Iowa State’s path to a bowl game looked a lot different back in August.
The Cyclones entered the season with almost nobody expecting much after losing their head coach and nearly their entire team to the Penn State Nittany Lions. Instead, they’ve spent the first five games proving that preseason projection wrong.
Iowa State is 3-2, with wins over West Virginia, Bowling Green, and Southeast Missouri State. The two losses came against Utah and Iowa, both ranked teams with College Football Playoff hopes.
That start has opened the door to a real question: just how far can this team go? Based on what Iowa State has shown so far, seven wins is very much in play.
The next stretch will tell the story. It begins with one of the hardest games on the schedule, a Friday night road trip to face the No.
8 BYU Cougars. That one looks close to impossible to steal, especially with a hostile crowd waiting.
After a bye week, the Cyclones head back out on the road to Arizona. The Wildcats have only one loss, and it came at BYU, which makes that trip look like another likely setback.
Then comes a big chance to change the feel of the season. Iowa State returns home to play the No.
18 Oklahoma State Cowboys on Halloween day. That matchup feels like a true 50/50 game.
A win would push the Cyclones in the right direction; a loss would hit hard.
After that, the schedule softens a bit, though not by much. Iowa State goes to Baylor, which just turned in a huge 55-19 road win over Arizona State. Baylor hasn’t been great overall, but that game still carries plenty of uncertainty.
The Cyclones then get Cincinnati at home. The Bearcats have started well, but this is the kind of game Iowa State should expect to win in its own building. A loss there would be a major blow given what the Cyclones have already shown this season.
The final road game sends Iowa State to UCF, another matchup that could swing either way. UCF has had a strong start and would likely be favored.
Then, in rivalry week, the Cyclones finish at home against Kansas State in another game that looks evenly matched. Both teams have gotten off to good starts and should be fighting for bowl position by then.
Iowa State has already done enough to make a bowl run feel realistic. The question now is whether the Cyclones can keep this up when the schedule gets heavier.
In Other News...
Iowa State's Upset Chance Just Got More Real Against BYU
BYUs trip to face Iowa State took on a different feel once the Cougars learned theyll be without top rusher LJ Martin, who is expected to miss about a month with a lower-body injury. The No. 8 team in the AP poll still brings plenty of talent into the matchup, but losing a key back changes the shape of a game plan that was already headed toward a tricky test against a Cyclones team trying to keep its momentum rolling under first-year coach Jimmy Rogers.
Iowa State is coming off a high-scoring win, though the defense still has issues to sort through, and the timing of this one adds another layer. The Cyclones will play their first true road game outside Iowa on a short week, which is never an easy ask, but a BYU offense missing one of its most important pieces gives Iowa State a more realistic path to springing the upset it needs to stay in the thick of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Faces One Offensive Test That Could Decide BYU Upset Hopes
Iowa State heads into its road trip to face No. 8 BYU with the same question hanging over its offense that has followed the Cyclones through their toughest matchups this season: can they generate enough against an elite defense to stay in striking distance? The numbers have not favored Iowa State when the opponent can really get after it, with the Cyclones producing fewer points and fewer yards per play against stronger defensive fronts, and this one brings another stiff test in a hostile setting.
BYU has earned its high ranking in part by controlling the run, which puts extra pressure on Iowa States key pieces to find answers early and often. Aiden Flora and Jaylen Ranyor will be among the players the Cyclones lean on most, but the larger issue is whether Iowa State can do enough offensively to make the game look different from the others in which it has been bottled up. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Faces A Huge Big 12 Test With Early Stakes Already Rising
Saturdays Big 12 slate is packed with games that already feel bigger than a typical early-October weekend, and Iowa States trip to BYU sits near the top of that list for good reason. The Cyclones are part of a conference race that has tightened quickly, and this one pairs two teams with enough momentum and intrigue to make it one of the most compelling matchups on the board, even with attention also spread across Houston at Kansas State, Arizona at West Virginia and the rest of the leagues Week 6 schedule.
For Iowa State, the appeal goes beyond just another road test. BYU has been one of the more interesting early stories in the Big 12 picture, and the Cyclones are walking into a game that could shape how both teams are viewed in the league pecking order. With Kansas at Utah, UCF at Oklahoma State and Hawaii at Arizona State also in the mix, this weekend offers a clear snapshot of where the conference stands, and Iowa State-BYU feels like one of the clearest chances for the standings to get an early jolt. [Read more 🡒]