CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

Iowa State Cyclones

Big 12Ames, IAJack Trice Stadium

2026: 3–⁠3 (1–⁠2 Big 12). Last: lost at No. 8 BYU 24–⁠10. Next: at Arizona, Saturday, Oct 24.

  1. W 38–⁠10Southeast Missouri State
  2. L 13–⁠16at No. 21 Iowa
  3. W 55–⁠7Bowling Green
  4. L 17–⁠31No. 15 Utah
  5. W 45–⁠42West Virginia
  6. L 10–⁠24at No. 8 BYU
  7. Oct 24at Arizona
  8. Oct 31Oklahoma State
  9. Nov 7at Baylor
  10. Nov 14Cincinnati
  11. Nov 20at UCF
  12. Nov 28Kansas State
  • Outfitted by Nike
  • Sudler Trophy, 2017

Iowa State has played football since 1892 and is 569–⁠682–⁠45 in the 1,296 games on record here, which start in 1895. Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 9, in 2020. They have won two Missouri Valley Conference titles (the last in 1912), counting shared titles. Since 1939, the NFL Draft has taken 66 players from here in its first seven rounds, 2 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 2 players and 1 coach from Iowa State. Matt Campbell (2016–⁠2025) won more games here than any other coach: 72. The most-played rival is Kansas State: 109 meetings, Iowa State leads 55–⁠50–⁠4. This season, under Jimmy Rogers, they’re 3–⁠3.

Jack Trice Stadium in Ames

Coldest game on record9°F

Jack Trice StadiumPhoto: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

On this date in 2013Iowa State lost to No. 12 Baylor 71–⁠7 on the road.

Résumé

All-time record
561–⁠677–⁠45 official; 569–⁠682–⁠45 on file; how we count
Postseason
6–⁠13 matches the official bowl record
AP No. 1 finishes
0
Weeks at No. 1
0 of 86 ranked
Elo now
1557 53rd of 138 FBS
Computer rankings
Massey No. 37 · Composite No. 52 in FBS, Oct 17. From Massey Ratings
Best season by Elo
2020 rated 1685
Conference titles
2 last in 1912
Seasons
132 since 1895, 1,296 games

Identity

Fight song
ISU Fights
Apparel
Nike

2026 season 3–⁠3

RosterFull 2026 season
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 5vsSoutheast Missouri StateW 38–⁠1089%
Sep 12at21IowaL 13–⁠1634%
Sep 19vsBowling GreenW 55–⁠780%
Sep 26vs15UtahL 17–⁠3145%
Oct 3vsWest VirginiaW 45–⁠4268%
Oct 9at8BYUL 10–⁠2426%
Oct 24atArizonaPreview29%
Oct 31vsOklahoma StatePreview69%
Nov 7atBaylorPreview43%
Nov 14vsCincinnatiPreview62%
Nov 20atUCFPreview55%
Nov 28vsKansas StatePreview55%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

This season, game by game

Iowa State’s Elo through 2026: 1574 going into the opener, 1557 after the latest game.155015751600Elo 1574 going in; beat Southeast Missouri State 38–10Elo 1581 going in; lost to Iowa 16–13Elo 1572 going in; beat Bowling Green 55–7Elo 1586 going in; lost to Utah 31–17Elo 1562 going in; beat West Virginia 45–42Elo 1570 going in; lost to BYU 24–10Now: Elo 1557 after the latest game1557
Southeast Missouri StateIowaBowling GreenUtahWest VirginiaBYUNow
Elo going into each game, then after the latest. Filled dots: wins; open: losses.

Future schedule

2027–⁠31
20272 games: 2 home, non-conference only
20282 games: 2 home, non-conference only
20292 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only
20302 games: 2 home, non-conference only
20311 game: 1 home, non-conference only

Iowa State’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of September 24, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Players

The 2026 rosterRecord bookAll-time letterwinnersThe money

On the 2026 team

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.

Program greats See all

Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Iowa State.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.

Around the program

Apparel
Nike · Independently corroborated
Mascot
Cy the Cardinal · Official source
Athletic director
Jamie Pollard · Official source
Offensive coordinator
Tyler Roehl · Official source
Defensive coordinator
Jesse Bobbit · Official source

Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.

The apparel deal

Nike. Nike partner as of 2018. The current term hasn't been confirmed here.

Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.

Program strength since 1895

Best seasons ever
Iowa State end-of-season Elo from 1895 to 2026, best in 2020 at 1685.130015001700190019001920194019601980200020202020 peak: Elo 1685
End-of-season Elo. Dashed line: 1500, an average FBS team.

