2026 K-State Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 12: Iowa State

Iowa State enters a new era in 2026, as Matt Campbell left to become the coach at Penn State. Not only did he leave, but he took many of the Cyclones' top players, including quarterback Rocco Becht, with him to Happy Valley. Replacing Campbell is Jimmy Rogers, who helped lead Washington State to a 6-6 record last season after winning an FCS national championship at South Dakota State in 2023

In college football today, teams have to bring in new guys every year because of the transfer portal. However, the Cyclones have only 21 returning players who were on scholarship the previous season. This has become one of the more fun rivalry games in the Big 12 over the past many seasons, and the two teams will look to end their regular season off on a positive note in this game.

Offense

Becht has held down the quarterback position over the last couple of seasons, but the Cyclones did a good job of bringing in a talented player in Jaylen Raynor. He has played three seasons as the quarterback at Arkansas State, where he threw for 8,694 passing yards, 52 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions. He played against the Cyclones last season, and nearly led an upset with 305 total yards of offense and one touchdown.

Of the projected starters for the Cyclones, only two were on the team last season: wide receiver Dominic Overby and right tackle Garrett Rutledge. Overby had seven catches for 87 yards, while Rutledge played in 12 games primarily on special teams. One of the transfers expected to contribute for the Cyclones is wide receiver Evan Boyd, who played at Michigan State last season.

In his freshman year at Central Michigan, he had 21 catches for 302 yards and two touchdowns before a collarbone injury ended his season in 2024. While he had only three catches last season for the Spartans, he is a talented player who has a chance to get back to being the player he was two years ago.

There are a lot of moving pieces for the Cyclones this year, and there could be some struggles on this side of the ball early in the year.

Defense

Rogers brought in defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit to run the defense in Ames. The Cyclones, over the last few years, have been a 3-3-5 team, but Rogers is changing the scheme to a 4-2-5. While the team was gutted in the transfer portal, there is some really good talent on defense that should have this a solid group, very soon.

Defensive end Isaac Terrell followed Rogers to Ames during the off-season, and he is coming off a season in which he had 28 tackles and seven sacks for Washington State. He will be the leader of a defensive line that has other solid pieces like Caden Crawford, Zaimir Hawk and Bryson Lamb. The linebackers have a chance to be a real strength.

Austin Peay transfer Montreze Smith Jr. had a very good 2025 season, finishing with 73 tackles and four sacks. Like Terrell, Sullivan Schlimgen came over from Washington State and has a chance to be the leader. He finished his freshman season with 49 tackles, and knows exactly what Bobbit is looking for from his defense.

Schedule

Every year, the Cyclones play in-state rival Iowa, and that matchup is in Week 2 on the road. That game is always a low-scoring, competitive game, but that figures to be a big challenge for such an inexperienced team that early in the season.

There is some relief in the Big 12 schedule, as the Cyclones don't have to play Texas Tech or Houston this year. However, there are some challenging road games in the conference at BYU and Arizona in October that could determine which way the season goes.

Outlook

Rogers and his team have their work cut out for them in 2026, as this feels like a rebuild after Campbell had things going pretty well in Ames. Throughout his time as a coach Rogers has shown the ability to build a contender. He did it at South Dakota State, and he was doing it in Pullman last season at Washington State.

However, to ask to have the Cyclones contending in the Big 12 this year could be a major ask. For Iowa State fans, if the Cyclones are playing games in November with a chance to earn a bowl spot, that would be a great start to Rogers' time in Ames.

Game Info

Date: Saturday, November 28
Time: TBD
TV: TBD
Location: Jack Trice Stadium
Series history: Iowa State leads, 55-50-4. This has been one of the more competitive series in college football, and there have been competitive games over the years. Last season, the two teams faced off in Ireland in Week 0, with the Cyclones winning a thrilling 24-21 matchup. Iowa State has won the last three games, all by eight points or less.

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