Breaking Down the One Area That Could Decide Iowa State Football's Week 1 Matchup

The Iowa State Cyclones are getting set to start the season on Saturday, and what this team might be able to accomplish has yet to be determined.

Following a wild offseason, the Cyclones are a completely different-looking group than last year. Iowa State lost its long-time head coach Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions, and things got really interesting after that.

Most of the roster entered the transfer portal, with a bunch following Campbell to Penn State. This left new head coach Jimmy Rogers in a tough spot, having to rebuild the team through the transfer portal.

Iowa State doesn’t have some of the same resources as some of the better schools when it comes to landing top-tier players in the portal, and the team will not have as much talent as they did last year.

However, even though it could be a bit of a rebuilding year for the Cyclones, they will be expected to win their opener on Saturday. In order to do so, there will be one key area that the team is focused on winning.

One Area that Could Decide Week 1 for Iowa State

Running back Aiden Flora stands for a photo during Iowa State Football media day at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Wednesday, August 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As the Cyclones prepare for Week 1, the team will be coming in as a significant favorite and should be 1-0 on Saturday night. However, anything can happen in college football and Iowa State must not take Southeast Missouri lightly.

Due to the Cyclones being a heavy favorite, the team should be able to cruise to an easy victory. However, if Southeast Missouri is going to be able to play spoiler, it would likely be because of their ability to control the game on the ground.

Eating clock and limiting possessions is a recipe for success if a team is going to pull off a big upset. For Iowa State, they must be careful with the football and avoid silly mistakes that set up Southeast Missouri for success.

Also, running the ball will be key for this team. Aiden Flora is getting set for a massive role increase. The Cyclones were a team that ran the football really well with Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III last year. With both of them gone, it is going to be Flora as one of the few returning players set for a big role.

If Iowa State is going to handle their business and have an easy win on Saturday, running the football will be key and will likely decide this game.

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