Iowa State Unsurprisingly Not in AP Top 25 Preseason Poll

The preseason AP Poll does not feature the Iowa State Cyclones for the first time in two years.

Iowa State football head coach Jimmy Rogers watches the defense warm up during the university’s football open practice at Johnny Majors practice field on August 8, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Iowa State Cyclones will officially start the Jimmy Rogers era on Sept. 5 when they host the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Jack Trice Stadium.

Rogers has some massive shoes to fill, taking over for Matt Campbell. The most successful head coach in program history decided it was time to leave Ames after a decade and accepted the head coaching position with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

He didn’t go to Happy Valley alone, with almost the entire coaching staff joining him at Penn State and a large portion of the eligible players who entered the transfer portal also following. That has left the Cyclones in a tough spot.

With zero returning starters and a new head coach, it comes as no surprise that Iowa State isn’t close to being part of the AP Poll Top 25. In their preseason college football poll, 50 different programs received at least one vote; the Cyclones were not among them.

Iowa State not close to top 25 in preseason AP poll

Iowa State football head coach Jimmy Rogers talks to media after first day practice at the university’s Stark Performance Center in Ames, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

That is a massive change compared to where they were entering the 2025 season, as they were No. 23 in the preseason AP Poll, having a number next to their name in Game 1 for the first time since 2021.

It is virtually impossible to project what the team is going to look like on the field in the first year under Rogers. There are so many new faces; it is anyone’s guess how the players are going to gel on the field and what the product will look like.

However, this isn’t a group that should be underestimated. Rogers and his staff have a winning pedigree, dominating with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits before he took over for one season with the Washington State Cougars.

In 2025, a massive roster overhaul was done in Pullman, similar to what Rogers is going through right now in Ames. That team won seven games, including a bowl game, under interim head coach Jesse Bobbit, who is the defensive coordinator for the Cyclones.

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Ohio State and Oregon are 1-2 in the preseason poll while the SEC leads conferences with nine ranked teams. pic.twitter.com/KIcOlA5YyB

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) August 17, 2026

Several former Washington State players made the move to Iowa State, so there will be continuity in some regard. However, competition will be fierce in the Big 12, which features some strong teams.

The highest-ranked team in the conference is the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who are at No. 12. The BYU Cougars aren’t far behind at No. 14. A little further down the poll are the Utah Utes and Houston Cougars, who are ranked Nos. 21 and 23, respectively.

The Arizona Wildcats, TCU Horned Frogs and Oklahoma State Cowboys are among the other Big 12 programs that received votes in the preseason poll.

Campbell and the Nittany Lions landed at No. 18 as the seventh-highest-ranked team in the Big Ten.