On Bluesky

  • David Hale

    In 2024 and 2025 -- the 1st 2 years of the 12-team playoff -- 23 P4 teams opened the year 5-0. 13 of 23 made the playoff. 5 others ranked between Nos. 12-18 in the final playoff rankings. The only non-contenders: 2024 Duke and Pitt; 2025 Iowa State, GT and Missouri.

    Read on Bluesky

From reporters and writers who cover college football, linked to their posts on Bluesky.

More coverage

Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.

Podcasts

Found through Podcast Index, the open podcast directory. Each link opens the episode’s page.

Head coaches

CoachYearsRecord
Jimmy Rogers20263–⁠3
Matt Campbell2016–⁠202572–⁠55
Paul Rhoads2009–⁠201532–⁠54
Gene Chizik2007–⁠20085–⁠19
Dan McCarney1995–⁠200656–⁠85
Jim Walden1987–⁠199428–⁠57–⁠3
Chuck Banker19861–⁠1
Jim Criner1983–⁠198616–⁠24–⁠2
Donnie Duncan1979–⁠198218–⁠24–⁠2
Earle Bruce1973–⁠197836–⁠32
Johnny Majors1968–⁠197224–⁠30–⁠1
Clay Stapleton1958–⁠196742–⁠53–⁠4
Jim Myers19574–⁠5–⁠1
Vince Di Francesca1954–⁠19566–⁠21–⁠1
Abe Stuber1947–⁠195324–⁠38–⁠3
Mike Michalske1942–⁠194618–⁠18–⁠3
Ray Donels1941–⁠19423–⁠8–⁠1
Jim Yeager1937–⁠194016–⁠19–⁠1
George Veenker1931–⁠193621–⁠22–⁠8
C. Noel Workman1926–⁠193011–⁠27–⁠3
Sam Willaman1922–⁠192514–⁠15–⁠3
Maury Kent19214–⁠4
Norman Paine19204–⁠4
Charles Mayser1915–⁠191921–⁠11–⁠2
Homer Hubbard1913–⁠19148–⁠7
Clyde Williams1907–⁠191232–⁠15–⁠2
A.W. Ristine1902–⁠190636–⁠10–⁠1
Edgar M. Clinton19012–⁠6–⁠2
C.E. Woodruff19002–⁠5–⁠1
Joe Meyers18995–⁠4–⁠1
Pop Warner1895–⁠18985–⁠5

Most-played series

All rivalries
OpponentGamesISU record
Kansas State10955–⁠50–⁠4
Kansas10446–⁠52–⁠6
Missouri10434–⁠61–⁠9 ‡
Nebraska10517–⁠86–⁠2 ‡
Oklahoma897–⁠80–⁠2
Iowa7325–⁠48 ‡
Drake6948–⁠17–⁠4
Colorado6615–⁠50–⁠1

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file. Each series page gives both.

Rivals the program names: Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska.

Every opponent (130)

Every program Iowa State has played, A to Z, with Iowa State’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.

Conference titles

2, counting shared titles
Missouri Valley Conference 2
1911 (shared), 1912 (shared)
Big 12 North (shared with Colorado) 1
2004

As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.

Conferences

  1. Independent 1892–⁠1907
  2. Missouri Valley Conference 1908–⁠1927
  3. Big Six 1928–⁠1947
  4. Big Seven 1948–⁠1957
  5. Big Eight 1958–⁠1995
  6. Big 12 since 1996
  • 1928Joined the Big Six from the Missouri Valley Conference. Source
  • 1996Joined the Big 12 from the Big Eight. Source

Iowa State’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

National award winners

All awards
2021Charlie Kolar TECampbell Trophy

Consensus All-Americans 6

2021Breece Hall RB
2020Breece Hall RB
1996Troy Davis RB
1995Troy Davis RB
1989Mike Busch TE
1938Ed Bock OG

Led the nation 4

2020Breece Hall rushing yards (1,572 yds)
1996Troy Davis rushing yards (2,185 yds)
1995Troy Davis rushing yards (2,010 yds)
1961Dave Hoppman total offense (1,638 yds), total offense per game (163.8)

The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.

Heisman runners-up and finalists

The votes
1996Troy Davis RB2nd
1995Troy Davis RB5th

Second to fifth in the vote, from each season’s Wikipedia article.

In the Hall of Fame

Every inductee
Players
2
Coaches
1
2016Troy Davis RB
2002Earle Bruce coach here, 1973–⁠1978
1970Ed Bock OG

In the NFL Draft

By college
Drafted, rounds 1–⁠7
66 since 1939
First-round picks
2
2023Will McDonald IV OLBNo. 15, New York Jets
1973George Amundson RBNo. 14, Houston Oilers

Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.

The school

Iowa State University
Enrollment
30,380 25,628 undergraduates, fall 2024
Where
Ames, Iowa
Public or private
Public Research 1
Founded
1858
Graduates’ median earnings
$63,386 10 years after starting

Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.

