Breaking Down if Iowa State can Contend with Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2026

Will the Iowa State Cyclones be able to contend with the Texas Tech Red Raiders next season?

Nov 29, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; A Texas Tech Red Raiders helmet sits along the bench area during pregame between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Milan Puskar Stadium. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

With the roster likely close to being set for the Iowa State Cyclones after a busy period during the transfer portal, can this team contend in the Big 12 next year?

Following the departure of a large portion of the team, the Cyclones are going to be looking completely different in 2026. New head coach Jimmy Rogers knew when he took that job that retaining talent was going to be hard, and that has undoubtedly been the case. 

Iowa State lost 16 starters to the transfer portal, and a large number of them followed Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions. This left Rogers needing to replace a majority of the team and a lot of players at key spots. 

While he and the coaching staff will undoubtedly want to come in and have success, they will have an uphill climb. Even though it might not be impossible, Rogers was able to put a good product on the field in his first year with the Cougars, and he has had more time and resources this time around with the Cyclones to build a roster. The young coach is clearly quite talented, but there is a massive threat in the Big 12. 

Bill Connelly of ESPN recently predicted what the Big 12 picture might look like in 2026, and unfortunately, for the Cyclones, they didn’t appear to be in the picture in his eyes, with the Texas Tech Red Raiders expected to win it. 

Will Iowa State Contend?

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The prediction that the Red Raiders are going to win the conference in 2026 shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. This is a program with a strong financial backing, and they are coming off a very impressive campaign in 2025. While they will look a little bit different in terms of their strengths, they do project to be a real threat. 

Texas Tech will be losing some key members from their daunted front four, but they have been able to upgrade significantly in the transfer portal on offense, led by quarterback Brendan Sorsby, coming over from the Cincinnati Bearcats. The talented quarterback was one of the best players in the portal and was a massive addition for the Red Raiders. 

Even though Iowa State brought in some talented players and a lot of depth, they will be outmatched by the Red Raiders from a talent perspective. As shown by the Indiana Hoosiers, that doesn’t mean that they can’t win, but they will need some things to go right.