had the chance to switch that around, but f*cked it up (and again, I blame the Board of Regents a little for that. No way were they ever going to let ISU hire a coach like Fry. They were upset that Bruce was doing so well.)
ISU had their chances of being "Iowa". They blew it.