Iowa State got a little more clarity on the 2027 football calendar Thursday, while the latest legal wrinkle involving Tamin Lipsey kept the offseason news cycle moving in a different direction.
On the court side, the NCAA filed an emergency motion in Monroe County Circuit Court seeking to stay the preliminary injunction in the case that includes Lipsey and about 100 other athletes pursuing a fifth year of eligibility. The ask comes roughly 24 hours after the court agreed with the plaintiffs. That makes for a quick turnaround, but it would still be surprising if the ruling suddenly flipped, especially since the same court had already granted the athletes a temporary restraining order before the injunction.
The stakes are obvious. If the court were to side with the NCAA, Lipsey’s eligibility for the upcoming college basketball season could be taken away almost immediately after it was granted. The more likely path, though, is that the NCAA does not get the stay and the case keeps moving through a more formal appeal process.
Legal expert Sam. C.
Ehrlich, a professor at Boise State, has said the ruling in Indiana’s courts could carry weight for several reasons. He noted that the NCAA lost the injunction hearing in its own backyard, with the organization based in Indianapolis and the case landing in a state court that could have been inclined to favor a local business entity.
" Indiana courts, as you might expect, have historically been very deferential to the NCAA," Ehrlich wrote on Twitter/X. He also pointed to the court’s finding that the athletes remain within their five-year eligibility clock under the new age-based eligibility rules, along with the judge’s view that the NCAA’s "self-imposed" timeline for implementing the new rules was arbitrary and unreasonable.
If the matter moves deeper into the appeal process, Ehrlich said the new written rule book could end up complicating things for the NCAA. "The plain text of the bylaws is an important new element," Ehrlich wrote on Twitter/X. "But the NCAA's history in getting stays can't be overlooked."
Elsewhere, Iowa State’s 2027 nonconference football schedule changed again Thursday. The Cyclones and Bowling Green agreed to move their game to Saturday, Sept. 4 at Jack Trice Stadium.
That shift gives Iowa State an open date on September 4 a more desirable setup than the bye week that would have landed on the second Saturday of the season. The Big 12 could have filled that spot with a league game, but that would have created another awkward stretch because Iowa State would have been staring at two difficult tests before Week 3, and the opener already comes against a traditionally strong South Dakota State team.
With the Bowling Green game moved, Iowa State’s confirmed 2027 Big 12 home games are Colorado, Houston, TCU and UCF. The road schedule currently includes Arizona State, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and West Virginia, with dates and times still to be determined.
Jamie Pollard said, "This agreement allows us to open the 2027 season with three straight home games. It will be a great opportunity for coach [Jimmy] Rogers and the program to start his second season in front of our outstanding fan base."
There is also a broader calendar change coming in 2027. The traditional Week Zero games will no longer exist, as the sport moves forward one week in part to give every team two idle weekends. The regular season will still finish on Thanksgiving Saturday.
For now, though, the focus turns to Jack Trice Stadium. No.
15 Utah, 3-0, visits Iowa State, 2-1, on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2:30 p.m. CT, with FOX carrying the game.
Tim Brando, Devin Gardner and Josh Sims are on the broadcast. The all-time series favors Iowa State 5-1, including 2-1 in Ames.
Fans are being asked to wear white, and the Cyclones will match that look with white uniforms featuring black lettering, numerals and striping. Iowa State is also wearing a white helmet with a black center stripe and a script Cyclones on each side.
Here’s the game-day timeline: 8:30 a.m. - All parking lots open
10:30 a.m. - Spirit rally and Cyclone walk 11:30 a.m. - Ticket office opens
1:00 p.m. - Gates open 2:19 p.m. - Cyclone Marching Band Show
2:25 p.m. - National Anthem 2:31 p.m. - Cyclones run out of the tunnel
2:35 p.m. - Kickoff
Around the Big 12, Week 4 is starting to sharpen up even if the league still isn’t at a full conference slate. That won’t happen until Week 8, but this weekend still brings a few matchups worth watching.
No. 3 on the list is Kansas State at Cincinnati. The Wildcats may be down to one healthy quarterback in Avery Johnson because of injuries to his backups, but they rolled through nonconference play at 3-0.
Cincinnati needed a major comeback to avoid a bad loss to Miami-Ohio last week. A Kansas State win would strengthen its case as a contender, while Scott Satterfield could quiet plenty of noise with a home victory.
At No. 2 is TCU at UCF. TCU has bounced back from its Week Zero loss to North Carolina with two wins, while UCF’s only real test so far came in a loss to Pittsburgh. A defeat here would set off alarm bells for either side.
At the top is Oklahoma State at West Virginia. Both teams already own a top 25 win - Oklahoma State beat Oregon, and West Virginia handled Virginia. The winner in Morgantown could move into contender territory, while the loser may be staring at a bowl-only type of season.
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