Iowa State Cyclones Set to Snap Nearly Century Long Streak With Kansas Jayhawks

What streak are the Iowa State Cyclones set to break in 2026?

Jul 12, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the Iowa State Cyclones helmet and logo during Big 12 football media day at AT&T Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Following a solid 8-4 campaign in 2025, the Iowa State Cyclones have seen a lot of change over the last month. Furthermore, a long-standing streak for the team will also be coming to an end in 2026. 

After Matt Campbell took the job with the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Cyclones pivoted quickly to Jimmy Rogers from the Washington State Cougars. The talented young head coach is going to have big shoes to fill, but he has been up for every challenge in his young career so far. 

With a majority of the team heading into the portal, Rogers has completely rebuilt this team over the last several weeks, and it will be hard to predict how good they can be with all of the new faces. While there isn’t a ton of star power coming in, they have some excellent depth, which could be a formula for success. As the team sees a ton of change on their roster, so will their schedule for the upcoming year. 

Scott Dochterman of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about some of the schedule changes for the Big 12. Most notable for Iowa State will be that the Kansas Jayhawks aren’t on their schedule for the first time since 1931. 

End of an Era

Kansas Jayhawks Helmet | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

For nearly 100 years, the Jayhawks and Cyclones have faced off on the field, and that streak will be coming to an end in 2026. With the number of teams in the conference, they are having a rotation schedule, and that has resulted in Iowa State not facing Kansas this coming season. 

In 2025, the Cyclones were able to win this matchup by a score of 38-14, in what was one of their better games of the year. Not seeing the Jayhawks on the schedule is certainly odd to see, but a rotation will be used going forward. 

Furthermore, while the conference continues to navigate this new era with some new teams, they have also announced that they will be moving the Big 12 Championship Game to Friday instead of Saturday. The hope is that this will help get more eyes on the conference and help elevate it to a higher level. 

Of the Power Four schools, the Big 12 in football lagged behind a tad compared to the SEC and the Big 10. Going forward, they will certainly be hoping that some of the teams can establish themselves as powerhouse schools.