Rocco Becht Holds Steady in QB Rankings With Iowa State Cyclones Coming Off Bye

Rocco Becht hasn't moved in the quarterback power rankings.

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Being idle in Week 4 looks to have cost the Iowa State Cyclones in the eyes of some voters. They dropped in a few polls at different outlets, with the college football landscape changing a bit during their bye week.

The biggest change that had a direct impact on the Cyclones is the changing of the guard in the Big 12. In a massive conference matchup, the Texas Tech Red Raiders went on the road and destroyed the Utah Utes, 34-10.

That means there is a new top dog in the Big 12 in the eyes of many. The Red Raiders, based on projections, are now the team to beat. The road to a conference title for Iowa State got a lot tougher with their emergence, in addition to the TCU Horned Frogs and the BYU Cougars both entering the AP Top 25 poll.

If the Cyclones are going to keep pace with their improving peers, they are going to need quarterback Rocco Becht to continue playing at a high level. Right now, he is considered one of the very best in the country.

Rocco Becht lands at No. 26 in QB rankings

Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Over at CBS Sports, David Cobb has revealed his quarterback rankings heading into Week 5. In Week 4, Becht was No. 26 in the top 50 quarterback rankings. He has held onto that spot, which speaks volumes about how highly regarded he is.

The Iowa State star was able to maintain his ranking despite massive jumps up by Darian Mensah of the Duke Blue Devils, Aidan Chiles of the Michigan State Spartans, Dante Moore of the Oregon Ducks, Trinidad Chambliss of the Ole Miss Rebels and Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers all jumping up double-digit spots.

Becht has been playing well through his first four games of the season. He has completed 65% of his passes for 860 yards, throwing seven touchdowns with only one interception coming agianst Arkansas State. Two more scores have been added on the ground.

The improvements made with his accuracy are certainly encouraging in the early going. Moving the ball through the air is still a work in progress because the Cyclones are replacing two NFL draft picks at wide receiver. No one has emerged as a go-to option in place of Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel yet, but there have certainly been signs.

Iowa State needs wide receiver to emerge

Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Xavier Townsend and Brett Eskildsen are both big-play threats, averaging 18.9 and 23.1 yards per reception. Right now, a lot of the passing game is being funneled through the tight end position, with Benjamin Brahner leading the team with 14 catches. Gabe Burkle, who missed the Arkansas State game, is second with 10.

That has led to methodical drives down the field. There are positives to spreading the ball around. It makes things tougher on the defense when there are multiple threats on the field. 14 different players have recorded at least one reception already, and 11 of them have at least three catches.

Becht has done a great job getting everyone involved to this point. But, for this offense to get taken to the next level, having a go-to wide receiver emerge would be ideal. It will be interesting to see if things change against the Arizona Wildcats this weekend in a huge matchup.

Another strong showing and 5-0 start will push the star quarterback toward the top 20 of Cobb’s rankings.