Iowa State Cyclones Football Team Makes Shocking Decision on Bowl Game Participation

The Iowa State Cyclones have surprised a lot of people with the decision they made about participating in a bowl game.

Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; The Iowa State Cyclones mascot poses for a photo during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The last few days have been a whirlwind for the Iowa State Cyclones football team. After completing the regular season with a victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys, they reached the eight-win plateau for the fifth time under head coach Matt Campbell.

He has done a wonderful job elevating the program in his 10 years at the helm, but unfortunately, his time with Iowa State has come to an end.

Days ago, it became official that he would be taking over as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. It is the end of an era for the Cyclones, with Campbell being the most successful head coach in program history with 72 victories.

Iowa State opts to not play in bowl game

Aug 30, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones mascot “Cy” visits with fans during their game with the South Dakota Coyotes in the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

With his departure, the team has made the very difficult decision not to participate in a bowl game this year. Brett McMurphy of On3 Sports shared the update on X, making them the second Big 12 team to decline an invite to a bowl game.

Iowa State turns down bowl bid, sources told @On3sports. Cyclones are 2nd Big 12 team that was bowl eligible that opted not to play & could be subject to a league fine, source saidhttps://t.co/oRbPrNx5PJ pic.twitter.com/e8uSvvxc2u

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 7, 2025

The other was the Kansas State Wildcats. Similar to Iowa State, Kansas State is working through an unexpected head coaching change. Chris Klieman announced his retirement, with Texas A&M Aggies offensive coordinator Collin Klein to take over.

Athletic Director Jamie Pollard provided a statement on the decision the school made.

“The administrative staff & coaches respect & support the players decision,” Pollard said. “Our student-athletes have had an incredible season & we are grateful for their leadership as we worked through this process w/them today.”

Hours after Campbell’s departure for Penn State became official, the Cyclones announced that they agreed to a deal with Washington State Cougars head coach, Jake Rogers.

Rogers spent one season with Washington State after finding a ton of success with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, including a championship in 2023.

With all the turnover and major changes, he will not be watching his new team participate in a bowl game this winter.

Iowa State fined massive amount for declining bowl invite

Iowa State University athletic director Jamie Pollard speaks at a news conference on Sept. 24, 2019 in Ames to address reports of violence by fans directed at Iowa Hawkeye Band members after the season's Iowa-Iowa State football game on Sept. 14. \"We really care, but the statement that 'something really bad happened' has created another narrative that there was something that happened that wasn't part of those five allegations,\" Pollard said. Eh0a8555 | Olivia Sun, Des Moines Register via Imagn Content Services, LLC

McMurphy noted that both teams could be subject to fines, and that has come to fruition. The conference fined both programs $500,000 for declining bowl invites despite being eligible to participate.

Iowa State & Kansas State each fined $500,000 by Big 12 since the two bowl-eligible teams declined to accept bowl bids

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 7, 2025

Likely a part of the reason that Iowa State elected not to play is that they don’t know who will be available to take the field. Quentin Taylor Jr. became the first player to announce his intention to enter the transfer portal, and more are likely to follow.

Rogers will have his work cut out for him to convince the commits to the program, the highest-rated class in Campbell’s tenure, to stick with the Cyclones and not pursue opportunities elsewhere.