Iowa State Cyclones Understandably Fall in College Football Power Rankings

The Iowa State Cyclones have dropped in recent power ranking despite a win.

Sep 6, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell looks on against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Jack Trice Stadium. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

It wasn’t an easy victory for the Iowa State Cyclones in Week 3, but the team was able to avoid a disastrous upset. 

Coming into the matchup, there was reason to believe that the Cyclones were going to have some issues. Playing the first road game of the season is never easy and temperatures on the field were well over 100 degrees. The extreme heat with the fact that this was the fourth week in a row playing certainly took a physical toll on the team. 

Even though it wasn’t pretty, they were able to get the job done and escape with a victory. The win moved them to 4-0 on the year, and they will now be heading into a much-needed bye week. 

The bye week comes at a nice time with conference play really starting to get going for them afterward. Despite the win, there are some concerns about the performance for the Cyclones, and it might have hurt how they are viewed nationally. 

Kyle Bonagura of ESPN recently wrote about Iowa State slipping in the ESPN Power Rankings from 10th place to 13th after a narrow victory over the Red Wolves. 

Was the Drop Deserved?

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even though a win is a win, Iowa State didn’t impress despite being a large road favorite. This was a one-point game in the fourth quarter, and Arkansas State led at one point during the first half. 

Fortunately, the defense was able to make a couple of key stops for the team in the fourth quarter, and the offense did enough with a clutch drive late. While there might not have been a ton of positives to take away from the victory, seeing the running game get going was certainly one of them. 

The drop in the rankings from 10th to 13th is certainly fair based on some of teams who were behind them in the rankings securing significant victories. The Cyclones might have been a tired team in Week 3, but barely beating the Red Wolves doesn’t look great on the resume. 

However, with the bye week upcoming, Iowa State will have the opportunity to work on some things while getting some rest. Coming up in Week 5, it is going to be a massive matchup against the Arizona Wildcats, who are currently 3-0 and playing some good football. 

While going down in the power rankings after a win isn't ideal, it is certainly fair. Despite that, there is a lot to like about the program, and being 4-0 to start the year is fantastic for the program.