Iowa State Cyclones Suffer Unsurprising Fate in AP Poll Heading Into Week 8

The Iowa State Cyclones suffered a brutal loss to the Colorado Buffaloes which will drastically change their standing in the AP Poll.

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The Iowa State Cyclones suffered a tough loss on the road in Week 6 when they traveled to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats, falling 38-30. Despite the unfortunate outcome, there was still some optimism surrounding the team.

Part of the reason for that was getting an opportunity to play against a struggling Colorado Buffaloes squad in Week 7. Heading on the road to win games in conference is always a challenge, but things have not been going well in Boulder.

That was, until the Cyclones visited them. In a surprising turn of events, Iowa State went into Folsom Field and couldn’t get anything going all afternoon. It resulted in an ugly 24-17 loss. 

Unsurprisingly, that has led to the Cyclones plummeting out of the AP Poll. They were able to avoid being dropped from the Top 25 narrowly last week after suffering a loss to the Bearcats.

Iowa State falls out of AP Poll Top 25

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Iowa State was not as fortunate this time around. After going from No. 14 to No. 22, they no longer have a number next to their name.

Joining the Cyclones in falling out of the top 25 are the Florida State Seminoles, Michigan Wolverines, Illinois Fighting Illini and Arizona State Sun Devils. They were defeated by the Pittsburgh Panthers, USC Trojans, Ohio State Buckeyes and Utah Utes, respectively.

Entering the Top 25 in their places are the Trojans, Texas Longhorns, Utes, Bearcats and Nebraska Cornhuskers. Five teams being dropped from the poll in a single week is the most since October 2022.

Not much went right for Iowa State this week. They struggled to consistently generate action offensively and move the ball. Defensively, they got torched by Kaidon Salter.

Iowa State could not contain Kaidon Salter

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The much-maligned former Liberty Flames star was struggling in his jump from Conference USA to the Big 12. He was benched earlier in the year and entered the contest against Iowa State with four interceptions in two games.

On Saturday afternoon, he looked like the kind of player Colorado thought they were getting. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. 57 yards were added on the ground in a well-rounded performance.

Their record now is 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12. The odds of competing for a Big 12 championship or qualifying for the College Football Playoff have essentially disappeared. 

Heading into a bye week, Matt Campbell and his staff have plenty of things to have their team focus on. Things won’t get any easier coming out of their idle week, set to face the BYU Cougars in Week 8 for homecoming.