An old-school Big Eight matchup is coming to Folsom Field in October.

Just five of the final eight conference members make up the current, 16-team Big 12 and it provides few long and storied matchups.

One of them, however, is Colorado and Iowa State. The Buffaloes and Cyclones will meet for the first time since 2010 in Week 7 of the upcoming 2025 season.

They were two of the teams that finished tied atop the conference standings at the end of last regular season, but it was ISU that advanced to the Big 12 championship game.

Coach Matt Campbell and his team enter this fall as conference contenders once again. Here’s everything to know about the Cyclones:

Offseason storylines

If anyone in the Big 12 is still trying to win with an old-school college football model, it’s Campbell and ISU.

The Cyclones are in the top five nationally in returning starters with 14 and they have one of the longest-tenured coaching staffs in the country. They added eight players from the transfer portal. While there are one or two players who could have a big impact, if ISU is a Big 12 title contender — and a College Football Playoff contender — it will be because of the returning production from a team that won 11 games, including the Pop-Tarts Bowl, a season ago.

On offense

The biggest reason for optimism in Ames is because of quarterback Rocco Becht — another potential breakout star in 2025.

While improving his passing numbers in his second full season as a starter in 2024, Becht also showed flashes of being a weapon in the running game with over 300 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. But it’s through the air where he can still do the most damage.

This year, however, he’ll have to do so without his two top targets, Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, who both were drafted into the NFL after putting up nearly identical numbers in their final collegiate seasons. Noel had 80 catches for 1,194 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, while Higgins had 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns.

The player tasked with replacing that duo is East Carolina transfer Chase Sowell, who actually began his career at Colorado in 2022 before being a part of the mass exodus following Deion Sanders’ hire. Sowell racked up over 600 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons and seems primed to be a top weapon for ISU.

It’s not all about the passing game for the Cyclones as their veteran offensive line is made up entirely of returning players and the running back duo of Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III is back after combining for over 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground last season.

On defense

Despite a solid record and overall statistics, the ISU defense ranked mostly in the middle of the pack in the Big 12 — except for one category, pass defense. No one in the conference allowed fewer passing yards per game than the Cyclones and their excellent secondary, which featured a pair of defensive backs named second-team all-Big 12.

One returns in Jontez Williams, who had four interceptions on a team that finished tied with the Buffs for the third-most in the Big 12 (15).

Up front is where Iowa State struggled, however. The Cyclones ranked second-to-last in the Big 12 in rushing yards allowed per game and were dead last with 16 sacks. The only player with more than two sacks was J.R. Singleton, and he’s moved on to the NFL.

The Iowa State Cyclones file

2024 record: 11-3 (7-2 Big 12)

Head coach: Matt Campbell (10th season, 64-51 record)

Offensive coordinator: Taylor Mouser (10th season at ISU, 2nd as OC)

Defensive coordinator: Jon Heacock (10th season)

Key returners: QB Rocco Becht, RB Carson Hansen, RB Abu Sama III, TE Gabe Burkle, OT James Neal, DL Domonique Orange, CB Jontez Williams, DB Jeremiah Cooper

Key newcomers: WR Chase Sowell, WR Xavier Townsend, EDGE Vontroy Malone, CB Tre Bell