-When the series was put on hold ISU was the stronger program in those years, it's being very kind to Iowa to say it would have at least been a split those years making the overall % difference closer, probably ISU closes the gap a little if they play those.
Myth.
Yes, ISU was clearly the superior program throughout the decade of the '70s, but even then Iowa beat one of the best Clone teams of that era when the series was renewed in '77, and they did it with a typically crappy Hawkeye team from that era.
Iowa does, afterall, have about 100 more all-time victories than ISU and was a legit national power from the late '50s through 1960. You don't get overall numbers like that if one team is only stronger than the other for one 15 year period. The reason ISU has one of worst overall winning percentages of any major program is because they have been universally terrible, more or less, throughout their entire history (no conference titles since 1906 or whatever, only 3 bowl victories all-time, etc.)
Winning percentage by decade
1930s
Iowa 39.4
ISU 43.1
1940s
Iowa 39.1
ISU 44.9
1950s
Iowa 57.1
ISU 36.8
1960s
Iowa 41.0
ISU 39.4
1970s
Iowa 27.5
ISU 50.4
So ISU holds a clear advantage in the '70s, with Iowa holding a similarly clear advantage in the '50s. The other 3 decades affected by the hiatus look fairly evenly matched.
Bottom line is that Iowa would likely still hold about a 20 game or so overall lead in the series had it been played continually for all of those years, and it's a pretty accurate reflection of where the two programs have been historically.
