Rob Gray

“The past is the past.” That’s the motto Iowa State’s standout senior heavyweight Yonger Bastida adopted for his final season — and for good reason.

Cyclones dropped to 10th in AP poll and head into bye week banged up, but they are 7-0 for the first time in 86 years

No. 9 Iowa State is still undefeated — and 7-0 for the first time since 1938 following a gobsmacking 38-35 triumph Saturday night over UCF before 61,500 fans at Jack Trice Stadium.

Kyle Kempt ignited a program-changing upset as Iowa State’s quarterback against Oklahoma in 2017. He’s been a part of the program ever since, serving as a graduate assistant and now in a quality control capacity for the Cyclones’ potent passing game.

Iowa State has become almost the prohibitive favorite to win the Big 12 football title, which means the pressure amps up each week as every opponent seeks to knock it off course. Here are three keys for the Cyclones against UCF.

Iowa State receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel each having zero drops merely highlights how the Cyclones continue to operate with nearly zero margin for error if they hope to reach the Big 12 title game and make history by hoisting that gleaming trophy for the first time.

Iowa State’s first 6-0 football start in 86 years comes with an asterisk attached. The Cyclones still want to play a full 60 minutes of football.

No. 9 Cyclones host a struggling Central Florida team on Saturday night at Jack Trice Stadium, looking to go 7-0

Iowa State improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1938 with a 28-16 win at West Virginia. Quarterback Rocco Becht completed 16 of 28 passes for 265 yards and a 60-yard touchdown to Jaylin Noel.

From a football perspective, Princeton transfer Jalen Travis has been a revelation helping Iowa State shine in run blocking and pass protection. From a human perspective, Travis is deeply committed to helping others.

Iowa State has bought itself a little wiggle room in the Big 12 football championship race with its 2-0 start in league play, but that would vanish with a loss to West Virginia. Here are three keys for the Cyclones against the Mountaineers.

Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell shuns talk of the Cyclones’ 5-0 start — its best mark through five games in a season since 1980. But he embraces the “hard” truth that ISU hasn’t won an outright conference championship in its 133-year history

Iowa State men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger’s devotion to sharply defined daily habits places heavy demands on his players. This is how Otzelberger has built ISU’s program into a consistent winner that will likely be ranked in the preseason top 10.

Audi Crooks is one of four returning sophomores who stayed in tune during last season’s surprising surge, and as long as fifth-year senior point guard Emily Ryan’s serving as the group’s conductor, the Iowa State women’s basketball team will continue to hit high notes throughout a 2024-25 season brimming with big expectations.

Jontez Williams is one of five Iowa State defensive backs to snare at least one interception this season. The Cyclones’ ball-hawking identity is well-established.