Predicting Iowa State Football's Path to a Bowl Game in 2026

The Iowa State Cyclones are coming off of a great season where they went (8-4), qualifying for a bowl game. Unfortunately, they elected out of a bowl game due to the mass exodus of Cyclone football players, with the majority heading to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

But last year was no fluke. In fact, the Cyclones have always been bowl game worthy. In eight of the last nine seasons, Iowa State has qualified for a bowl game, playing in seven of them. No matter what, Iowa State is always bowl game worthy.

With that being said, 2026 may be different. The mass exodus has proven to be crucial for Iowa State, and they go into next season with a subpar roster that has lots of work to do. They have high hopes, but the majority of the college football world predicts them to miss a bowl game.

Cyclones' Path to a Bowl Game

Jimmy Rogers talking to the media — Iowa State football head coach Jimmy Rogers | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It will have to start with a victory over the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks in Week 1. Not only are they at home, but they will have to take down FCS opponents if they want to be even in the conversation for a bowl game.

While it could be a winnable game, Iowa State doesn’t necessarily need to beat the Iowa Hawkeyes to make a bowl game, so we’ll put that as a loss for now.

Then, Iowa State absolutely has to beat the Bowling Green Falcons. A group of five program shouldn’t have any chance against the Cyclones in Jack Trice Stadium, and if so, would make it an immensely long and bad year for Iowa State.

After starting 2-1, it’s going to be a loss for the Cyclones against the Utah Utes. Even after losing their head coach, Utah is still one of the top teams in the conference, and should be a tough team to beat at home.

One of the biggest games of the year comes after, where the West Virginia Mountaineers come to town to take on Iowa State. This is another game that the Cyclones have to win if they want a chance at making a bowl game.

After, Iowa State has to go on the road to take on the BYU Cougars. Not much to be said, that’s definitely another loss for the Cyclones.

Iowa State has to follow by playing the Arizona Wildcats on the road. It’s somewhat of a winnable game, but unlikely with the intrigue that the Wildcats have next season. We’ll say that’s a loss as well.

At 3-4, the Cyclones are in jeopardy of not making a bowl game, and things get worse when the Oklahoma State Cowboys come to town. That’s another really tough game against a top Big 12 team, and even being at home doesn’t help Iowa State enough. They fall to 3-5.

Then, things go from bad to worse. Iowa State has to play at the Baylor Bears, and once again, fall. Now, they would have to win out to qualify for a bowl game.

Luckily, the Cyclones would get back on track the next game, where they beat the Cincinnati Bearcats at home, for their first win in almost a month and a half. The positives in the locker room increase, as their last few games are winnable as well.

Iowa State would then go on the road to take on the UCF Knights, where they find a win over a struggling Knights’ squad. All of a sudden, the Cyclones are just a win away from getting back to a bowl game.

Iowa State then ends their season with a rivalry game against the Kansas State Wildcats in Farmageddon, where they find another win to make a bowl game. It’s a stressful ride, but somehow, the Cyclones would find their way into it.

It’s going to be a tough season for Iowa State. They have a tough schedule, but also lots of intriguing matchups. There’s certainly a chance that the Cyclones figure things out and make their way into another bowl game in 2026.

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