Cy-Hawk week comes early. Iowa State rolls into Kinnick in week two on September 12 with a new head coach, a new roster and back-to-back Cy-Hawk wins. The Hawkeyes will no doubt have a chip on their shoulder and be looking for their first win in Kinnick in the series since 2018 (yes, really). Let's break it down.
The 2025 Cyclones went 8-4 overall, 5-4 in the Big 12. By most measures it was a successful year. Iowa State opened the season with a marquee international game victory, defeating #17 Kansas State 24-21 in Dublin to win Farmageddon. They proceeded to make it back-to-back wins in the Cy-Hawk with a 16-13 win over the Hawkeyes in Ames. That's enough for most ISU fans to call it a successful year.
But the Cyclones hit a major drought, dropping four straight games in the middle of the year, including in their only other game against a ranked opponent vs #11 BYU at home. They finished the regular season with road wins over TU and Oklahoma State with a bowl opportunity awaiting them at season's end.
Then everything hit the fan in Ames.
ISU's ten-year leader and virtual savior of the program, Matt Campbell, accepted the Penn State head coaching job on December 5. The Cyclones, in the immediate aftermath of losing their head coach, voted to decline their bowl invitation citing player injuries and the obvious disruption of the program. The program walked into the offseason with no head coach, no bowl game and a roster that was about to completely turn over.
#hawk #back #wins
The 2025 Cyclones went 8-4 overall, 5-4 in the Big 12. By most measures it was a successful year. Iowa State opened the season with a marquee international game victory, defeating #17 Kansas State 24-21 in Dublin to win Farmageddon. They proceeded to make it back-to-back wins in the Cy-Hawk with a 16-13 win over the Hawkeyes in Ames. That's enough for most ISU fans to call it a successful year.
But the Cyclones hit a major drought, dropping four straight games in the middle of the year, including in their only other game against a ranked opponent vs #11 BYU at home. They finished the regular season with road wins over TU and Oklahoma State with a bowl opportunity awaiting them at season's end.
Then everything hit the fan in Ames.
ISU's ten-year leader and virtual savior of the program, Matt Campbell, accepted the Penn State head coaching job on December 5. The Cyclones, in the immediate aftermath of losing their head coach, voted to decline their bowl invitation citing player injuries and the obvious disruption of the program. The program walked into the offseason with no head coach, no bowl game and a roster that was about to completely turn over.
#hawk #back #wins
3 months ago
