Iowa State’s Big 12 path is now fully mapped out, and the Cyclones will have no shortage of tricky stretches once conference play begins.
The league had already handed Iowa State its opponents through the schedule matrix, with the Jayhawks, Cowboys and Mountaineers on home-and-home duty. The rest of the conference slate is split between a home group that includes Arizona, BYU, Cincinnati, Kansas State, TCU and Utah, and a road list featuring Arizona State, Baylor, UCF, Colorado, Houston and Texas Tech.
The opener is already on the calendar. Iowa State will host Arizona on Jan. 2, 2027, and then hit the road for the first time three days later with a trip to Colorado on Jan. 5 in Boulder. A home date with Oklahoma State on Jan. 9 comes before what looks like the most demanding run of the league schedule.
That gauntlet starts with consecutive road games at Houston on Jan. 13 and Texas Tech on Jan. 16, followed by a home meeting with BYU on Jan. 20.
That stretch carries even more weight because Killyan Toure’s status is still uncertain. The sophomore guard had shoulder surgery over the summer, was given a January timetable to return and is expected to miss the entire non-conference schedule, but there has been no specific target date, leaving open the possibility that he could also miss Big 12 games.
Iowa State will also deal with an unusual wrinkle in the calendar: three separate sets of back-to-back road games. The Cyclones go to Morgantown on Feb. 6 and then to Stillwater on Feb. 10 for a second meeting with West Virginia and Oklahoma State. Later, they’re back on the road Feb. 19 and Feb. 23, visiting Arizona State in Tempe and Baylor in Waco.
Those road stretches are balanced by two home pairs at Hilton Coliseum. Kansas State visits on Jan. 30, followed by Utah on Feb.
- Then Kansas and Cincinnati come through on Feb. 13 and Feb.
There are also a few dates circled for the fan base. For the Jan. 30 game against the Wildcats, fans are encouraged to wear gold.
A whiteout is planned for the Feb. 27 matchup with TCU. The regular-season finale is set for March 6 against West Virginia and could serve as Senior Day.
The Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament begins March 9 and runs through March 13.
In Other News...
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Iowa States Last Tune-Up Puts Two Offensive Questions In Focus
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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 Faces An Unusual Test Against Bowling Greens Offense
Iowa States opening two games produced the sort of early split that leaves a staff with a little bit of everything to clean up, and now the Cyclones get a Bowling Green team that has not had much success overall but does present a different kind of challenge. The Falcons lean on an offense built around tight ends as primary targets, which changes the usual pregame calculus for a defense more accustomed to tracking wideouts and traditional spacing.
For Iowa State, the matchup is less about the opponents record and more about how quickly the secondary and linebackers can sort out responsibilities against a scheme that asks them to defend the middle of the field in unusual ways. Those kinds of offenses can be awkward if you are late with your fits or communication, and the Cyclones will spend the week figuring out where to match size, where to stay disciplined, and how to keep Bowling Green from turning a quirky approach into something more troublesome. [Read more 🡒]