Iowa State Cyclones Barely Hold Onto Spot in Week 7 Top 25 Rankings at PFF

A loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats has the Iowa State Cyclones plummeting in the PFF Top 25 rankings.

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The Iowa State Cyclones didn’t have their best performance on the gridiron in Week 6. They traveled for their first true road game on their Big 12 schedule to face off against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Iowa State ran into a buzzsaw, trailing 17-0 before the first quarter even concluded. A resilient group, they played right until the final whistle. Alas, that early hole proved too much for the Cyclones to overcome.

They ultimately suffered their first loss of the season, dropping to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12. Despite being underdogs, Iowa State fell in all sorts of rankings and top 25 polls because of the loss.

In the AP Poll, the Cyclones went from No. 14 to No. 22. However, an even larger drop was seen in PFF’s Top 25 Poll.

Iowa State suffers massive drop in PFF Top 25

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As shared by Max Chadwick, Iowa State went from No. 15 in the rankings down to No. 24, barely hanging onto a spot. They were certainly fortunate to retain a number because four other ranked teams who suffered defeats all fell out of the rankings.

The Texas Longhorns were defeated by the Florida Gators, going from No. 11 to unranked. The Penn State Nittany Lions suffered a horrendous loss on the road to the previously winless UCLA Bruins, dropping them from No. 12 to unranked.

Following them out of the rankings were the Florida State Seminoles and Louisville Cardinals. That meant new teams previously unranked were featured in the top 25, including the Bearcats, who come in one spot ahead of Iowa State at No. 23.

The Memphis Tigers, who are the first team to become bowl eligible at 6-0, are No. 21. At No. 22 are the USF Bulls, and rounding out the top 25 is the Washington Huskies.

Big 12 beginning to garner some respect in polls

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Four Big 12 schools are featured in the PFF Top 25 in total. The highest-ranked squad is the Texas Tech Red Raiders, coming in at No. 8. They are followed by the BYU Cougars, who are No. 17.

If the Cyclones are going to start climbing back up the rankings, it will start this weekend. They are heading on the road again, this time to Boulder to face Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.

This is a must-win game for Iowa State. Colorado enters the game 2-4 and 0-2 in the Big 12, looking like one of the teams that will finish near the bottom of the conference standings. It is imperative to pick up a win to start building some positive momentum heading into their bye in Week 8.

After that, the biggest game of the year, to that point, will be played at Jack Trice Stadium in Week 8. The Cyclones will be hosting BYU that weekend for their homecoming game.