Official accounts

Football
X @cyclonefbInstagram @cyclonefbFacebook IowaStateFootball
Athletics department
X @CycloneATHInstagram @cycloneathFacebook IowaStateAthleticsPinterest CycloneATH

Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones cyclones.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.

On the newsreel

Universal Newsreel, National Archives (catalog record). Story titles and words as Universal’s release sheet gives them; the films themselves may still be under copyright, so we link to the record rather than show them.

Season by season

National champions
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20263–⁠31–⁠2Jimmy Rogers15571.0
20258–⁠45–⁠422Matt Campbell16119.9
202411–⁠37–⁠215Matt Campbell163510.3
20237–⁠66–⁠3Matt Campbell15877.5
20224–⁠81–⁠8Matt Campbell15055.3
20217–⁠65–⁠47Matt Campbell162114.3
20209–⁠38–⁠1239Matt Campbell168513.3
20197–⁠65–⁠421Matt Campbell159912.6
20188–⁠56–⁠3Matt Campbell16177.9
20178–⁠55–⁠4Matt Campbell15747.5
20163–⁠92–⁠7Matt Campbell14180.7
20153–⁠92–⁠7Paul Rhoads1403-0.3
20142–⁠100–⁠9Paul Rhoads1362-7.9
20133–⁠92–⁠7Paul Rhoads1457-3.8
20126–⁠73–⁠6Paul Rhoads15014.4
20116–⁠73–⁠6Paul Rhoads1492-0.4
20105–⁠73–⁠5Paul Rhoads1471-5.7
20097–⁠63–⁠5Paul Rhoads14471.0
20082–⁠100–⁠8Gene Chizik1316-2.8
20073–⁠92–⁠6Gene Chizik1397-9.1
20064–⁠81–⁠7Dan McCarney1419-6.7
20057–⁠54–⁠4Dan McCarney159213.0
20047–⁠54–⁠4Dan McCarney15013.9
20032–⁠100–⁠8Dan McCarney1345-9.6
20027–⁠74–⁠4Dan McCarney150314.5
Every season back to 1895 (107 more)
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20017–⁠54–⁠4Dan McCarney15484.4
20009–⁠35–⁠325Dan McCarney15658.3
19994–⁠71–⁠7Dan McCarney1402-1.0
19983–⁠81–⁠7Dan McCarney1367-4.5
19971–⁠101–⁠7Dan McCarney1308-15.6
19962–⁠91–⁠7Dan McCarney1362-0.3
19953–⁠81–⁠6Dan McCarney1336-10.0
19940–⁠10–⁠10–⁠6–⁠1Jim Walden1283-14.0
19933–⁠82–⁠5Jim Walden1395-4.4
19924–⁠72–⁠5Jim Walden14100.5
19913–⁠7–⁠11–⁠5–⁠1Jim Walden1362-11.3
19904–⁠6–⁠12–⁠4–⁠1Jim Walden1428-0.5
19896–⁠54–⁠3Jim Walden1485-5.1
19885–⁠63–⁠4Jim Walden1426-5.7
19873–⁠82–⁠5Jim Walden1358-14.9
19866–⁠53–⁠4Jim Criner, Chuck Banker1459-3.4
19855–⁠63–⁠4Jim Criner1402-12.5
19842–⁠7–⁠20–⁠5–⁠2Jim Criner1375-11.8
19834–⁠73–⁠4Jim Criner1410-7.0
19824–⁠6–⁠11–⁠5–⁠1Donnie Duncan14471.5
19815–⁠5–⁠12–⁠4–⁠1Donnie Duncan14532.1
19806–⁠52–⁠5Donnie Duncan14578.9
19793–⁠82–⁠5Donnie Duncan1410-4.6
19788–⁠44–⁠320Earle Bruce15713.2
19778–⁠45–⁠2Earle Bruce158812.6
19768–⁠34–⁠319Earle Bruce159319.1
19754–⁠71–⁠6Earle Bruce1459-2.0
19744–⁠72–⁠5Earle Bruce151810.8
19734–⁠72–⁠5Earle Bruce154013.0
19725–⁠6–⁠12–⁠4–⁠1Johnny Majors155312.8
19718–⁠44–⁠3Johnny Majors159620.2
19705–⁠61–⁠6Johnny Majors147911.0
19693–⁠71–⁠6Johnny Majors1385
