The Big 12 has laid out Iowa State’s 2026-27 conference path, and both the men’s and women’s programs now know exactly where the grind begins, where the road gets bumpy, and where the regular season winds down.
For the men, the Cyclones will jump straight into league play at home on Jan. 2 against defending conference champion Arizona. That kicks off an 18-game Monster Energy Big 12 slate that starts with a quick turnaround, because Iowa State’s first road test comes just three days later at Colorado on Jan.
- Oklahoma State then visits Hilton Coliseum on Jan.
The schedule doesn’t give Iowa State much breathing room. The Cyclones’ first stretch of consecutive road games arrives Jan. 13 at Houston and Jan. 16 at Texas Tech.
Later, they’ll have another pair of back-to-backs away from home, first at West Virginia on Feb. 6 and at Oklahoma State on Feb. 10, then at Arizona State on Feb. 19 and at Baylor on Feb. 23.
Hilton Coliseum will still see plenty of action in between. Iowa State hosts BYU on Jan. 20, then after a trip to UCF on Jan. 23, the Cyclones return for home games against Kansas State on Jan. 30 and Utah on Feb.
- Kansas comes to Ames on Feb. 13, followed by Cincinnati on Feb.
- TCU will visit on Feb. 27, and the regular-season home finale is set for March 6 against West Virginia.
One of the marquee dates on the men’s slate comes March 1, when Iowa State heads to Kansas for an ESPN Big Monday game. The 2027 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament is scheduled for March 9-13 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
The women’s team also has its conference schedule in place, and its Big 12 opener lands much earlier on the calendar. Iowa State will begin league play at Kansas State on Dec. 19, then play its first home conference game on Dec. 30 against TCU to close out the 2026 calendar year.
The Cyclones’ women’s schedule features two separate back-to-back road stretches. The first sends them to Arizona on Jan. 3 and Arizona State on Jan.
- The second takes them to Kansas on Jan. 20 and West Virginia on Jan.
Home dates are spread throughout the month as well. Iowa State hosts Oklahoma State on Jan. 9 and Kansas State on Jan. 16, then welcomes Houston on Jan. 27 before heading to Baylor on Jan.
- After that, the Cyclones return to Hilton Coliseum for games against Texas Tech on Feb. 3 and Colorado on Feb.
The final weeks bring another mix of home and road. Iowa State visits Cincinnati on Feb. 10, then hosts BYU on Feb. 13 and Utah on Feb. 17 before traveling to UCF on Feb.
- Kansas will be the last women’s team to play at Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 24, and the regular season closes with a trip to Oklahoma State on Feb.
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For Iowa State, the bigger questions are less about opponent quality than about how the staff manages its own depth chart and rhythm. Backup quarterback Connor Moberly is one of the names worth watching for possible playing time, and the way the Cyclones distribute snaps could say plenty about how comfortable they feel with the current offensive plan. Bowling Green brings its own set of numbers and recent form into the matchup, but for Iowa State the value of this game is in clarifying the offense before the real test begins. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State's Big 12 Path Looks Tougher Than Fans Expected
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The harder part for Iowa State may be figuring out who is actually available when those games arrive. Sophomore guard Killyan Toure is dealing with a shoulder injury that requires surgery, leaving his status uncertain heading into Big 12 play. For a team that is already staring at a rugged league calendar, any questions about backcourt depth only add to the intrigue around how the Cyclones will hold up once conference competition starts in earnest. [Read more 🡒]