Iowa State Cyclones Unsurprisingly See Massive Drop in Power Rankings

How far did the Iowa State Cyclones drop in a recent power rankings?

Oct 4, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell talks with an official during the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Nippert Stadium. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones are coming off their first loss of the season to the Cincinnati Bearcats, and the program needs to bounce back if they are going to make a postseason run. Unfortunately, injuries seemingly caught up with them in this one, and the Cyclones didn’t have enough to get the win. 

Even though they were a slight underdog in the game, the loss for Iowa State has really had a negative impact on their resume. This was a team that, despite being undefeated, wasn’t in the AP Top 10, and the loss has sent them hurdling down toward the bottom of the Top 25. 

Due to the Big 12 not being viewed all that favorably, conference losses are going to be viewed as poor, especially against unranked opponents. Even with the victory, the Bearcats didn’t jump into the Top 25. Unfortunately, while the team dropped in the AP Poll, they also saw a massive drop in a recent power rankings as well. Kyle Bonagura of ESPN recently wrote about the significant drop that the Cyclones had in their power rankings from the 15th spot down to 23rd. 

Significant Drop Was To Be Expected

Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It wasn’t overly surprising to see such a significant drop for Iowa State after their loss to the Bearcats. Despite being undefeated, this was a team that wasn’t getting a ton of recognition for what they were able to accomplish. With their first loss on the resume now, this is a team that is barely hanging on in the AP Top 25 Poll and their postseason hopes took a major blow. 

After the loss, the Cyclones will clearly have to work on trying to fix some of their defensive issues. This was a unit that was absolutely gashed by Cincinnati and a couple of stops could have helped turn this game around. 

In Week 7, they will be facing the Colorado Buffaloes on the road before getting their second bye week of the year. Even though it will be their second straight road game, this is a more favorable matchup against a program that is struggling. 

Iowa State still has plenty of games left on the schedule to make a run in the Big 12, but they will have to be better than what they showed in Week 6. While this coming week should be a victory, it likely won’t move the needle for them too much.