Baylor gets Iowa State on November 7 at McLane Stadium, the 23rd meeting between the programs, and the Cyclones will arrive with a very different look than the one fans have grown used to. Iowa State has taken the last two matchups from the Bears, but this trip comes with a new coach, a revamped roster and a fresh set of questions.
For the first time in more than 10 years, Iowa State is moving forward without Matt Campbell at the helm. Jimmy Rogers has taken over, and with him comes a major reset for a team that has spent the offseason rebuilding through the transfer portal and adjusting to a new staff.
That change has created a lot of uncertainty around the program, and that was the word Alec Busse kept coming back to during the Cover 3 Summer School conversation with Bud Elliott.
"I think the biggest thing right now is just a sense of uncertainty," said Busse. "When a coach is in a program for 10 years, things become habitual.
You know what to expect. Now a lot of that stuff is changing."
Rogers has already started putting his stamp on the offense by bringing in Tyler Roehl as coordinator. The expectation is a tougher, run-first attack, the kind Roehl has helped build before at North Dakota State while working with quarterbacks like Carson Wentz and Trey Lance.
That shift sounds clear enough in theory. The personnel part is where things get cloudy.
Arkansas State transfer Jaylen Raynor is projected to step in at quarterback, and Busse said Raynor’s command stood out this spring.
"He has the leadership capabilities," Busse said. "He has the natural moxie and persona of someone that you want to rally behind."
The backfield is still sorting itself out. Bowling Green transfer Cameron Pettway, who was the MAC Freshman of the Year, joins a mix that could also feature Aiden Flora and Tulane transfer Arnold Barnes. None of them has done it at the Power Four level yet, so the room remains one of the biggest unknowns on the roster.
Up front, Iowa State may be in better shape. The Cyclones brought in more than 10 offensive line transfers and basically rebuilt the group through the portal. Busse said there’s a clearer read on the line rotation than there is at wide receiver, where several newcomers are still fighting for roles.
The defense may look even more different.
Iowa State is expected to move away from the 3-3-5 under longtime coordinator Jon Heacock and shift to a four-man front. The move lines up with what Big 12 teams are asking defenses to do now, especially when it comes to holding up against the run.
Washington State transfers Isaac Terrell, Max Balloon and Bryson Lamb are all expected to matter on the line, and holdover Zamir Hawk looks like a strong fit for the new setup.
Spring also brought a painful loss. Defensive back Alls suffered a season-ending ACL injury, a blow Rogers addressed publicly by saying, according to Busse, "That one sucks."
The injury takes away what many around the program believed could have been Iowa State’s top defensive player in 2026.
The schedule won’t make life any easier. Road games at Iowa, BYU, Arizona, Baylor and UCF are part of the slate, and Busse pointed to the Oct. 3 home game against West Virginia as a key early marker. That one could help set the tone for the season one way or the other.
The bigger picture for Rogers’ first year may not be centered on the win total anyway. Busse said a competitive 5-7 could still count as a step in the right direction if it helps build the foundation and gives the program a clearer identity.
"If they're a really competitive 5-7 and it sets a foundation for the future, I think that's good enough," Busse said. "Can you regain an identity and set a foundation for the future?"
A bowl game would go beyond what most are expecting, and seven wins would put Rogers in the Big 12 Coach of the Year conversation. Still, after a coaching change, a wholesale roster makeover and schematic shifts on both sides of the ball, Iowa State’s real task is simpler than the record column.
The Cyclones need to show they know who they are again.
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