Iowa State Cyclones' Head Coach Breaks Down How Good Big 12 Conference Has Been

Is the Big 12 conference the best in the nation?

Jan 17, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger reacts from the sideline against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Fifth Third Arena. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones are coming off an important bounce-back week for the program, and the team is starting to head back in the right direction. 

To start the season, the Cyclones got off to a 16-0 start. It was the best start to a year in the history of the program, and Iowa State quickly emerged as a title contender following the Players Era Festival and a road win against the Purdue Boilermakers. 

They carried over a lot of momentum from out-of-conference play into the start of conference play. The Cyclones were able to start off in the Big 12 with three straight wins, but in back-to-back games on the road against the Kansas Jayhawks and the Cincinnati Bearcats, Iowa State struggled. 

The two losses created a bit of concern for the program, making this past week an important one to bounce back. Fortunately, they were able to do so and saw themselves rise back up in the AP Poll from ninth to eighth. While there is still plenty of regular season to go, it has become very clear that the Big 12 conference is loaded. 

Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger recently spoke with William Seals of On3 about the state of the Big 12 and highlighted how good the conference is this year. 

“Not to overstate it, but I think there’s the most elite teams in our league that we’ve had in our league. And then there’s the most good teams in our league that we’ve had.”

Big 12 is the Top Conference

Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the Big 12 has been good for the last number of years, this is a conference in 2026 that feels absolutely loaded. At the top, the Arizona Wildcats remain undefeated and are arguably the best team in the country. They have been able to answer every challenge, and their game at the end of the season against the Cyclones will be one of the best of the year. 

Furthermore, Iowa State and the Houston Cougars are both in the Top 10 of the AP Poll. After those two in the Top 15 are the Texas Tech Red Raiders, the BYU Cougars, and the Kansas Jayhawks. 

With six teams in the Top 15 of the AP Poll, it is no secret that this is a strong conference with some real title contenders. For Iowa State, every game is going to count for them, and trying to stack up wins in the conference is going to be key.