The Cyclones knew before the season started the schedule was going to be difficult.

Difficult may have been too soft of a description, as Iowa State (3-4, 1-2 Big 12) would take on eight bowl teams from 2009, including perennial powers Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas all on the road. On top of everything, second-year coach Paul Rhoads would have to do his best to duplicate a bowl-winning season without a single bye week.

The schedule has been brutal as advertised, but after getting outscored 120-27 in the past two weeks, the Cyclones are reeling.

“No surprise to us that Oklahoma sits atop the first BCS rankings after tangling with them Saturday night,” Rhoads said. “I would also note that our other three losses have all come from teams that are in the top 22 in the BCS standings.”

No. 3 Oklahoma (6-0, 2-0) was the aggressor in Saturday’s 52-0 ISU loss, and while the Cyclones knew the challenge going in, they were outmatched in every phase. Oklahoma’s 672 total yards of offense were a season high allowed by the Cyclone defense, while the ISU offense was held to 3 yards per play and ran 34 fewer plays than the Sooners. Oklahoma amassed 37 first downs with the Cyclones moving the chains a paltry 10 times.

Sooner receiver Ryan Broyles broke his own receiving record by catching 15 passes for 182 yards, and 13 of his catches came in the first half. Running back DeMarco Murray scored three touchdowns, quarterback Landry Jones was a hyper-efficient 30-of-34 passing, and the stat sheet could go on forever.

Cyclone players watch film after every game, and the have the same attitude they had after the Utah loss last week.

“We just can’t get frustrated. Not every team is going to be as good as Utah, Oklahoma or Texas, that we’re going to play in the future,” said ISU quarterback Austen Arnaud. “We’re going to pick and choose our battles, and as a team we’ve just got to be that much better during the week to expect to play well on Saturday.”

The coaching staff felt the effort was there, but the execution was not. Punter Kirby Van Der Kamp having to run out on the field seven times is a sign of that, but five of the Cyclones’ seven top tacklers were in the secondary, guys that play off the line.

ISU players were nursing aches and pains going into the game, just a week after a 68-27 demolition at home at the hands of now-No. 9 Utah. Those aches and pains weren’t the only reason the Cyclones looked a step slow.

“We don’t go in to any game just desiring to be competitive,” Rhoads said. “We certainly go in to every game to win. When we left the locker room at 6:05, if we went out and played well, we had that opportunity. We didn’t go out and play well. We also played a very, very good football team. There are no surprises, our kids knew what to expect.”

Defensive players said it was tough to set up before Oklahoma would run another play, the hurry-up offense proving more dangerous than Utah showed or what the Cyclones face in practice.

The defensive side of the ball has had major trouble in the Cyclones’ losses, allowing more than 527 yards per game in defeat. Oklahoma’s offense has been in the top tier in the nation over the past five years, but allowing it more than 300 yards on the ground and in the air shows the Cyclones were bullied and run around.

“Tempo, we need to get in better football shape,” said junior cornerback Ter’Ran Benton. “You could tell if you watched the game that we weren’t getting back and ready for the next play. We knew Oklahoma was going to be a good team; they’ve got about 10 people on the team that should be drafted.”

Coming off of two crushing defeats, the players insist their confidence isn’t being hindered and that they are simply a good team playing against better teams. The schedule was named as the primary culprit in Rhoads’ Monday announcements, and the team is ready to stay on track.

“We’re just trying to stay healthy. We can’t be tired. We’ve played seven in a row, but there are other teams in the nation that have, too. I don’t know if they’ve played the caliber of opponents that we have,” Arnaud said. “This team is mentally tough, and we’re going to stay that way.”

Texas presents plenty of problems with its abundance of speed and size, and while the squad struggled earlier in the season, it seems the Cyclones have already set their sights on the next opponent.

Opponents’ success away from the Cyclones has been indicative of the final result so far this year. In three Cyclone victories, the opponent’s combined record is 11-8. In four defeats, Iowa State’s opponents are a total 22-2.

“We can’t go in the tank on ourselves, we know we have a good team. Obviously we play some tough opponents,” said running back Alexander Robinson. “It comes down to execution.”

Iowa State’s remaining schedule includes three currently ranked teams, and the final five opponents have a totaled record of 20-9. The Cyclones need three wins to ensure bowl eligibility.

“We never have our heads down, they’re good teams. It’s the Big 12, we’re going to play good teams,” Benton said. “I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of people in the locker room that are doubting that we’re going to make a bowl game, but I’m not.”

Saturday’s kickoff from Austin, Texas, is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports Net. All of Iowa State’s games have been televised so far this season, but the Oct. 30 meeting with 2-4 Kansas is currently not scheduled to be aired on any networks.