Iowa State heads to Waco with the kind of momentum that can fool you if you’re not careful. The Cyclones just knocked off then No.
24 Oklahoma State on Halloween night, with Kyle Konrardy drilling the game winner to deliver Jimmy Rogers his first signature win in his Iowa State tenure. Now comes a different test against Baylor, and the Cyclone Fanatic staff sees a game that could go a lot of different ways.
The common thread in the predictions is simple: this doesn’t look like the kind of matchup Iowa State can expect to win comfortably, even after last week’s breakthrough. Baylor is healthier, dangerous on defense and coming off what several staffers described as a dead-cat bounce at UCF after the firing of Dave Aranda. That’s made this one feel like a toss-up despite the spread.
Chris Williams sees Iowa State as the more engaged team, but still thinks the Bears have just enough to edge it out. He called the line a 10-point spread but said he views the game much closer to even, adding that Baylor got the classic dead-cat bounce last week at UCF. His pick: Baylor 27, Iowa State 24.
Rob Gray expects the Cyclones to run into a much tougher defensive wall than they did against Oklahoma State. He pointed to Baylor’s pass rush and said Iowa State’s offense has thrived against average to bad defenses, but won’t have that same kind of room here.
Gray does think Aiden Flora can help the Cyclones find some success on the ground, but he still sees Baylor making one or two more plays. His score: Baylor 27, Iowa State 21.
Jake Brend framed it as a rare week where both teams could be walking into a letdown spot. Iowa State is fresh off its biggest win of the season, while Baylor is coming off that bounce-back result.
He noted that the Cyclones have faced a tougher Big 12 schedule, but also said Baylor’s talent shows up in the numbers. If Jaylen Raynor plays with the same freedom he showed against Oklahoma State, Brend likes Iowa State’s chances to stay alive into the fourth quarter.
Still, he gave the edge to DJ Lagway and his weapons on a late touchdown. Baylor 35, Iowa State 30.
Jackson Pence took a different route and backed Iowa State to keep the momentum rolling. He called last week’s win a needed moment for Rogers, the team and the fan base, then pointed to Baylor’s uneven season and the coaching change as part of the backdrop.
Pence also mentioned the injury concern surrounding the Cyclones, but still believes they can leave Waco with a road win. His pick: Iowa State 38, Baylor 31.
Jacqueline Cordova said she’s not sure which version of Iowa State will show up, but she’s curious to find out. She sees Baylor riding the energy of its coaching change while the Cyclones try to prove last week wasn’t a fluke.
Cordova described Iowa State as banged up and still sorting things out, but also as a team that keeps getting knocked around and keeps standing back up. She also pointed to freshman Jamal Polite Jr. after last week’s upset and wondered if there might be more surprises in store.
Her prediction: Iowa State 24, Baylor 21.
Derek Duke said the Big 12 has a way of dragging teams back down after a big win, and with both sides coming off victories, he thinks this one could get messy. For him, it comes down to which team avoids the hangover and shows up on Saturday.
He noted Baylor’s edge with DJ Lagway and its defense, and said Iowa State would feel better if this game were in Ames. Even so, he expects a tight finish.
Baylor 28, Iowa State 24.
In Other News...
Iowa State May Have Found The Identity This Team Will Lean On
Iowa States home season opener offered a pretty clear snapshot of what this group wants to be, and it started on the defensive end. In an 83-57 win over Southern Miss, forward Taj Manning made his presence felt with a career-high four blocks and the kind of active, disruptive work that can change the tone of a game without ever showing up in the box score the same way points do.
Coach T.J. Otzelberger pointed to Mannings defensive impact while also stressing rebounding and defense as the areas that have to keep driving this team forward. On the other end, Northwestern transfer Tre Singleton supplied the scoring punch with a career-high 28 points and led the Cyclones in rebounds, giving Iowa State a glimpse of the balance it may lean on as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Let A Promising Start Turn Into Another Frustrating Finish
Iowa State looked ready to seize control early against Baylor, jumping out to a 10-0 lead and giving the home crowd reason to think this one might follow a different script. Aiden Flora provided much of the spark for the Cyclones, piling up 182 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Hunter Dekkers kept the offense moving with 22 completions on 37 attempts for 256 yards and two scores.
Then the game flipped. A muffed punt by Flora became the opening Baylor needed, and the Bears turned that break into points before taking the lead for good on the way to a 42-31 win. For Iowa State, it was another frustrating reminder that a strong start only matters if it survives the middle stretches, and this one slipped away in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Tre Singleton Just Gave Iowa State The Bounce-Back It Needed
After a rough opener, Iowa State finally found some rhythm in an 83-57 win over Southern Miss, and Tre Singleton was at the center of it. He powered the Cyclones with 28 points and nine rebounds, giving them the kind of interior production and energy they had been missing while helping the team settle in on both ends.
The bigger takeaway was the response. Iowa State looked sharper defensively than it did against Memphis, a sign the group was ready to clean up some early-season issues before the schedule keeps moving. The Cyclones now head home to face Southern, where theyll try to build on a performance that felt more like the version of this team they expected to see. [Read more 🡒]