Iowa State Cyclones Should Have Moved Up in Popular Power Rankings Following Win

The Iowa State Cyclones stayed stagnant in a recent popular power rankings following their win.

Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell and defensive coordinator Jon Heacock reacts during the fourth quarter against Iowa in the Cy-Hawk football at Jack Trice Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025, in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Week 5 of the college football season coming to a close, the Iowa State Cyclones were able to win their fifth game of the year and move to a perfect 5-0 on the campaign. Furthermore, it was their second win in the conference, and the team is in first place of the Big 12 still. 

The strong start to the season for Iowa State has them right at the top of the conference and they were recently ranked 14th in the AP Poll. It was a bit surprising after a convincing win that they didn’t move up at all in the AP Poll, especially considering there were teams ahead of them that lost. With the Cyclones staying put, the Big 12 continues not to receive much respect compared to the other top conferences, but that narrative might have to start to change if they keep winning. 

It was arguably Iowa State’s best game of the year in Week 5. On both sides of the ball, they played great, and it was a comfortable win against a team that was previously undefeated. Unfortunately, that didn’t help them move up in either the AP or the recent popular power rankings. 

Kyle Bonagura of ESPN recently wrote about the Cyclones in the power rankings coming in 15th. Despite their convincing win over the Wildcats, Iowa State saw their ranking remain the same as the prior week. 

Cyclones Should Have Moved Up

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the Alabama Crimson Tide deserved to move up significantly after going on the road to beat the Georgia Bulldogs, Iowa State also should have moved up at least a spot or two after their blowout win at home. 

One team that they arguably should have moved above is the Florida State Seminoles. On Friday night, the Seminoles lost on the road to the Virginia Cavaliers as a somewhat significant favorite in that game. However, Florida State still came in one spot ahead of the Cyclones in the power rankings. 

Despite being undefeated with three wins now against Power Four opponents, Iowa State has multiple teams with a loss on their record ahead of them in the power rankings. Even though their win against the Kansas State Wildcats might have taken a little bit of a hit with their poor play, that was a victory against a Top 25 opponent at the time. 

The Cyclones will be right back in action in Week 6 on the road against the Cincinnati Bearcats and this will be another opportunity to earn a win and start to gain some respect around the country.