19683–⁠71–⁠6Johnny Majors1370
19672–⁠81–⁠6Clay Stapleton1323
19662–⁠6–⁠22–⁠3–⁠2Clay Stapleton1405
19655–⁠4–⁠13–⁠3–⁠1Clay Stapleton1459
19641–⁠8–⁠10–⁠7Clay Stapleton1371
19634–⁠53–⁠4Clay Stapleton1476
19625–⁠53–⁠4Clay Stapleton1532
19615–⁠53–⁠4Clay Stapleton1519
19607–⁠34–⁠3Clay Stapleton1560
19597–⁠33–⁠3Clay Stapleton1526
19584–⁠60–⁠6Clay Stapleton1403
19574–⁠5–⁠12–⁠4Jim Myers1387
19562–⁠80–⁠6Vince Di Francesca1299
19551–⁠7–⁠11–⁠4–⁠1Vince Di Francesca1337
19543–⁠61–⁠5Vince Di Francesca1365
19532–⁠71–⁠5Abe Stuber1344
19523–⁠61–⁠5Abe Stuber1417
19514–⁠4–⁠12–⁠4Abe Stuber1440
19503–⁠6–⁠12–⁠3–⁠1Abe Stuber1408
19495–⁠3–⁠13–⁠3Abe Stuber1459
19484–⁠62–⁠4Abe Stuber1372
19473–⁠61–⁠4Abe Stuber1366
19462–⁠6–⁠11–⁠4Mike Michalske1354
19454–⁠3–⁠12–⁠2–⁠1Mike Michalske1491
19446–⁠1–⁠13–⁠1–⁠1Mike Michalske1525
19434–⁠43–⁠2Mike Michalske1435
19423–⁠61–⁠4Ray Donels, Mike Michalske1384
19412–⁠6–⁠10–⁠4–⁠1Ray Donels1375
19404–⁠52–⁠3Jim Yeager1440
19392–⁠71–⁠4Jim Yeager1427
19387–⁠1–⁠13–⁠1–⁠1Jim Yeager1534
19373–⁠61–⁠4Jim Yeager1401
19363–⁠3–⁠21–⁠3–⁠1George Veenker1448
19352–⁠4–⁠31–⁠3–⁠1George Veenker1446
19345–⁠3–⁠11–⁠3–⁠1George Veenker1470
19333–⁠5–⁠11–⁠4George Veenker1380
19323–⁠4–⁠10–⁠4–⁠1George Veenker1393
19315–⁠33–⁠1George Veenker1401
19300–⁠90–⁠5C. Noel Workman1292
19291–⁠70–⁠5C. Noel Workman1355
19282–⁠5–⁠12–⁠2–⁠1C. Noel Workman1445
19274–⁠3–⁠13–⁠2C. Noel Workman1473
19264–⁠3–⁠13–⁠3–⁠1C. Noel Workman1485
19254–⁠3–⁠13–⁠2–⁠1Sam Willaman1496
19244–⁠3–⁠13–⁠2Sam Willaman1526
19234–⁠3–⁠13–⁠2–⁠1Sam Willaman1466
19222–⁠62–⁠4Sam Willaman1413
19214–⁠43–⁠4Maury Kent1490
19204–⁠43–⁠2Norman Paine1509
19195–⁠2–⁠13–⁠1–⁠1Charles Mayser1509
1918few games on file0–⁠30–⁠1Charles Mayser1444
19175–⁠23–⁠1Charles Mayser1548
19165–⁠2–⁠12–⁠1–⁠1Charles Mayser1548
19156–⁠22–⁠1Charles Mayser1549
19144–⁠32–⁠1Homer Hubbard1518
19134–⁠42–⁠2Homer Hubbard1518
19126–⁠22–⁠0Clyde Williams1566
19116–⁠1–⁠12–⁠0–⁠1Clyde Williams1547
19104–⁠42–⁠1Clyde Williams1447
19094–⁠3–⁠10–⁠1–⁠1Clyde Williams1505
19086–⁠32–⁠1Clyde Williams1589
19076–⁠2Clyde Williams1621
19069–⁠1A.W. Ristine1622
19056–⁠3A.W. Ristine1560
19047–⁠2A.W. Ristine1597
19038–⁠1A.W. Ristine1575
19026–⁠3–⁠1A.W. Ristine1452
19012–⁠6–⁠2Edgar M. Clinton1316
19002–⁠5–⁠1C.E. Woodruff1353
18995–⁠4–⁠1Joe Meyers1446
1898few games on file1–⁠0Pop Warner1522
1897few games on file1–⁠0Pop Warner1507
1896few games on file0–⁠1Pop Warner1486
18953–⁠4Pop Warner1502

Officially 561–⁠677–⁠45 since 1892 (per Wikipedia, checked Oct 9, 2025); game by game here, 569–⁠682–⁠45 (+8 wins, +5 losses). Our file starts in 1895; the program began in 1892. Official totals drop vacated and forfeited wins.

Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.