This Early-Season Matchup Could Define Season for Iowa State Cyclones Football

Which game could be a good indicator of how good or bad the Iowa State Cyclones will be?

Jul 14, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the Iowa State Cyclones helmet logo during the Big 12 Media Day at AT&T Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

As the Iowa State Cyclones enter a new era under Jimmy Rogers, it is hard to predict what the outlook for the team is going to be in the 2026 campaign. However, an early-season game could provide some insight into how the team will perform. 

With a new regime taking over for the first time in a long time for the Cyclones, they are entering a bit of an uncertain period for the program. Under Matt Campbell, the team was a really improved football program and one that was fairly consistent as well. Now, Rogers will be attempting to take the program to new heights, but that might not happen overnight. 

Following the departure of Campbell, Iowa State lost a ton of players to the transfer portal and saw a lot of their players leave the program. Even though the team worked hard to replace talent in the transfer portal, this was a team that was going to have a lot of impressive seniors on the roster for 2026. Now, whether they want to believe it or not, they will not have the same level of talent as in previous campaigns. 

Eli Lederman of ESPN recently wrote about the game that could define the season for the Cyclones, being their matchup in early October against the West Virginia Mountaineers. 

Will Iowa State Be Rebuilding?

Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Rogers is undoubtedly capable of getting a lot out of a roster, as shown by his work with the Washington State Cougars, it is going to be an uphill battle in the Big 12. To start the year, Iowa State will have an easy game against Southeast Missouri. This should be a win for the program and get them off to a positive start. Following that matchup will be a hard-nosed battle in the Cy-Hawk game on the road. After that, it will be a matchup against Bowling Green. 

To kick off conference play, they will have a challenging game against the Utah Utes, but the game that could really be the indicator of how the season will go is against the Mountaineers. 

Like the Cyclones, West Virginia is undergoing some significant changes for their program. However, this is a team that Iowa State has been able to handle in recent years. A loss to them could be an indication that some struggles might be on their way. However, a win could prove that Rogers is steering the ship in the right direction. This matchup will be their fifth game of the season, and it will be an important one to watch.