Single Loss Has Iowa State Cyclones Plummet in College Football Power Rankings

The Iowa State Cyclones suffered a major fall in one major outlet's college football power rankings.

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The Iowa State Cyclones knew that they were in for a challenge when they headed on the road to face off against the Cincinnati Bearcats in Week 6.

Both teams were entering the game with a lot of positive momentum. The Cyclones were 5-0, coming off an impressive victory over the Arizona Wildcats the previous week at Jack Trice Stadium.

The Bearcats, who lost their season opener to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, had won three in a row. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby was on fire, leading a dynamic and fast-paced offense with prolific production.

He had a big hand in Cincinnati coming away with a 38-30 victory. Iowa State couldn’t overcome an early 17-0 hole they dug themselves into. They failed to execute clutch plays, and a lot of points were left on the board with the coaching staff not having confidence in kicker Chase Smith after he missed a 35-yard attempt.

Iowa State's first loss has team dropped from power rankings

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One loss isn’t a nail in the coffin for the Cyclones, but their margin of error has shrunk considerably. They are 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12, but some outlets couldn’t wait to remove them from the top 25 rankings.

Over at CBS Sports, Brandon Marcello provided an updated version of college football’s top 25 power rankings. Heading into Week 7, Iowa State is nowhere to be found in the rankings.

“We were never high on the Cyclones,” Marcello wrote, removing them from the top 25 completely. Joining them on the outside looking in are the Penn State Nittany Lions and Texas Longhorns.

The Nos. 1 and 2-ranked teams in the preseason AP Poll have both suffered two losses. Last weekend was especially damaging, with the Nittany Lions being the first team the UCLA Bruins defeated this year, and the Longhorns fell on the road to the Florida Gators.

Iowa State didn’t suffer anywhere near as damaging a loss, but it suffered the same fate of being removed from the power rankings. Getting back into the top 25 is going to prove difficult, especially if the outlet already didn’t view them in a positive light.

Iowa State has plenty of opportunities to get back on track

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However, opportunities will exist for the Cyclones to force their way back into the mix. There are currently four Big 12 teams in the rankings: the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Arizona State Sun Devils, BYU Cougars and TCU Horned Frogs.

Following their Week 7 game against the Colorado Buffaloes and a Week 8 bye, Iowa State will play the latter three teams in consecutive weeks.

On Oct. 25, they welcome BYU to Ames for homecoming. Nov. 1, they host Arizona State before heading on the road to take on TCU in Fort Worth.

The Cougars, Red Raiders, Sun Devils and Bearcats are all 2-0 in conference. With so many head-to-head matchups still on the docket, things can change dramatically. 

The Cyclones just have to handle business, taking care of their opponents one week at a time. Putting together another five-game winning streak, just as they started the season with, would have them squarely in the mix for a spot in the Big 12 championship.