How The Iowa State Cyclones Could Ruin Oklahoma State's Season in 2026

The Iowa State Cyclones will be catching the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the most haunting time of the year. That could be bad news.

Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Everything is new at Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Well, almost everything.

The Cowboys have a new head coach in Eric Morris, last at North Texas. He brought in more than 60 transfers, including nearly 20 from his former job with the Mean Green. He’s bringing the Air Raid offense and the 4-2-5 defense with him, along with most of his former UNT staff. He is OSU’s first new head coach since Mike Gundy more than 20 years ago.

The Cyclones also have a new head coach at Jimmy Rogers, last at Washington State. He replaces Matt Campbell, who was there for a decade and left to take the job at Penn State. Rogers brought in more than 40 transfers and is trying to leverage the culture that Campbell left with one of his own.

Both coaches are going to face challenges this season. And when they face each other on Oct. 31, it could be one of the most important games of the season for the Cowboys, depending on where they are after the first seven games. If they exceed expectations, the Cyclones could find a way to ruin it.

How Iowa State Could Ruin Oklahoma State’s Season

Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Football games on Halloween are great for crowd spectacle, especially when the date falls on a gameday. OSU and ISU will play on Oct. 31, so there will thousands of Cyclones fans in costume in the stands. Maybe even a few Oklahoma State fans, too.

But Halloween games can also lead to weird things on the field. The only thing one needs besides the costumes and the candy is a full moon. The game will miss the full moon by six days. So close.

But what could really ruin Oklahoma State’s season is where this game is set in the schedule. It’s the eighth game of the season. It represents what should be the toughest part of the schedule for the Cowboys. After Iowa State, OSU plays Kansas State, followed by Texas Tech and Arizona State. At least two of those teams could be Big 12 Conference title game contenders.

The Cowboys should be seeking a bowl game this season, at minimum. But let’s say things go right and they’re sitting at 5-2 with a 4-1 Big 12 record. It’s possible. On paper, Oregon and Houston seems like the games OSU is most likely to lose. But the others are all winnable, thanks to the infusion of talent that Morris has brought in, most notably from his former job at North Texas.

If the Cowboys are there, then all the Cyclones have to do is win to put the Cowboys in a corner. A loss drops OSU to two losses in league play and makes exceeding expectations impossible. It could also set off a tailspin for the Cowboys to deal with in November.

Whether Iowa State can ruin Oklahoma State’s season will depend on where the Cowboys are after seven games. But it’s definitely something for OSU to be wary of.