Dec 7, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive lineman Prince Dorbah (32) and Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) in action during the game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Arizona State Sun Devils at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Randy Peterson
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May 26, 2025
This may be a stretch – then again, it may not be so tough to comprehend. Whatever it is, is this: The CBS sports web site a while back did more than insinuate the Big 12 football championship goes through Iowa State, it dang near used those exact words.
The respected publication’s rundown of the “biggest” games on schedules of its post-spring Top 25, includes multiple references to Matt Campbell’s 10th Cyclones team.
What’s that mean? Those mentions show the respect Campbell’s 2025 team is getting, with less than 100 days until the Aug. 23 season-opening game against Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland.
Six Big 12 teams made CBS’ “after spring” Top 25, including Iowa State at No. 19. Half of the six have Iowa State listed as their most important game. (Two have Arizona State listed, while one has Utah.)
That’s a ton of well-earned respect, for a Cyclones program that won a school-record 11 games last season, that has one of the Big 12’s top quarterbacks – and a program that had two receivers selected in the most recent NFL draft’s second (Jayden Higgins), and third (Jaylin Noel) rounds.
That Iowa State pre-season ranking seems about right, considering the new receivers, and a slight makeover in both lines. There’s plenty of opportunity to rise -- to make a run for the 12-team College Football Playoffs.
Here’s the teams that list Iowa State as their most important game, followed by CBS’ explaining words.
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Most important game: vs. Iowa State, Aug. 23 in Dublin, Ireland
CBS sez:The Big 12 is the is the nation's most unpredictable conference, but there are a few clear frontrunners entering the season. Kansas State and Iowa State are among them. Factor in the "Farmageddon" rivalry between the two programs, plus this year's prime Week 0 date, and this is easily one of the biggest Big 12 games of the year.
Big 12 Conference games: vs. Iowa State in Ireland, vs. UCF, at Baylor, vs. TCU, at Kansas, vs. Texas Tech, at Oklahoma State, at Utah, vs. Colorado.
Doesn’t face: Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, West Virginia.
NOTE: at Arizona in a non-conference game.
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Most important game: vs. TCU, Nov. 8
CBS sez:TCU must travel to Arizona State, Kansas State and BYU. It'll be tough to win two of those, let alone all three. So the Horned Frogs' Big 12 hopes could hinge on how they fare at home against an Iowa State team that made it to the Big 12 Championship Game last season. The quarterback showdown between TCU's Josh Hoover and Iowa State's Rocco Becht adds to the stakes.
Big 12 Conference games: at Arizona State, vs. Colorado, at Kansas State, vs. Baylor, at West Virginia, vs. Iowa State, at BYU, at Houston, vs. Cincinnati.
Doesn’t face: Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah.
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Most important game: Nov. 1 at Iowa State
CBS sez:A rematch of the 2024 Big 12 Championship Game may decide one of the spots in this year's league title contest. That's reason enough to include this showdown, which also features two of the nation's best quarterbacks in Arizona State's Sam Leavitt and Iowa State's Rocco Becht.
Big 12 Conference games: at Baylor, vs. TCU, at Utah, vs. Texas Tech, vs. Houston, at Iowa State, vs. West Virginia, at Colorado, vs. Arizona.
Doesn’t face: BYU, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, UCF.
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And in case you’re interested:
Most important game: vs. Arizona State
CBS sez:Iowa State plays Kansas State, BYU, Arizona State, TCU and its annual Cy-Hawk showdown against Iowa in 2025, so whittling it down to one game is pretty tough. But Arizona State takes the cake, given that this is a rematch of the 2024 Big 12 Championship Game with major consequences on the 2025 Big 12 landscape.
Big 12 Conference games: vs. Kansas State in Ireland, vs. Arizona, at Cincinnati, at Colorado, vs. BYU, vs. Arizona State, at TCU, vs. Kansas, at Oklahoma State.
Doesn’t face: Baylor, Houston, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah, West Virginia.
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Does this mean Iowa State could be a pre-season favorite to at least reach its second Big 12 Conference championship game in a row?
Anything is possible in this flip-a-coin league.
We’ll know a lot more on Saturday afternoon Aug. 23.
(Award-winning columnist Randy Peterson can be, and has been, reached at randypete4846@gmail.com or at any Okoboji-area beverage/food establishment between the hours of open and close.)