Iowa State Cyclones Predicted for AutoZone Liberty Bowl Against SEC Disappointment

The Iowa State Cyclones are predicted to take on an SEC team having a disappointing season in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

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The 2025 college football season has not gone according to plan for the Iowa State Cyclones. They made the Big 12 championship game last season, but aren’t going to come close to contending for a title this year.

After starting the season 5-0, the Cyclones are riding a four-game losing streak heading into their matchup with the TCU Horned Frogs in Week 11. They have lost to the Cincinnati Bearcats, Colorado Buffaloes, BYU Cougars and Arizona State Sun Devils.

Nothing is going right for Matt Campbell’s group right now. Injuries continue to stack up on the roster, and their quarterback, Rocco Becht, has not been sharp in recent games.

It has culminated in some brutal performances on the field in every facet. The Cyclones are committing far too many penalties to find success on the field and aren’t making plays when needed most, such as on third down.

Despite all of these struggles, Iowa State is still only one victory away from being bowl-eligible for the third straight campaign and eighth time during Campbell’s tenure.

With their recent form, getting to that sixth win could be a challenge. But, they have winnable games against the Kansas Jayhawks and Oklahoma State Cowboys, who fired head coach Mike Gundy earlier in the season, to finish out the year that could get them there.

Iowa State predicted to face Auburn Tigers in AutoZone Liberty Bowl

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And that is exactly what Kyle Bonagura of ESPN believes will happen. He shared his College Football Playoff and bowl game predictions, which include the Cyclones participating in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

That game will be held at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. Bonagua is predicting that their opponent for that game will be the Auburn Tigers out of the SEC.

Just like Iowa State, Auburn still has work to do to become bowl-eligible. Their road to a sixth victory is much tougher than that of the Cyclones.

The Tigers have to head on the road to face the No. 15-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores on Nov. 8. They get what should be an easy win against the Mercer Bears on Nov. 22 before hosting the currently No. 4-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the annual Iron Bowl.

Getting to six victories is easier said than done for the SEC squad, especially when taking into consideration the major change that just occurred. Head coach Hugh Freeze was fired over the weekend.

A major reason for the change was the team’s record in conference games. Auburn went 6-16 in the SEC under Freeze’s watch and 15-19 overall. If they don’t qualify for a bowl game, it will be the first time since 1998 and 1999 that they failed to get invited in consecutive years.

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