However, three seasons prior, after Iowa State fell short of rival Iowa in one of the most anticipated Cy-Hawk rivalry games ever, a 7-6 final record and a trip to the Cheez-It Bowl mostly dashed prospects of being selected for the College Football Playoffs.

However, the Cyclones’ victory over the Hawkeyes in Iowa City this season appears to indicate that Iowa State is capable of competing for a Big 12 championship and being chosen for the College Football Playoff’s expanded 12-team field.

Thanks to a strong second half performance by the Cyclones’ offense, defense, and kicker Kyle Konrardy—who doesn’t seem the least bit stressed about the biggest field goal attempts of his life—Iowa State moved into the AP Top 25 rankings, moved closer to the top of the Big 12 Power rankings, and created great momentum for the rest of the season.

He declared, “It’s the same thing in my mind,” following his 54-yard game-winning field goal. “I just have to go out there and perform.”

‌Let’s examine the most difficult times the Cyclones have faced on their possible route to the Playoffs and the school’s first Big 12 championship, with Iowa State appearing ready to compete for a conference championship contest.

October 12 — Virginia

The Cyclones are considerably better than they appear on paper after three games versus opponents (Arkansas State, Houston, and Baylor). If all goes according coach Matt Campbell and quarterback Rochelle Becht’s plans, ISU should go into mid-October with an unbeaten 5-0 record.

After losing 34-12 to No. 8 Penn State to begin the season, West Virginia defeated Albany 49-14 in Week 2. In front of a sold-out Panther home crowd on Saturday, the Mountaineers will begin their legendary Backyard Brawl rivalry with Pittsburgh.

After two straight games against anticipated Big 12 contenders—Kansas visiting Morgantown on September 14 and Oklahoma State on the road the first weekend in October—Neal Brown’s Mountaineers will be in action again.

After two weeks, West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene has completed over 63 percent of his throws for three touchdowns, demonstrating his spectacular playmaking ability. After averaging 8.7 yards per attempt the previous season, he is currently averaging 7.8 yards per attempt to begin the current campaign. This figure is probably going to rise.

But with Greene—a gifted rusher himself—and C.J. Donaldson and Jamiem White in the backfield, the Mountaineer attack is driven by the run. Green rushed for 772 yards and 13 touchdowns in the previous season. With an average of more than 6.4 yards per rush, Donaldson and White have combined for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the first two weeks of the season.

West Virginia was the Big 12’s unexpected team in 2023. Despite being under pressure going into the season, Brown managed to win nine games and secure a contract extension. However, WVU’s schedule, which included games against Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, and BYU (independent), was the easiest in the Big 12. Last season, all four programs made their Big 12 debuts; however, only UCF was able to secure a playoff bowl game. Just five of WVU’s 12 regular season opponents in 2023 participated in a bowl game. Give West Virginia credit for winning more games than expected the previous season, but is it feasible for them to regress instead of play a harder schedule?

October 10 — UCF

The Cyclones will face a hornet’s nest at Jack Trice Stadium on October 19 if they are lucky enough to go into their game against UCF unbeaten. Like West Virginia, really. The foundation of UCF’s offense is its explosive three-headed rushing attack, which consists of quarterback KJ Jefferson, running back RJ Harvey, and running back Penny Boone. In the season’s first two games, wide receiver Kobe Hudson has been a dynamic target for Jefferson, who has completed 65.5 percent of his passes for two touchdowns.

Regarded play-caller Gus Malzahn will return to lead the offense in 2024, making the Knight offense one of the greatest. However, there are concerns about the defense’s ability to compete against a top-tier Big 12 offense.

With Rochelle Becht assisting the ball to possible All-Big 12 receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who have combined for four touchdown catches in the first two games of the season, the Cyclone passing offense could rank among the best in the conference.

November 9 — in Kansas

With Lance Leipold leading the Jayhawks to bowl games in consecutive seasons for just the second time in program history, the rivalry game has gained new life. Due in part to the on-field enhancement, Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, will host the Kansas University Big 12 home games. This stadium rehabilitation project is located on ‘The Booth’ in Lawrence, Kansas.

The condition of the stadium can intensify a cyclone.Every March, Iowa State men’s basketball supporters are renowned for making the trip to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament. ‘Clone supporters anticipate a sizable cardinal contingent occupying the seats at Arrowhead.

On the pitch, these two teams are evenly matched, or so many people believed heading into the season. Kansas has a roughly 70% chance of winning the game, according to ESPN FPI, but the lineups of both teams are fairly similar.

Three weeks in, Kansas is 1-2 after losing on the road at Illinois, despite three interceptions from Jalon Daniels. After that, on Friday night in a defeat to UNLV, Daniels threw two interceptions, giving the Rebels their second victory over Big 12 teams this season (Houston). For offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, the senior quarterback will need time to recover from his turnover bug, but the running tandem of Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw might pose a threat to the Cyclone defense, which has shown signs of weakness in the first two weeks by giving up 189.0 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry.

Nov. 23, UTAH

In their first season in the Big 12, the Utes and longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham were picked to win the conference, but quarterback Cameron Rising’s injury in a Week 2 victory over Baylor—which left him with at least one finger injured—has some doubts about the team’s potential.

According to Whittingham, Rising’s injury is not as bad as first thought. It appears likely that Rising’s fingers will heal by the end of November. It is uncertain what each team’s rest injury report for this late season looks like.

Although Rice-Eccles Stadium is one of the Big 12’s most intimidating venues, Iowa State has handled sizable road audiences admirably the past two seasons. Iowa State has a 5-0 record after five real road games, including victories over two highly regarded opponents (Iowa and Kansas State).

30 November — Kansas State

One of the most famous games in Iowa State football history was contested between these two teams one season ago. Then, in roughly four inches of snow, Iowa State defeated Kansas State 42–35 thanks to touchdowns from freshman running back Abu Sama on runs of 71, 77, and 60 yards.

It’s difficult to see the two colleges having as thrilling of a contest this year, especially with inches of snow on the natural grass of Jack Trice Stadium. However, a lot could be riding on how the game turns out.

Perhaps the victor will start making plans to travel to AT&T Stadium for the Big 12 Championship game in Arlington if both teams have a strong record going into the last week of the regular season.

Despite barely defeating Tulane on the road in Week 2, the Wildcats’ performance in the first two weeks of the season has been lackluster. The Green Wave could have stunned Chris Klieman for the second time since 2022 if it weren’t for a lucky scoop-and-score fumble by the K-State defense and offensive pass interference on Tulane’s last drive that erased a touchdown from the scoreboard.

Cooper Beebe, a standout offensive guard, was among the several starters on each line of scrimmage that K-State had to replace in the offseason. As a rookie, Beebe is already starting for the Dallas Cowboys at center.

The offensive and defensive line starters from the previous season were all back for the Cyclones, who also added three important additions: defensive end Kenard Snyder, offensive guard Dylan Barrett, and offensive tackle Jaleen Travis, who has missed the first two games of the season due to an unidentified injury.