Iowa State’s 2027 football schedule is already getting a tweak, and the change lines up neatly with the team’s plans for next season’s Cy-Hawk showdown.
The Cyclones have moved their opener up one week and will now start the 2027 season on August 28 against South Dakota State. That game carries a little extra meaning for Jimmy Rogers, since it will be against his alma mater. It also gives Iowa State a softer landing to open the year as the program keeps building under Rogers.
With the opener shifted earlier, Iowa State is now listed as off on September 4. That would set up a bye week right before the Sept. 11 game against Iowa, which is exactly the kind of setup that could help the Cyclones sharpen things up before facing the Hawkeyes. After the Cy-Hawk game, Bowling Green is next on the schedule.
For now, the move appears to leave Iowa State with four games in four weeks only if the September 4 date is filled, but the expectation is that it stays open as a bye. That would give the Cyclones some extra time to prepare before one of the biggest games on the calendar.
The schedule adjustment comes after Iowa State opened the season with a comfortable win over Southeast Missouri. The Jimmy Rogers era got off to a positive start, and the defense was the headliner. Isaac Terrell piled up three sacks, a performance that should have the rest of the conference paying attention.
There was still room for clean-up on offense, though. Iowa State put up 38 points, but the ground game could have been stronger and the passing attack could have been sharper.
Still, the result was a win, and now the focus turns to Iowa on the field and South Dakota State on the schedule. As Rogers continues to reshape the program, the timing of games and bye weeks could end up being a meaningful part of the plan.
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Iowa State Has A New Defensive Force Ahead Of Cy-Hawk Week
Isaac Terrell gave Iowa State exactly the kind of disruptive afternoon that gets noticed beyond one box score, earning Big 12 defensive player of the week honors after piling up three sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry in the win over Southeast Missouri. For a defense trying to set a tone early in the season, that kind of edge from the front seven is the sort of development coaches and teammates can build around.
The timing only makes it more interesting with Cy-Hawk week arriving, especially with the 2026 meeting at Kinnick Stadium set for an NBC broadcast and a designated commentary crew. Iowa State personnel, including head coach Jimmy Rogers and defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit, are lined up for their game-week media availability, and Terrells emergence gives those conversations a little more urgency as the Cyclones turn from one opponent to a much bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]
Isaac Terrell Just Changed The Feel Around Iowa State's Defense
Iowa States season opener against Southeast Missouri State offered the kind of defensive tone-setting performance coaches love to point to in September. Defensive end Isaac Terrell was right in the middle of it, piling up three sacks and three tackles for loss in the Cyclones 38-10 win while giving the front seven a disruptive edge that was hard to ignore.
Terrells effort also came with some immediate recognition, as he earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors after helping turn a manageable opener into a convincing result. For Iowa State, the bigger question now is whether that burst off the edge becomes a weekly feature, because early in the season it already looks like the defense found a player capable of changing the feel of a game. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Faces Its Real Test Now As Cy-Hawk Pressure Builds
Iowa State opened the Jimmy Rogers era with a comfortable 28-point win over Southeast Missouri, but the real measuring stick arrives quickly in Week 2 with a trip to face rival Iowa, which sits No. 21 in the AP Top 25. After a clean start, the Cyclones are heading into the kind of game that tends to reveal how ready a team really is, especially with Cy-Hawk pressure hanging over every snap.
Rogers also used a recent media session to spotlight something that often gets overlooked this time of year: the role of walk-ons in building a roster. He pointed to the value those players bring in practice and depth, and his comments fit a program-wide reality that the Cyclones know well, even if the calendar is already pushing them toward a much bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]