Iowa State football is staring at a brutal 2026 schedule, and that may be the biggest reason the Cyclones could be in for a rough fall.
The post-Matt Campbell era already has the feel of a reset in Ames. Campbell’s move to Penn State left Iowa State looking far removed from the version that had earned more respect in recent years, and the concern heading into the new season is easy to understand. The roster has lost much of its 2025 personnel, and the program has turned to a coach coming in from a much-smaller school.
That’s a tough setup on its own. Then the schedule shows up.
The hardest-looking games on Iowa State’s 2026 slate include trips to Iowa, BYU and Arizona, along with Utah at home and Cincinnati. Those teams are all well-coached and all are coming off winning seasons. Iowa, Utah and BYU, in particular, finished among the hottest teams in the nation.
None of those opponents are being labeled as elite, but that’s almost beside the point. The question is whether an Iowa State team in transition can handle that kind of weekly pressure. On paper, that’s a steep ask.
And the top-end games aren’t even the whole story.
There’s also a messy middle on the schedule, with West Virginia, Oklahoma State, at Baylor, at UCF and Kansas State all sitting in that uncertain zone. West Virginia brings inconsistency but also the chance to flash a high ceiling at the wrong time on the calendar.
Oklahoma State has been overhauled. Baylor and UCF both come on the road.
Kansas State is a rival, and even with a new head coach, it still offers superior quarterback play.
That leaves Iowa State with a tricky question: how many wins are really there, and how many can you feel good about? The answer may not come easily.
Before Campbell arrived, the Cyclones had already lived through a long stretch of lean seasons. In the decade leading up to his tenure, Iowa State posted five records of 3-9 or worse, with only one winning mark, a 7-6 season.
A full return to that kind of low isn’t something everyone will see coming. But 2026 has enough trouble built into the schedule that it could still end up feeling that way.
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For Cyclones fans, it is another reminder of how far Hubleks career has stretched since his time in Ames and his later professional stops in Italy. The club says it wants his experience to benefit the organization beyond the standings, which makes this move feel less like a standard signing and more like a full-circle step in a career that has kept finding new ways to matter. [Read more 🡒]