There was a familiar feeling surging through Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Iowa State handed TCU a 49-24 defeat in dominating fashion.

One look at the calendar and it’s clear to see what this feeling was: the feeling of a Cyclone resurgence — just in time for October to roll around. 

Iowa State has made a habit of this same song and dance under fourth-year coach Matt Campbell: start slow, barely survive the month of September and then sweep the month of October. It’s happened two years in a row now, and the win over the Horned Frogs on Saturday makes it eight straight wins in “spooky szn” for Campbell’s crew. It’s not a choice the team has made, Campbell said, but it’s not one he’s particularly complaining about. Campbell attributes it mostly to the team developing cohesion as the season goes along. 

Something odd happens to the Cyclones when the calendar turns. The offense becomes crisp and confident, the defense ever more hard to get by and the vibe of the team — at least from an outside perspective — gets considerably more assured. 

But it wasn’t those changes that struck me the most on Saturday; it was the relative ease with which the Cyclones discarded a thought-to-be solid TCU opponent. Iowa State isn’t usually one for blowing teams out. There are obvious exceptions, like the 66-10 whooping of future “Best Quarterback in the World” Patrick Mahomes and Texas Tech and the 30-14 beatdown of West Virginia in 2018. But the Cyclones live in the margins and often win games late. To win in easy fashion as they did Saturday does say something about the progress of the team. 

The Cyclones couldn’t have come back any later, given the Big 12 stakes surrounding this month. Iowa State is no longer the consensus pick for third-best in the conference, as the resurgent No. 22 Baylor Bears are undefeated and have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cyclones. The Bears have found success with a defense, which is essentially a replica of Iowa State’s scheme, using a 3-3-5 shell tactic to keep offenses from producing big plays. It’s worked a treat for Matt Rhule and co., and the Bears’ 31-12 win over Kansas State on Saturday proved their credentials as the team to beat (non-Texas and Oklahoma division). 

The Cyclones’ next opponent, West Virginia, gave No. 11 Texas a tough test on Saturday before falling 45-34. The Mountaineers are not particularly good, but they’re not expected to be — this is year zero under new coach Neal Brown, and West Virginia is content with swinging for big wins and growing as a program. Sound familiar? Because it sounds to me a lot like Campbell’s first year at the helm in Ames. West Virginia will be good again before too long. 

Texas Tech was supposed to be an easy one, but the Red Raiders took a massive step forward in a 45-35 win over then-No. 21 Oklahoma State. This will likely be the Cyclones’ biggest test, as Oklahoma State has already proven its struggles on the road. 

The path to a third-straight perfect October isn’t simple, but it’s easier than ones Iowa State has navigated in the past. Don’t put it past the Cyclones to roll into Norman, Oklahoma, on Nov. 9 with a 6-2 record. Especially if they play like they did against the Horned Frogs.